For a couple decades, I served as an editor of newspapers and during that time I listened to goodness knows how many pitches that didn’t work. These came from PR folks as well as from reporters who received pitches they liked and wanted to pursue.
public relations
Nine ways to torpedo your media pitch
There’s lots of advice on how to make a good media pitch.
The thing is a lot of pitches are bad. I spent more than two decades as an editor and sometimes editor and publisher, of newspapers, magazines, and digital news sites. That put me on the receiving end of goodness knows how many pitches.
Pitching Media: What’s big and what’s small?
While it is clear that pitching media is a bit of an art form, the tendency is to go big or go home. “New York Times or bust!”
One day, the pitch came in. It was from a local manufacturer who was part of a huge company in a huge industry. The focus of the pitch was on some local support the company had made in our little town. Contributions to youth sports, corporate sponsorships, that sort of thing.