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- The Colab Brief: 010 - Pitch Perfect 🎤🌟
If we had a dollar for every time someone reached out and asked us to talk about the specific pitches that landed business press, we’d have like… twenty dollars. 🤑 But still, it’s by far the most frequent request we receive both from The Colab newsletters and on LinkedIn. So today, we’re getting into the nitty gritty.
We’re highlighting a few real pitches we used recently to gain top-tier business press coverage. 🚀
Have an idea for a topic, or are you an expert that would like to contribute? Reach out.
Read Time: 5 mins
There’s a common misconception that pitches must be mind-blowingly creative, offer the highest tier expert, or have some exclusive element to be effective. ⛔
I’m here to tell you that is simply not true. (And thank goodness).
In fact, our most successful pitches are shockingly simple. We stick to a few key guidelines when planning outreach. Our pitches are:
Targeted
Timely
Backed by research
Able to provide a unique perspective
If you’re hitting the right people, with a timely angle, and you can back it up with some data?
Bullseye. 🎯
Bonus points if you have a counterintuitive perspective or a fresh new take. ✨
Now let’s get into the actual emails.
Pitch #1 - Response pitch to newly released data
Topic: Climate
Result: A leading quote in an Associated Press article that was then syndicated over 300 times to other outlets, including Time Magazine, US News and World Report, and The Washington Post.
Why it worked: This is an example of why you MUST keep tabs on your industry. An explosive study was released midday, and within a short period of time (thanks to a very proactive internal client contact), we had fully approved quotes to seed to the press.
Note:
Hi XXX,
I saw you covered the new research from [STUDY] that mentioned [INFORMATION].
[SOURCE] at [COMPANY] can offer his insights on the latest findings and how those compare with other studies, many of which have come to less dire conclusions. He can also provide his perspective on [framing of results] and [solution - what can be done].
If you are too busy for an interview, I've also included a quote from [SOURCE] below. Please let me know if you are interested in pursuing a conversation.
Thanks,
XXX
[QUOTE]
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What if you aren’t lucky enough to have earth-shattering news to piggyback on? Then it’s time to get the creative juices flowing. 🍭
Pitch #2 - Jumping the news cycle
Topic: Cybersecurity
Result: A one-on-one interview with an ABC News reporter, a leading story with five CEO quotes splashed across multiple syndications, and a strong writer relationship that still exists today.
Why it worked: The ChatGPT/AI theme had been in the news cycle for months on end, yet the buzz continued, and outlets were looking for experts to discuss its impact in nearly every sector. We were able to hop onto a hot topic and offer a unique perspective, which was exactly the thing ABC News needed.
Note:
Hi XXX,
Only a few months into its inception, ChatGPT is already creating a new category of risk as fraudsters begin to utilize its capabilities for evil. Researchers at Check Point Research (CPR) have reported spotting at least three instances where black hat hackers demonstrated, in underground forums, how they had leveraged ChatGPT's AI smarts for malicious purposes.
Bad actors are employing ChatGPT to learn how to create synthetic identities and scale attacks with code samples. It's up-leveling an already alarmingly smart fraud sector.
[SOURCE], [QUALIFICATIONS/TITLE], is available to discuss how companies can protect themselves from these new, more sophisticated attacks and why he believes we must start fighting AI with AI before the problem gets out of control.
Please let me know if you're interested in a conversation, and I'd be happy to arrange an interview.
XXX
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Landing business press is equal parts art and science (plus a little luck 🍀). By sticking to key tenants (personalization, leveraging data, attaching your topic to something timely, and making the process as easy as possible for the writer), you give yourself the best chance at receiving a response.
Have some intriguing pitch tips to share? We’re collecting your best for a future edition, so click here to share your wins.
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