A few weeks ago, my colleague and I attended the Publicity Club of New York’s “Your Money & Personal Finance” event. The media luncheon provided the opportunity to hear from six influential personal finance/money editors and reporters, including:
- Suzanne Woolley, personal finance writer, Bloomberg
- Jill Schlesinger, CFP, business analyst and JillOnMoney radio host for CBS News
- Rick Levinson, personal finance editor, CNBC Digital
- Katie Lobosco, personal finance team writer, CNN Money
- Lauren Young, money editor, Reuters
- Lisa Scherzer, personal finance editor, Yahoo! Finance
Each participant explained what catches their eye and keeps their attention in terms of pitches. As someone starting out in the industry, I benefited from hearing directly from the media. Below are the top five pieces of advice I took away from the panelists:
Prepa
red & available experts: Make sure you have a spokesperson on deck. The editors and reporters made it clear that public relations professionals should always have an expert who can speak with clarity when pitching. Lobosco told the packed room that for her, it is always better to have “real people” stories. Schlesinger stressed the need for eloquent spokespeople. “I’m looking for great talkers to feature on my weekend show,” she said. “If they aren’t good talkers, don’t bother.”
“Did you get my email?”: If I learned anything at this event, it was never utter this line. I am new to conducting follow-up phone calls with the media and while my colleagues have mentioned this to me before, it was good to have it reiterated by the journalists. It’s 2018 … email is pretty reliable and their inboxes are flooded with hundreds of pitches daily. Unless your subject line truly stood out among the rest, there is a very slight chance that your pitch was noticed. How can this be solved? Young of Reuters suggested stating or writing in your follow-up message, “I can send through more information [on this topic] if you’re interested.” More information can include quotes/testimonials, a press release or other supporting materials.
Has anyone covered this before?: “Stories do not have a shelf life,” Rick Levinson of CNBC Digital shared, speaking on the topic of breaking news. Many of the panelists agreed that if a breaking news story has already received coverage, it is not worth writing about again. Lisa Scherzer said, “If [others have done] it, why should we do it, too?” The participants did agree that certain personal finance stories are covered year after year, including holiday spending and saving for college.
Know your audience: Being pitched on irrelevant topics was a pain point for each member of the panel. Everyone stressed “doing your research” when determining who to pitch. Woolley of Bloomberg said it best: “Know your target and do your research.”
Supporting materials: The writers and editors on the panel communicated the importance of providing any data, graphics or information to help amplify pitch. “Show me that you’ve done your research and give me something to use,” Levinson said in regard to infographics. Infographics are helpful to reporters, as they create a visual aspect to the story and hold information in a condensed manner, specific to the pitched topic. Any form of data continues to add credibility to a story, making it more engaging for the reader.
As I work, I will happily keep these five tips top of mind. What rules do you have when it comes to pitching? Leave a comment, let’s discuss.