One thing I discovered early on in my career is that I love all aspects of media relations, including pitching.
Everyone has their own style, but even the best find themselves unable to connect with members of the media on occasion. And that’s why I’d like to share something with you.
Reporters and editors are constantly getting pitched, and a lack of response could oftentimes be due to your message not standing out. So… let’s stand out.
The next time you can’t get a response, send the following as a follow-up email, and make sure you customize it a bit… but keep the concept in tact.
“I think you meant to respond to my email, but forgot to do so. I’m thinking there are a few reasons this may have happened:
- You are so taken back by the email that you’ve been a bit delayed in crafting the perfect response that inevitably conveys your interest in the event
- You’ve been involved in an epic video game marathon and haven’t stopped playing since last Thursday morning
- You were nervous about falling for the temptation [info deleted for privacy]
Now, I don’t know which one it is, but it’s ok… I forgive you. Since we’ve overcome the various reasons you may not have reached out can we chat about you attending [info deleted for privacy]?
Ryan
PS – thanks for seeing the humor in this message and my desire to make contact with you about this event.”
As you can see, the format is simple.
- Call out the lack of response
- Provide three humorous reasons why that may be the case
- Give a call to action
I know you might be thinking I’m crazy, but trust me… this works. I’ve used this tactic on top tier media that have been unresponsive, only to turn around and respond favorably within minutes of receiving this email.
