I get around three to four pitches a day from PR firms and they all suck. Some of them suck so badly I want to re-post them on my blog and make fun of them, but that’s not what I do here. Yet.
You don’t want to make their mistakes. Maybe you want your old boss to give you advice on your current job situation, or need a restaurant recommendation, or you want a blogger to write about reality TV star suicides. Whatever it is, here are four rules that apply:
1. Be personal.
Mass emails are interruptive advertising. They are the commercials I skip, the billboards I glaze over and the fliers that line the trash. If you have someone’s email, you should have their name. Use it.
But a name isn’t personal enough anymore. You know what’s personal? Showing that you respect me enough to know something about me. Anything. Talk about your mutual friend, your fellow obsession with brussels sprouts, or how you respect their blog/company/daughter and why.
Extreme targeting through the cultivation of conversations and relationships is the future of advertising. Big companies will do this by creating spaces where consumers will come to them and receive personalized value in return. You can do this by making it fun, easy and enjoyable to enter into a conversation with you and by showing the value you provide. You’re human. Act like it.
2. Be persistent.
There is no such thing as a perfect pitch. One, because it has to be customized for each person, and two because you can’t possibly know what each person will respond to unless you’ve worked with them before. Even then, people are fickle.
Everyone makes the first call. Everyone leaves one message. And everyone is also counting on you to give up. Maybe not the first time, but certainly the second or third. Don’t be a wuss. If your request is important, keep trying. People are busy, or maybe you didn’t pitch well enough the first time, or maybe they just want to see if you have the gumption to keep playing.
During college I was the top fundraiser for my university foundation. Here’s why. We had to make five asks in a phone call. Ninety percent of my co-workers would stop after one ask or get uncomfortable after the second. I made all five. Don’t give up.
3. Be specific.
People can’t read minds. Trust me, I’ve tested every boyfriend I’ve had. Nothing.
Most people don’t have specific requests. They send information or they send praise, but no call to action. Tell me what you want. It’s great that you’re writing an e-book on careers or it sucks that you’re having problems at work. And I’m glad that you love my blog, but is there something I can do for you? Then tell me. Follow through. Close the deal. It’s easy to do this by ending a conversation with a specific request:
“Can I count on you to give $100?”
“Does a 1:00 pm call on Thursday work?”
“Will you attend my restaurant opening?”
4. Say thank you. For the love of God.
My last job was all about keeping young professionals in the city. So when a candidate said she had been rejected by a local organization for a job, I asked her who the contact was. When it turned out to be someone I knew well, I offered to call my contact and ask that person to take a second look at the candidate. My contact agreed, the candidate was interviewed and was subsequently hired for a position.
And I never heard a thank you. Ever. That sort of thing happened all the time and what irks me even more is that it still does. Constantly. You have to show appreciation.
People don’t help you out of the goodness of their hearts. People help for two reasons: 1) they want to feel good when their advice or assistance pays off, and 2) they think by helping you, they can help themselves.
When I got my current position, I called the friend who got me in the door immediately to thank her. And then I sent her flowers. Oftentimes, when you ask for something, there’s not much you’re able to give back in return. A simple thank you goes a long way.
Pitch Point.
What’s worked for you? What hasn’t? Share your practical and creative tips below.
24 replies on “How to pitch for what you want”
Great insights per usual Rebecca. I wish the people legitimately trying that really think they have some value for me would follow #2 and be persistent, because sometimes let’s face it. As hard as I try sometimes your e-mail gets lost in the mix. I apologize. Send again. BUT, I try to be nice to everyone, and as a result sometimes I get the WORST pitches, and WORST requests ever.
Not too long ago I had someone who wanted to guest post. I told them that’d be great and let’s schedule a time to discuss some potential topics. To that person that translated into writing one of the more generic articles on social media I’ve ever encountered. Eh. Frustrating.
