Juan Carlos Mora
One of the trickiest aspects of marketing is public relations (PR) outreach. Make no mistake, even seasoned entrepreneurs with vast marketing experience struggle to do effective PR outreach.
However, doing PR outreach right is one of the secrets to growing a small business. It can shape public perception of your business, helping you gain the trust of the public for increased visibility.
So, how do you do PR outreach right? This PR outreach guide will answer this question. Specifically, we’ll examine the steps for performing PR outreach campaigns as well as the best tools and templates for effective outreach.
Let’s start the discussion by explaining exactly what PR outreach is.
What is PR outreach?
PR outreach (also known as media outreach) is the process of pitching information about your business’ offerings (products/ services) to the media (journalists, bloggers, and influencers) with the purpose of getting media coverage and extra exposure for your business.
Simply put, PR outreach is about reaching out to the media with information about your business so that they can distribute it to their audiences.
Know that PR outreach is different from media advertising, where you pay the media to publish something about you.
Instead, it is about organic media coverage. That is, in PR outreach, the media outfit is not obligated to feature you. But after getting to know your business and its offering, they deem your business valuable enough to be featured on their platform.
In the past, specifically before the internet, doing PR outreach meant reaching out to traditional PR outfits like television, radio, and newspapers.
But with the internet creating outlets with wide reach, PR outreach has expanded to cover influencers on social networking sites and bloggers.
Now, doing PR outreach is not limited to running to a TV or radio station to get air time. It now includes being featured in a reputable digital media outlet.
Why is PR outreach important?
The simple answer to why PR outreach is important is that it can grow your business. When PR outreach is successful, the media coverage you earn helps your business reach more people and helps you gain the trust of the public.
When a media outlet features you, it literally puts your business before its audience. Thus, more eyes see your business, including those who would otherwise not see your business and its offerings.
Getting positive mentions from reputable sources also enhances your credibility. Mentions from trusted sources are almost like endorsements.
The reasoning is that if credible sources deem your business worthy to appear in their industry-leading platforms, then your products and services can be trusted.
The outcome of increased visibility (more people knowing of your business) and enhanced credibility (more people trusting your products/services) for any small business is more patronage and business growth.
Why PR outreach is so difficult
Knowing the value of media coverage, everyone wants it. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a business that’ll say it’s doing just fine and does not care about the extra publicity that media coverage offers.
For this reason, everyone is doing PR outreach. Yes, all (or most of) the businesses around you and beyond are pitching to your target media outlets, industry blogs, and influencers.
In fact, 57% of top-tier publishers receive 50 to 500 pitches each week, according to Fractl.
Given the sheer volume of pitches for media coverage that the top publishers receive, it’s not hard to see why many are turned down.
You’ll need a really strong PR pitch to beat the stiff competition and get featured by a top-tier publisher.
Apart from the competition, another reason press outreach is so difficult is that it relies heavily on relationships. Ideally, you should pitch to top-tier publications only after building a relationship with the publishers.
Think about pitching to someone who doesn’t know you The outcome is likely to be your pitch landing in the person’s trash bin than your business featured on their platform.
Steps for performing PR outreach
Make no mistake, you just cannot wake up one day and pitch to top publishers. Doing that will most likely get your pitch to the trash bin. Performing a successful PR outreach involves a strategic and well-planned approach.
The specific steps for performing a successful PR outreach are:
Step 1: Develop relationships
Remember, one of the things that makes PR outreach so difficult is that it relies heavily on relationships. That is, you have a better chance of success when you pitch to someone who already knows you and is interested in what you have to say.
So, the first step in performing PR outreach is media relations. That is, you should build relationships with publishers (journalists, bloggers, and influencers) before pitching to them for media coverage.
Building relationships with publishers before pitching can increase the likelihood of your pitch’s success because:
- It makes your pitch stand out from the crowd: Remember that the top publishers get myriads of pitches. When publishers recognize your name, they are more inclined to consider the pitch.
- It helps you understand their editorial preference: Know that publishers have specific preferences and content requirements. When you build genuine connections with publishers, you gain insights into their preferences. For example, you’ll know the kind of stories or content they are likely to accept and publish.
