When it comes to PR, many people don’t realize how difficult it can be to get the attention of reporters.  They get hundreds of emails a day, of that only a small number get read and of that, an even smaller number become news stories. So, how can you get them to read your emails? To improve your chances of getting a reporter to open your email and act on the contents here are some tips to follow:

Do Your Homework

Are you really sure that the email you are sending to a particular reporter fits his or her beat?  Newsrooms have gone through a lot of staffing cuts and re-arrangements in the past few years.  Chances are that whoever was the business reporter last year, is most like the general assignment reporter this year.  That is, if they are still working at that news outlet. Go to the outlet’s website and click on the staff directory to make sure that the reporter is still there and that they are covering the beat that is related to the story idea that you want to pitch.

Make Them Curious

Imagine these two subject lines come up in your in box. Would they pique your interest?

Is your car ready for winter?

Three unusual ways to cook chicken

These two subject lines make the reader curious, so that hopefully they will read further to learn more.  Clickbait is famous for piquing curiosity so that people will click, hence the name.  Asking a question or using words, such as unusual, surprising and secret will increase the likelihood that a reporter will click on your email and read what it says. After all, if there is an unusual and surprising secret out there, most people, including reporters, want to learn more about it.

Use Bullet Points

Why should you use bullet points in your email to reporters?

• They are quick to read.
• They summarize information in an easy-to-read format.
• They can be used to highlight the most important information you want to convey

Using bullet points does not mean you are dumbing down your content. Reporters have so many demands on their time that anything that enables them to get information quickly and easily can help them in choosing which emails to turn their attention to and possibly turn into news stories.

Have a hook or an angle

Try tying your news to current events, trends or seasons. Whatever is going on in the nation or whatever time of year it is, you can utilize it to get the attention of the media.  Did a famous person die and it was discovered that he or she didn’t have a will? If you are a lawyer, you can reach out to the media about the importance of having an estate plan before you become incapacitated.  Or you can be a contrarian. For example, if you are a chef, you can pitch a story about what to eat at Thanksgiving if you don’t like turkey.

There is always something going on that you can use to craft a media pitch for your organization or business. Doing so consistently, establishes you as a subject matter expert and over time, reporters may even come to you for information.

When it comes to getting the media’s attention, you don’t have to write a lot of words – it’s quality over quantity.  You just need to be creative, a follower of the news and make your words count!