By: Chris Piehler
I love blogs, and I think every company should have one. A blog is a flexible outlet where you can share your successes and establish your company voice on a schedule that you control. But as we have written in this blog, blogging presents many of the same challenges as online dating. As an edtech marketer, if you want to give your story the best possible chance of reaching its ideal audience, at some point you’ll need to pitch an idea to an editor or writer.
Like online dating, pitching involves creating a positive impression in someone you haven’t met. But as someone who sends pitches every day (and because I can’t resist a food-related marketing metaphor) I’d like to suggest that the best editorial pitches are, in fact, like the samples they offer at your local Costco.
Specifically, pitches that lead to published articles are convenient, tempting, tasty, and quick—but they leave their audience wanting more. Here’s the breakdown:
Convenient: Costco shoppers don’t have to search among the garden supplies for a sample of the latest smoked sausage. It’s right there at the end of the aisle, already speared with a frilly toothpick. Pitches should be the same way: in an editor’s email inbox with a subject line that clearly and compellingly lets them know what to expect.
The more you know about the person you pitch, the more convenient you can make the process. Some editors we work with ask that we start the subject line of every pitch with the word “pitch”—and you can be sure that we always comply. This sort of consideration for the journalists you’re trying to impress is just the beginning, though.
Tempting: As a former edtech editor, let me be honest: if a pitch had a boring or jargon-y subject line, I never even opened the email. Just as samples tempt shoppers with the smell of chocolate and the look of gooey frosting, pitches entice editors with an interesting, surprising, or funny subject line. For example, I was recently pitching an article comparing the educational systems of the U.S. and Finland, the sort of idea that could lead to a dry subject line. Instead, I chose, “What’s in the special sauce of Finnish education?” and the editor said yes.
Tasty: Once your subject line has generated a sense of excitement, you need to follow it up with a pitch that offers the delicious details that are an editor’s meat and potatoes. Are you offering an interview or a contributed article? Who is the author/interviewee? What unique take on the topic makes this pitch stand out from the crowd? Does the article fit in the publication’s editorial calendar or one of its established sections?
Quick: This is a lot of questions to answer, and if you’re excited about your pitch, you probably have a lot more to say, but pitches are like the lines that sometimes form in front of the best Costco samples: shorter is better. I try to stick to two paragraphs of about five lines each. That way you can convey all the essential information but still….
Leave them wanting more: If Costco gave out whole pizzas as samples, no one would buy pizzas because their hunger would be sated. The ideal pitch, like a tiny slice of Costco pizza, conveys a clear preview of the whole article but doesn’t give it all away. Just as Costco’s goal is to delight the shopper into ponying up for the whole pizza, your mission with a pitch is to make the editor happy about saying yes to the entire article.
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting hungry. Before I go, though, if you need more tips on pitching, check out our Quick-Start Guide to Data-Driven Storytelling.
Thanks for sharing!