- It helps you personalize your pitches: Personalizing pitches is one strategy for successful PR outreach. Having a relationship with the publisher helps you understand their preferences and interests, which you can use to tailor your pitches to their needs.
Some ways to build relationships with publishers toward a successful PR outreach are:
Engage with them on social media
Follow the specific publisher on social media platforms (Twitter/ X, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.).
Engage with their content by liking, commenting, and sharing. Doing this can show them that you are interested in their work.
Participate in online forums and discussions
If a target publisher is active in an online space, join the space. Contribute to the discussion and share valuable insights. Doing this can position you as a thought leader and make the publisher take notice of you.
Attend industry events
Publishers often attend industry events and conferences. So, endeavor to attend these events also. While there, try to meet the publisher in person and introduce yourself.
Subscribe to newsletters and publications
If your target publisher has newsletters and publications, subscribe to these. Doing this signals to the publisher that you have a genuine interest in their work.
Check whether the newsletter includes options for readers to participate in discussions or provide feedback.
Then, maximize the use of these opportunities to engage in conversations by sharing insights, asking thought-provoking questions, or providing constructive feedback.
Send personalized emails introducing yourself
Another way to cultivate relationships is to email the publisher directly. Send them a personalized email introducing yourself and expressing interest in their work. Highlight specific aspects of their work that resonated with you and briefly explain why it did.
Step 2: Define your goals
A popular quote by Tony Robbins is, “Goal setting is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”
By definition, goals are things you want to achieve. Outlining what you want to achieve will help you gain more clarity about how to achieve them. So, an important early step in performing PR outreach is outlining your goal for the PR outreach campaign.
Know that goals provide direction. Therefore, clearly articulating what you want to achieve with your PR efforts provides a clear direction for your outreach efforts, helping you focus your efforts on specific outcomes.
When defining your goals for PR outreach, ensure you are specific about the outcome you hope to achieve. Also, ensure your goals align with your organization’s broader objectives.
Examples of PR outreach goals include:
Increase brand awareness
You may set out to secure media coverage in specific media outlets to raise awareness of your brand among a target audience (the audience of the media outlet).
Build thought leadership
You can write op-eds or participate in interviews to position yourself as a thought leader in the industry.
Promote a new product
You can secure media coverage to generate public interest in a new product in order to increase sales.
Manage a crisis
Getting featured in a media outlet to address certain issues and provide transparent communication to mitigate the impact of a crisis on your organization’s reputation and rebuild trust is another goal you can achieve.
Step 3: Identify your target audience
In the context of PR outreach, the target audience is the specific individuals or groups you want to reach with the message that will be distributed in your media coverage.
Know that each journalist or blogger targets a specific audience. So, identifying your target audience will help you know the specific journalist, blogger, or influencer to target for media coverage.
For example, if you want to reach people interested in Electric Vehicles (EVs), you’ll want to reach out to journalists and bloggers who write about EVs.
Sending a pitch about an electric vehicle to a journalist who writes about tractors can have only one outcome – failure.
However, it’ll surprise you that one of the main reasons PR outreach fails is because the content pitched is not what the journalist or blogger writes about.
We cannot emphasize this enough! First, know the people you want to reach with your communication.
Then, find relevant journalists who write for these individuals. Doing this ensures your message is a good fit for these journalists/bloggers, increasing your chances of success.
Step 4: Build a media list
After discovering the media outlets and influencers where your target audience gets their information, build a comprehensive list of the media contacts.
A media list is simply a compilation of contact information for journalists, reporters, bloggers, influencers, and other individuals relevant to your topic, niche, or industry.
The list will serve as a database for distributing your PR pitches.
A good media list should include the following information:
- Contact information: You should include the full names, email addresses, phone numbers, and social media handles of the journalist, reporter, blogger, etc.
- Media outlet details: It should include the name and details of the journalist’s or reporter’s media outlet or publication.
- Beat (focus area): It’s important to include information about the topics the journalist/ reporter/ blogger covers.
- Preferred contact method: Note whether your target journalists have a preferred contact method (email, phone, etc.). Doing this ensures that you respect the person’s preference to increase your chances of being well-received.
- Additional notes: You may add notes that will guide your pitch (such as writing style).
