pr news writing boot camp...this matters to silicon valley because pluralsight is now essentially a...

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How to craft emails for media relations success

PR News Writing Boot Camp

Michael Smart

[email protected]


Stuff you already know • Lots of PR folk chasing too few media/bloggers • Media databases have enabled lots of

spammy email pitches • Subject lines are crucial • Targets should be researched and pitches

customized


Need to take that even further • Time.com editor Harry McCracken on pitch

customization • For cold-contacting top targets,

personalization needs to be: – Specific – Sincere


Hi [USAT reporter], I was fascinated that in this world of expensive medical interventions that a simple checklist could be that effective. The bit about Gawande’s own patient was a nice touch. I thought you might be interested in proof that another public health intervention is having a dramatic impact. A professor at my university is publishing a study in NEJM that shows decreases in air pollution in American cities have added five months to the average Americans’ life. Would you like me to send more info so you can decide whether you’d like to interview the author? Thanks for your consideration,


From: [reporter] Sent: Thursday, January 15 1:35 PM To: Michael Smart Subject: Out of Office: checklist saves lives I'm out of the office. Back tomorrow.

From: Sent: Thursday, January 15 2:00 PM To: Michael Smart Subject: RE: checklist saves lives Sure, please send it. From: Michael Smart [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, January 15 1:34 PM To: Subject: RE: checklist saves lives Hi [name], I was fascinated that in this world of expensive medical interventions that a simple checklist could be that effective. The bit about Gawande’s own patient was a nice touch.


Brandy from LA


Anatomy of a perfect pitch email • The most important thing a journalist can see

in the body of your email pitch is the . . .

. . . end.


For first pitch to cold contact • Keep email brutally brief


Keeping emails brief • Omit proper nouns unless they propel news

value – Can always send details later

• Resist temptation to introduce yourself and your organization

• Guideline: 150 words or less


Dear [NYT writer], Thought of you and Bucks for this: New academic research found setting a budget for a specific purpose actually backfires. The study showed consumers increase their spending by up to 50 percent more than consumers who don’t set a price target. It’s being published in an academic journal and was authored by marketing profs at BYU and Emory. We’re releasing it to the public now. Would you like me to send more info?


When time is short . . . • Pick top 5-10 targets and customize those • For next 10-15 do the best you can on the fly


When time is short . . . • Pick top 5-10 targets and customize those • For next 10-15 do the best you can on the fly • When you MUST use database:

– “I know you cover . . .” – Not “I know you cover tech” or “you cover SF.”


I know you cover . . . • . . . SaaS startups closing major funding rounds • . . . workplace issues faced by working moms • . . . new smartphone apps that have achieved

a critical mass of users


Specify IMPACT on their audience • Acquisition example • Had already announced multiple acquisitions

this year


Brad from Method Comms

If you're interested, I wanted to offer another exclusive to you (embargoed until next week). This is another story that signals something bigger than the actual announcement, and it has implications for Silicon Valley, so I wanted to share with you first since you have such a knack for capturing nuance. Here's the gist: next Tuesday, the online developer training company Pluralsight will announce its acquisition of Tekpub. The acquisition will be Pluralsight's third this year, following deals to buy Seattle-based Peepcode and Chicago-based TrainSignal, and makes Pluralsight the Lynda.com for computer programmers, developers, coders -- basically everyone under the CIO/CTO umbrella. This matters to Silicon Valley because Pluralsight is now essentially a one-stop shop for all the technical skill development required to fuel hot high-tech startups. In terms of background, Pluralsight grew organically for about a decade before taking a $27mm Series A from Insight Venture Partners earlier this year. With that investment, they've gone on a buying spree to dominate the online training space for technical pros (which is becoming more relevant amid the talent crunch). Sarah Lacy did a profile on Pluralsight's first millionaire instructor earlier this year, but nobody has really told the story behind Pluralsight's recent moves and what they mean for the online training industry and the future of training high-tech talent. This acquisition is an impetus for telling that story. If this sounds useful, I would be happy to send a press release for more info and get you a briefing with Aaron Skonnard, founder and CEO of Pluralsight (he's a cool guy – I think you'd like him ;).


Subject lines • What’s the sole purpose of the subject line on

a pitch email? • Must also match what’s inside • Don’t waste precious space with “story idea”

– Exception: naming a segment on TV/Radio • “For Medical Minute: . . .”


Subject lines • Think magazine covers: tease • Numbers

– 3 safety tips for gardening season

• How . . . – How 15-person startup beat industry giant

• Questions – What’s a walrus’ New Year’s resolution?


Secret-weapon subject line • (positive sentiment): [your recent story’s topic]

• Liked your piece on debt reduction • Nice article on Amazon boomerangs


fan mail: your Zipcar IPO analysis Dear Lynn, I read that with interest – working at a university like I do I’m always curious about how car sharing is progressing (or not progressing, as your final source points out). You also have a fan here in finance professor James Brau – he’s followed your stuff since you wrote about CFOs knowing Wall Street underprices their IPOs. That’s why he wanted me to let you know about his latest study of 679 exits that examines which harvest strategy earns founders the best returns: IPOs, or sell-outs, or certain combinations of the two?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113997332542774356.html


Doesn’t have to be cute • Clear is much better than clever but vague • But if you’ve got something that’s clear AND

clever, go for it


Devin from my “Inner Circle” program

• PR Director for Instructure Canvas • Sells software for online college courses


Hi (reporter), Next week, AMC will announce a partnership with a prominent university and leading technology company to create a massive open online course (MOOC). The course, which will be marketed internationally, will use the apocalyptic scenario from the series to teach a range of cross-disciplinary topics, including hierarchy of needs in a disaster, the physiology of stress in a crisis and population modeling to predict a species' survival or extinction. On the business side, the MOOC partnership is AMC's most unique attempt at fan engagement to date. On the education side, it's an experiment to see if tying pop culture to traditional academic concepts improves learning and retention in the move toward open, global online education. If this sounds interesting, I'd be happy to share more details under embargo. Cheers,

“Walking Dead infects online ed”


Review takeaways • Be specific and sincere for top 5-10 targets • Emphasize beat relevance to rest of your list • Omit intro, background and proper nouns to

stay under 150 words • Specify IMPACT on journo/bloggers’s audience • Use numbers, how, and questions to entice opens • Selectively, share positive reference to recent piece


Stay in touch [email protected] www.michaelsmartpr.com

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pr news writing boot camp...this matters to silicon valley because pluralsight is now essentially a...

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