2 mistakes that immediately tank your pitch

Some pitching behaviors can drive reporters crazy.

Though PR pros can easily find journalists who want to be pitched via phone and others that hate it—or those that find follow-up emails and calls helpful, while others despise the act—some pitching missteps are universally loathed by reporters and editors across publications.

Here are two pitching fails that can immediately move your email to the trash bin:

1. You didn’t bother to make it personal.

Journalists understand that PR pros have jobs to do, and that the pitch you’re sending was likely sent to other reporters. However, you don’t have to be obvious about your lack of tailoring and personalization.

Here’s a pitch about an organization winning an award:

Dear Media Outlets:

I’m submitting a press release about the [organization name redacted] winning the [awarding organization name redacted] Annual Award for Business Excellence (AABE).

… Would there be any way to use this news as a business announcement in your print publications or on your websites?