Knowing what a media list is, how do you build one? Follow the following steps to build and maintain a media list for your PR campaign.
Identify relevant media outlets
Needless to say, the process starts with identifying media outlets that cover topics you are interested in. This can be newspapers, online publications, blogs, etc.
Research journalists and reporters
Within each media outlet, research individuals (journalists, reporters, editors, etc.) that cover topics similar to yours. Note down these person’s contact information, areas of interest, and other other relevant information.
There are different online resources to find detailed information about media professionals. These include Help a Reporter Out (HARO) and Muck Rack.
Social media can also be a good resource, as many media professionals are active on these platforms. Check their platforms for any information on their contact details and interests.
Segment your lists
After researching your target media professionals to get their contact and learn more about them, segment them based on different criteria.
For example, you can put together media contacts with the same beat/focus area, writing style, etc. Doing this helps you to tailor your pitches properly.
Update the list regularly
Know that the only thing constant in the world is change. Your target media professionals can change names, media outlets, focus areas, etc. So, ensure your media list is up-to-date.
Stay informed about the changes happening around these persons, and update your media list accordingly. Doing this will ensure that you use the most current and accurate information when pitching to them for media coverage.
Imagine that Samantha Jones used to write for NationalEye, but now writes for The Telescope. However, you pitched her for a feature in the NationalEye. The pitch will almost certainly not succeed.
So, update your media list regularly to ensure you have the most recent information on your target journalists (such as their media house, focus area, etc.).
Step 5: Develop a compelling message
When you have all the information you need about your target media professionals, the next step is to develop the message you want them to publish on their platform to their audience.
Develop a compelling message or story that the reporter you reach out to cannot turn down. Note that while your aim is to be on the news, you can only achieve this if you have a newsworthy story.
One way to prove that your story is newsworthy is to focus on relevance. That is, tailor your pitch to the specific needs and interests of the reporter, ensuring that your story aligns with their audience’s interests.
Remember that the goal of journalists is to inform, educate, and entertain their readers. So, create a story that helps them achieve that goal.
Having a relevant story tells the reporter that you care about their audience. The reporter will also see how your story will resonate with their audience. Needless to say, that will make a reporter more likely to consider covering your story.
Step 6: Create a media kit
A media kit is a package of promotional materials that provides essential information about your business. When a media professional is covering your story, they’ll need information about your company and products/services. This is where a media kit comes in!
As a comprehensive package of information, the media kit makes it easy for media professionals to access all the information they need when covering your story.
Essential components of a media kit include:
- Press release
- Company overview
- Biographies of key company personnel
- High-quality images related to the story
- Fact sheet (key facts and figures about your company or an event)
- Contact information for media inquiries
- Testimonials
- Links to past media coverage
Since a media kit saves a reporter time when covering your story, providing one may make a reporter more likely to consider your pitch.
Know that providing a media kit is a standard in the PR industry, so not having one may make your target media professional see you as lacking professionalism. Needless to say, this would put your pitch on the back burner.
Step 7: Craft a pitch
You have all the information you need about your target media professionals, a compelling message/story, and a media kit. Now, what next?
It’s time to craft your pitch!
Here is what to do:
Create a compelling subject line
When doing digital PR outreach, the process of crafting your pitch starts with developing a subject line.
Know that the subject line is what your target media professionals use to decide whether the message is worth opening and reading.
After seeing the subject of your email pitch in their inbox, it’ll take them just a few seconds to decide whether the email will be worth their time. This is why a compelling subject line is a must!
A killer subject line that incites curiosity will compel them to open the message and read your pitch. But a weak subject line will make them jump over your mail – not opening it to see the compelling message you may have inside.
Short, concise, and descriptive subject lines always do the trick (compel the recipient to open the mail).
For example, consider a two-word subject line like “Good stats.“ Yes, it’s short. But, its lack of context may make the recipient wonder whether the sender pressed “Send” too soon.
However, consider a subject line like “10 new stats of the Tesla you should know.”
The subject is descriptive, as it already reveals what the message is about.
More importantly, the words “new stats” make it arouse interest. The reporter will immediately be asking, “What new stats could this be?”
