How to Apply the KISS Strategy to Your Email PR Pitch
Are you familiar with the KISS strategy? It stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid. However, a kinder and gentler approach might be to say Keep it Simple, Silly. At any rate the Keep it Simple part is the point of the acronym. It’s relevant to many things in life and if you’re trying to get a press release covered then it’s a great way to approach your email pitch.
Why KISS?
Everyone is busy, right? You’re busy. Your team is busy. And journalists and press representatives are no different. They’re busy too. When you keep your press release email pitch simple, you’re more likely to get a response.
Think about the email messages that you’re able to respond to quickly. They’re short, sweet, and they often ask a question. If you’re able to say, yes, no or maybe then you’ll respond. If you have to read a ten page email and respond with more than a sentence or two, you might wait until you have more time before you can respond. And if you’re like many others, the more time you wait, the less likely it is that you’re going to respond. Journalists are the same way. If they can respond quickly, they will.
Your Email Pitch
Your email pitch should be around 200 words or less. That’s about two paragraphs and it’s actually quite a lot of room to provide key information. It gives you plenty of time to:
- Introduce Yourself – Who are you and why are you reaching out to them?
- Tell Your Story – Not your personal story of course; you’re telling them the story that your press release covers. For example, if you are releasing a new study then maybe you might talk about how the information in the study changes lives.
- Present the Facts – Who is your audience? What’s the date of the event? Include information that the journalist may find interesting and relevant to their audience.
- Give them a reason to contact you (and a way to contact you) – You will of course follow up your email pitch. However, it’s a great idea if you can invite the journalist to reach out to you for more information. Offer to send photos, reports or other relevant information. And make sure to give them complete contact information including a phone number, website address, and email address.
That’s it. A pitch letter should be short, sweet, and right to the point. Don’t fill it with fluff, hype, and personal information. Customize the letter to each journalist you’re pitching to. Double-check your information, spelling and grammar before you hit “send.” A pitch email is a great way to get the media coverage you want for your business and your press release. Practice making them succinct.
