If you missed our free PR webinar featuring Sian Elvin, assistant news editor for Metro.co.uk and Almara Abgarian, freelance journalist who works across lifestyle publications including Metro.co.uk – you can watch back now.
With PRs across the country unsure what to pitch during the lockdown, we found out first-hand how some of the top lifestyle and news journalists in the UK have been impacted and what PRs should and shouldn’t be pitching them right now.
Our highlights / tips include:
- Don’t pitch content that isn’t relevant right now (and if via DM, make sure it’s appreciated!)
- If you do approach a news desk, do it in a proper manner (Don’t call Almara ‘babe’ or ‘hun’!)
- Get the journalist name and publication correct, at least.
- Fluffy story = no one cares, it’s just made for links, pulled from nowhere, trying to make what you’re pitching relevant even though it isn’t.
- Journalists and editors need images and quotes asap – not in a day or two.
- Pitches with case studies are more likely to be covered than those without.
- Qualify travel content relevancy before pitching – there will be a time when purely travel related stories are needed, now isn’t the time.
- If you don’t get a reply to your pitch, check the journalists twitter profile to see what stories they’re covering before you email them again!
- Package everything up: Give journalists everything they might need, from images, to quotes, stats and case studies. If you’re not doing this then you could be wasting a journalist’s time.”