When writing subject lines, it’s very important to avoid spam-trigger words. Words like “free” and “earn money fast” can get your message marked as spam and sent straight to recipients’ inboxes.
Even if the message manages to land in inboxes, recipients are less likely to open messages with subject lines that have spammy words.
Craft a short email pitch
After writing your email’s subject line, the next step is to develop the pitch itself.
Your messaging should be compelling and easily understandable. Importantly, your message must be tailored to the specific needs and interests of the media professional you are reaching out to.
Some tips to help you craft a compelling pitch include:
Make it short
Know that top reporters and PR professionals do not have the time to read long pitches. So, you should always make your pitch short and straight to the point, preferably under 200 words.
According to research by Fractl, more than 50% of writers and editors across all beats prefer short pitches that are 100 and 200 words.
Make your pitch scannable
Know that even when your pitch is straight to the point, reporters are likely to scan it to see if it’s worth their time. Thus, it’s important to structure your pitch properly so the important details immediately stand out to the reader.
You should use the first section to find common ground. Mention an aspect of the reporter’s work that relates to yours (maybe a piece written by the person).
In the second section, clearly state what you want the reporter to do. Use a third section to explain why your story is important. Then, sign off with a cordial call to action.
Effective strategies for performing PR outreach
Some strategies to help you perform successful PR outreach include:
Personalize your pitches
Personalization is a crucial component of PR pitching and communication with media professionals.
Sending generic pitches to a thousand reporters will not work. Instead, your PR communication needs to be more personal and directed.
Take time to customize your pitches to the preferences and interests of each reporter you reach out to. Personalization tells the reporter that you’re really interested in their work.
A good way to personalize your pitches is to discuss how an aspect of the reporter’s recent work relates to your story.
Consider the example below:
See how the business personalized the pitch? Personalization was more than just calling the recipient by name. It went deeper. It mentioned the reporter’s recent article, a specific take on the article that resonated with you, and how your message complements the article.
Grab publishers’ attention from the off
The first hurdle your pitch faces is getting opened. If your target reporter does not open your email pitch, they will not see what you have to say.
So, you have to grab the publisher’s attention from the beginning and compel them to open your email using a killer subject line.
Keep your pitch short
Another effective strategy for performing PR outreach is keeping pitches short. Nobody (especially not the top-tier reporters) has the time to read long pitches.
To increase the chances of having your pitch considered, make it short (preferably under 200 words) and straight to the point.
Include visuals
Sending press releases to publishers may not be successful. This is because, while journalists like high-quality stories, they want to see visual content.
The Fractl research reveals that publishers like pitches with visuals. According to the study, the most published content formats by publishers in 2016 were photos, mixed media, and videos. The trend has continued as publishers demand infographics and data visualizations.
Thus, when pitching, craft a quality message and include some kind of media.
Don’t be too self-promotional
A common error in PR outreach is being too promotional. Needless to say, this leads to pitches being ignored.
Many businesses try to touch on most of their key points when sending out pitches. They end up focusing on their brand or products. However, journalists want stories rather than brand-focused content.
Thus, when pitching to publishers, avoid being self-promotional. Keep the reader in mind. Craft stories that are newsworthy instead of ceaselessly promoting your product.
Experiment with different channels
PR outreach is usually done via email. However, you do not have to limit yourself to emails.
In fact, research has revealed that just 13% of seasoned publishers (those with 20+ years of experience) could say that email pitches are extremely or very valuable.
Therefore, utilize multiple communication channels. In addition to email communication, use social media, phone, or networking events.
Make your pitch timely
Know that publications are always competing to give their audiences breaking news and the newest information. Thus, one of the best ways to make your message newsworthy is to address a current issue.
That is, you should tie your message to something happening in the world at the time, such as current events, trends, or industry news. Doing this enhances your message’s impact and newsworthiness.
Track your emails
When performing PR outreach, knowing the publisher’s reaction to your message is crucial for success. This is where Mailsuite shines!
Mailsuite is an email tracking tool for Gmail. It allows you to track emails by alerting you when the recipient opens and reads your email or clicks a link in the email.
By helping you track your emails, you gain insights into your recipients’ behavior, enabling you to create more effective follow-up communication.