#3 would definitely go a long way. If you give me a call to action usually I have something in my mind that will translate to at least a polite response as opposed to your e-mail getting lost in the shuffle.
Don’t know if you saw Valeria’s tweet or my subsequent re-tweet, but someone pitched her blog today and started the pitch with. Hi Ryan! ::: sigh ::: Are people serious?
I guess when Ryan’s working late (At least Paugh got his beer) you have more time to write! Don’t forget to take a breath!
Thanks for sharing your comments, Ryan. I think one of the quickest ways to learn how not to pitch is to be pitched to yourself. You learn exactly what annoys you so you don’t do it to others. And when someone impresses you, you end up emulating them in your next request.
When I teach PR instead of doing it, I suggest that students learn a simple four paragraph e-mail format for pitches. The acronum WIIFY stands for “What’s In It For You,” with “you” being the reporters and his/her readers:
1. The first paragraph helps build a relationship with a journalist. You’re showing you know the media outlet, the individual, and what he/she writes. If possible, tie in your idea to an article he/she has written – it shows you’ve actually read his/her writing, and helps you establish relevancy for that reporter (it’s a WIIFY). It gives you the benefit of having a story idea and/or information for him/her that fits what he/she writes about, and would be of interest to his/her readers.
2. The second paragraph elaborates on what that story idea and/or information is. You offer just enough detail to get the journalist’s interest and ask you for more.
3. The third paragraph justifies the reason why the story idea/information is important and/or why the journalist and his/her readers should/will care. This is about what’s in it for them (WIIFY), not what’s in it for you. Don’t tell them about your marketing strategy – they don’t care about that unless it’s a business story about marketing strategies.
4. Your final paragraph is your closing and a call to action. This is where you offer some sort of value-add, such as arranging interviews with experts, celebrities, offer to provide additional information, invite them to an event, etc. Ideally it goes beyond, “for more information, please contact me.” Give the journalist a reason to want to contact you.
Then you add your name and full contact information (title, phone e-mail) at the bottom. That’s it – a nice brief, informal e-mail.
Remember that paragraphs should be short and simple – not more than two or three sentences long.
Wow, thanks Jon! Those are fabulous tips. Brevity is a big thing that I left out, so thanks for bringing that up. When you pitch whether by phone, email or in person, make sure to edit yourself. With most successful conversations, the other person will do most of the talking.
Absolutely. The most important skill a communication has is the ability to listen. Listening is more than just politely waiting for your turn to speak!
As a freelance writer, I can attest this advice not only applies in my profession — they are the cardinal rules. Good post; enjoy your stuff.
Just be a person and be straight/unique with who you are a pitching. Also don’t go for the immediate score…go long tail. Just introduce yourself for god sakes…it doesn’t have to be hard. You just can’t be lazy.
This is a really awesome post. No matter how many time I’m told otherwise, I still get anxious when pitching myself. I hate the idea of having to “sell” myself and ask for help. And I had to realize that while my lack of a job is uber important for me, I have to be persistent to get on the calendars of executives.
Fortunately I get over the lump in my stomach, make the phone calls (lots of them!!), and ask for what I want (and I’m still surprised when 8/10 times I get what I want) AMAZING!!
People want to help, but you are right… you have to ask (sometimes over and over) be specific and thank them. These are rules that I’m following everyday in my job search.
@ Jon – That is the golden rule : )
@ Katrina – Fabulous to hear. Thanks for the kind words too!
@ Stuart – You got it. Although I don’t know if it’s as much about being lazy as it is about the fact that people get nervous and anxious asking for things. It can be a daunting practice!
@ Monica – I do too, don’t worry! When I make phone calls I always have a screen up with what I want to say so I am sure to make all my point and don’t forget anything. That may help you too – although sounds like things are going well; I’m glad to hear it : )
Great tips Rebecca. I also liked the additional suggestions — brevity , be yourself, ask for what you want In addition to being persistant, be polite. When pitching via the phone I always ask if now is a good time, or if they have 5 minutes etc. Don’t assume they can talk to you right then and there on the phone. If you ask, people will let you know if there is a better time. If they tell you when to call back, then call back at that exact time and keep following up!
