Media relations is a delicate dance and it can be extremely difficult to get right for those embarking on it without that much experience.
With that in mind, don’t forget to go through our nine-point checklist before you send your stories to the media.
Do the journalists I’m planning to email cover the topic of my story?
If a competitor was doing this, would I expect to hear about it on the radio, TV or in the local media?
Is there too much that sounds like marketing material in my story?
How often is the name of my organisation mentioned? It shouldn’t be more than three times
Have I included a quote from someone senior and is the quote succinct?
Have I taken out all cliches, such as ‘groundbreaking’, ‘revolutionary’ and ‘iconic’)? Have I stripped out the jargon and hyperbole too?
Have I included as links - rather than as attachments - an image, case study and multimedia materials, such as an infographic and visualisation?
Is the pitch short enough to not put a journalist off reading it, but long enough to include the key elements?
Does my subject line make a journalist want to open my email? Try to make it eight words or less.
For more in-depth and tailored advice on how your organisation can catch the media’s attention, contact us: jessica@sparrowhawkcommunications.com