An article in MarketingProfs by Jerry Fireman offers some good basics on how to get product coverage in major news media. However, consumer product PR and marketing is my specialty of 2o years, and I find several of the article’s points debatable.
For example, it’s generally not a great idea to pitch to dozens of major media outlets at once. Place a Wall St Journal story and it will generate other coverage, including TV. But it won’t be written unless you offer the reporter first crack or some kind of exclusive information. I elaborated a bit more on this topic at Art and Interior Co if you would like to read more.
I don’t agree that you should provide contact info and other details of the story in the email pitch. The key to a successful pitch is getting a dialog going with the journalist. It’s more effective to mention the backup info you have and say you can quickly provide all the details if there is interest. Then make yourself available: provide all your contact info, including cell and home phone numbers.
An example in the article makes no sense at all: “”For example, a recent CNN article explained how computer simulation was used to determine why some of the bubbles in a glass of beer go down when you would normally expect all of them to rise. The article, which shows how the average person is affected by technology in an out-of-the-ordinary way, provides a perfect example of how to get mass media interested in a B2B product.” What was the product? Computer simulation? Beer?
