2 veteran journalists offer straight talk on PR techniques

• Find a way to connect on a personal level and build a relationship. • Look at a journalist’s work, and follow and connect with him or her on Twitter.

Once you are ready to offer your story idea, Young said:

• Research before you pitch. • Don’t always pitch a one-dimensional story; find what unique aspect would interest that specific journalist and craft your suggestion accordingly.

For Nawbatt, the emphasis is on concise, cogent content. “When we were young, we all learned the 5 W’s,” and those fundaments are still crucial today. She warned against “data overload,” both in pitches and in online newsrooms—which can be a great help to journalists, if they are well organized and clutter-free. “Cut through the noise,” she said. Nawbatt’s other guidelines include: