Picture this – you work in B2B media relations and you’ve got a hot story to pitch. What should your ‘go to’ method be? Maybe email – but journalists receive so many. Maybe phone – but will they pick up? Or maybe social media is the way to go?
The reality is there is no one single method of media pitching that beats the rest. A good PR team needs to have many different tools in their kitbag, because journalists are individuals and they like a variety approaches – if executed professionally!
At Skout we’re delivering B2B media relations for clients daily and are increasingly using social media as a method of reaching out to editorial teams and freelance writers. That’s why I recently developed a method known as RESULT. I ran a workshop for the team on it and they were soon using this as part of their pitching mix and were soon seeing impressive results (get it?) The RESULT method is common sense – I can’t claim any intellectual property there, and while it is focused on how to approach pitching via social media it also can help with pitching in general. It is also not just for B2B media relations and will work just as well in consumer PR.
Although recent research suggests a one to one email the most preferred method of pitching by journalists, we find that adding in additional channels such as social media can enhance overall success.
The key to RESULT is that it is about a considered and personalised approach to nurturing a relationship and not just selling a specific story. So, what is it?
R = Relate, you need to make your profile relevant to the journalist and your approach relatable to their needs and interests. Initial approaches should be more about relationship building rather than selling.
E = Engage, because it’s vital you interact with relevant media contacts on social platforms they use, whether that’s reading and commenting on their articles or looking for shared interests.
S = Sell, as eventually you’ll have a story or idea to share. However, our belief is that it is best to use social for more exclusive, personalised story ideas than mass news pitching, for example.
U = URL. OK, the acrostic referencing make this one a little tenuous but if you’ve got a short number of words to get your point across, having a link to a full set of story materials can help the journalist get immediately to the detail if they are interested. We use an app that allows us to easily build multimedia story showcases.
L = Like. Well done, you sold the story and got the coverage but the job isn’t over just yet. By like we mean it’s important to share and self-promote the journalist’s article on social media too. Just be mindful not to steal their thunder by over-promoting your own client or business!
T = Thank. Remember you’re on ‘social’ media so keep it social. Close the loop by thanking the journalist for their interest and commending them on a great article, while offering future support if they need it. As an old school PR dinosaur I prefer to avoid thanking a journalist publicly for covering my client, as they have chosen the story or comments on their own merit. But that’s just me!
I hope you enjoy using the RESULT method in your own B2B media relations.
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