Awesome post Rebecca!
Why do people think they don’t need to use manners? It’s baffling.
One tip that I would add is: make sure that value proposition is stated in the terms of the “pitchee”, not in terms of the seller.
Unfortunately … too many think that cooky = succesfull… I believe that being polite and say thanks is the real succesfull one
Hey, you did the fundraiser thing too? I was part of the one out here at UCLA (we did the 3-Ask thing too).
Anyway, I totally here you on the persistence part. Not to the point of annoyance though; I think that there’s a fine line that is not to be crossed there. I often will send an email and then follow up with a phone call. If it goes to voicemail, I leave something short an specific reinforcing the points that I made in my email.
Once we do follow up, I thank the individuals for their time and support and then close the call having scheduled an appointment and having repeated and reinforced the important points of our call.
All of those things together lead to a pretty good pitch and follow up (or so I think).
Which reminds me, I have some sponsors and speakers to recruit for my new monthly mastermind group… Rebecca, you have any words of advice for me??
[…] Thorman gives us some food for thought when crafting our pitch–be personal, be persistent, be specific, and be grateful. But how […]
Rebecca-
Thanks for this post. I learned from it and had some follow-up questions, which I posed and responded to in a post over at Sumology.
Hope you swing by to check it out!
Talk soon-
Andrew
[…] you think saying thank you doesn’t make a difference? Try this, from Rebecca at Modite in How to pitch for what you want: My last job was all about keeping young professionals in the city. So when a candidate said she […]
Really good advice, Rebecca. These tips can apply to many forms of human interaction, in addition to pitches.
JO
[…] How to Pitch for What You Want […]
Terrific post…I have just stumbled on your blog. Recently I read an article about Alice and so glad that I have found someone with a voice inside of this startup!
Couldn’t agree more with your points:
1) Know who you are pitching and what they need. In my current position I looked up everything I could on the top 5 exec’s at the company(of 15 at the time). I knew that the CEO and I had the same alma mater, IU. I mentioned this before he did and got immediate cred. I knew that the company was growing but needed another vertical to take them to the next level.
2) I ended up interviewing with all 15 people at the company over a couple month period! They were not convinced on what I was pitching them at first…now it is 30% of our revenue. Good companies hire good people!
3) Yes…even when your busy contact doesn’t get back to at the specified time, give them another. Be specific in what you can bring to the table.
4) Way to important to forget! Take a card with you and send as you leave the interview. Send something specific to the industry that will be memorable as a gift. I have had two instances that this has happened to me: one as the current company grew(and contracted) we did have to lay someone off, so I called a friend at a well established company and set her up with an interview—she got he job and I learned about it on your facebook page—never heard a thank you. Another person I recommended to a position at current company and found out that he didn’t send a thank you or even follow up…just makes me crazy!
5) Adding this one…Make sure that you are getting pitched as well! If you really have something to offer and they see that in you…they will pitch their position!
My past couple positions were not ones that I answered a want ad…I approached and pitched. Yes, both start-ups.
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Recently I attended an entrepreneurs’ weekend sponsored by our local chamber of commerce. At this event in one of the lectured there was a mention of the ‘ask.’ Then it clicked for me – how will anyone know what you want if you don’t ask? The ask can, and often is, uncomfortable – yet essential.
I find it incredible that you worked in five asks in a single phone call – I would really be curious on how the conversation would typically go!
[…] Leave a Comment Tags: informational interviews, job search advice, networking You reach out to a potential networking contact and ask if he would be willing to meet you for a cup of coffee. He accepts your invitation. In […]
[…] reach out to a potential networking contact and ask if he would be willing to meet you for a cup of coffee. He accepts your invitation. In […]