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Perfect Pitches 500 Publishers Tell Us How to Get Their Attention
Aug 11, 2015
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This is a storyabout a noise:value ratio
that has gotten out of whack.
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Editorial voices are outnumbered by public relations professionals by almost 5:1
“Thanks for another great post!
I'm excited to see how this one is received, as I think it was really interesting and
useful information.”– Managing Editor, Harvard Business Review
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“Many [PR professionals] have a misunderstanding when it comes to the difference between advertorial and guest posts.” – Gigaom.com
“Too many submissions we get are clearly just pitches for a company, attempting to masquerade as thought pieces, a press release dressed as a guest post.” – TechCrunch.com
“Over time [guest blogging] has become a more and more spammy practice.” – Matt Cutts
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Our Research
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@AndreaMLehr, www.frac.tl
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This Is Their Story
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About how many
stories do you write
per day?
About how many
stories do you write
per day?
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About how many
pitches do you receive
per day?
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"300-plus. No joke!"- Reuters.com
"Too many to count, seriously."- HuffingtonPost.com
"Wow - I have lost track.” - USNews.com
"I mostly filter these or unsubscribe."- Lifehacker.com
“It's CONSTANT! It's like they're rewarded for pitching, not for landing pitches...”- PopularMechanics.com
“Dozens. I've started filtering them so they are automatically deleted.”-FundRaisingCoach.com
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How often do you
write something that
was sent through a
pitch?
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Although only 11% often write a story based on content that was sent through a pitch, 45% said sometimes, so there is an opportunity for change.
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Your Strategy Lesson
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Would you rather be
pitched ideas you can
collaborate on or get a
finished asset?
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STOP spamming writers with poorly matched assets. Instead, collaborate on mutually beneficial ideas.
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What characteristics
does the perfect piece
of content possess?
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What types of content
do you wish you saw
more?
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Your Networking Lesson
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How important is it for a
person to establish a
personal connection with
you before pitching
content?
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64% of writers think it is of some importance that you establish a personal connection before pitching.
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Which of the following
channels do you prefer to be
pitched on?
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Start writing sincere emails to the best-fit person for your campaign.
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Your Pitch Lesson
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What time of day do you
prefer to be pitched?
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What email length do your
prefer?
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88% of writers prefer a pitch be less than 200 words. Check your word count before sending.
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Do you open an email based
on its subject line?
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Test your subject lines in your inbox. What stands out? The golden rule is 45-65 characters.
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How likely are you to delete
a pitch based on a
spelling/grammar error,
regardless of the content’s
quality?
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If you could give 1-3 points
of feedback to people who
pitch you, what would you
say?
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Do your research.Know the publication.Be relevant.Make it newsworthy.Know my beat. Don’t use all caps.Be personal.Be concise.Don’t cold call.Does it fit my beat?Use spellcheck.No giant attachments.Don’t pitch on social media.Know my audience.Avoid phony friendliness.Get my name right.Avoid the fluff.Tailor your subject lines.Die in a fire.
Leverage The Science Behind Great Content.
Research by Kelsey Libert, www.frac.tl
Read more about the research at http://research.frac.tl/pitching-influencers
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