Stop Randomly Pitching to Reporters

We'll make this very simple.

Though I'm certainly fond of posting blogs about three ways to do this or six reasons never to do that, I only have one thing to say today.

That thing you do where you blindly cc every reporter on the planet, cross your fingers and hope you get a call back about your story?

Stop it. Immediately.

Related: Where Is Your Media Plan?

Just like with anything else: a failure to plan to planning to fail. When you send out a blanket release, unless you're a super powerful organization or government body that gets news simply for being who you are, reporters can tell that you have essentially spammed them. Now I actually have three quick reasons how they know:

• The story doesn't have any angles that fit their beat.
• The story doesn't involve the location the reporters serves.
• It's quite obvious by the boilerplate presser you sent.

The moral of the story? I'm pretty sure I've said it before, but it certainly bears repeating: one targeted pitch is certainly better than throwing 10 press releases at reporters and hoping one sticks. Do your research and send a pitch that may genuinely interest a reporter.

Read more: Planning Ahead is an Understatement
                     Can A Reporter Contact You?

Bridgette Outten is a journalist and media consultant with The Write Vision Group, Inc. With a background in print media, she has written thousands of articles for newspapers and online publications. At The Write Vision Group, Bridgette consults with nonprofits and small businesses about how to get their programs and efforts in the news.