For example, when a publisher reads your initial email but does not get back to you, your follow-up email to them would be different from when they had not opened the initial email.
Top PR outreach email templates
A PR outreach template allows you to craft email pitches easily. You edit the PR outreach email template by plugging your information and that of your target publishers into the placeholders, and you’re ready to send your first media outreach.
However, it’s important to approach templates with flexibility. Better still, use templates only for inspiration (to break writer’s block) and ensure your PR email pitch is personalized for each publisher.
That said, some top PR outreach email templates include:
Content collaboration proposal template
In this pitch, you request that you and a specific journalist work on an article to be published on their platform for their audience. The article will name you as a co-author or contributor, giving you the press coverage you desire.
This pitch works because top-tier publishers want to collaborate on stories. Because these publishers deeply care about their work, they’d rather collaborate on a story (where they can assure quality) than get a finished version (which may be half-baked).
Here’s the body text for this PR outreach template:
Subject: Proposal for Collaboration on [Summary of the topic]
Dear [First Name],
I hope this message finds you well. We at [Company Name] have been following your insightful coverage of [Topic].
We’d like to propose a joint effort on a feature exploring [specific angle of the topic].
With [Number of years] years of hands-on experience in the [Inustry Name] industry, we have access to behind-the-scenes glimpses and data-driven analyses that can form the backbone of a provocative feature article. We believe our expertise could complement your coverage and provide a fresh perspective that will resonate with your audience.
We look forward to hearing from you.
[Your name]
[Your position]
[Your company]
Offer for exclusive research findings template
In this pitch, you offer the publisher an opportunity to be the first to publish your research findings.
This pitch works because the media wants exclusive research. In the media business, having access to data that competitors do not have gives a media outlet a serious advantage in terms of page views.
Here’s the text for the template:
Subject: Exclusive: [Research topic] Findings – A First Look for [Media outlet]
Dear [First Name],
I trust this email finds you well. We at [Company Name] recently conducted groundbreaking research on [research topic].
It’s not news that the [Industry Name] industry is currently driven by [a current trend in the industry]. But what will happen in the new future? This is what our research reveals. We’ve uncovered trends that will shape the face of the industry into the next decade or more.
We’re offering [Media outlet] an exclusive first look at the findings. Your audience would be among the first to access this valuable information about [the connection of the topic to the industry].
Can we arrange an interview or provide more details?
Warm Regards,
[Your name]
[Your position]
[Your company]
Invitation for product review template
Are there publishers whose focus areas align with yours and who write about products or services similar to yours?
Use this PR outreach template to invite one of them to review your product or service and write an honest review of their experience on their platform.
This pitch works because it offers journalists the opportunity to provide their audience with valuable and informative content.
A product review allows the target journalist to experience the product firsthand, enabling them to form a more detailed and authentic perspective.
Here’s the text for the “invitation for product review” template:
Subject: Exclusive Opportunity: [Product Name] Review for [name of media outlet]
Dear [First Name],
I trust this message finds you in good spirits. We at [company name] are extending an exclusive opportunity for [name of media outlet] to review our latest product – [product name].
With amazing features like [Feature 1] and [Feature 2] offering benefits like [main benefit], we believe that your audience will love it.
Let us know if you’d be interested and we’d be happy to send you a complementary copy.
Warm Regards,
[Your name]
[Your Position]
[Your company]
Also Read: 10 Most Effective Email Outreach Templates (Tested by Experts).
Takeaway: Master PR Outreach and boost your business’s visibility and credibility with earned media coverage
A PR outreach means reaching out to media professionals with information about your business you want them to publish on their platform.
Unlike advertising, PR outreach involves earned media coverage. The coverage will give you better visibility and enhance your credibility, bringing patronage that grows your business.
While PR outreach is difficult, you can pull it off by following the aforementioned steps and strategies.
These include building relationships with publishers, knowing your target audience, building a media list, keeping your pitch short, starting with a compelling subject line, incorporating visuals, and not being too self-promotional.
Certain tools can help streamline your PR campaigns and set you up for success. Mailsuite is one of those tools. With Mailsuite’s advanced email tracking, you’ll know when your target publisher opens and reads your pitch, enabling you to develop effective follow-ups.
