Episode 46: 5 Things I Learned from Sending 1000+ Cold Pitches to Journalists
Do cold pitches result in colder shoulders and colder replies?
More often than not, the answer would be a resounding yes to that question. And you might feel that way because cold pitching takes massive efforts to present yourself and your business before journalists without a guarantee of getting a 'yes,' 'not now,' or 'maybe.' Worst of all is not getting any response from them!
Somewhere along the cold pitching process and the hundreds of sent emails, you can easily turn discouraged when nothing falls accordingly to your PR plans.
But what if I told you that, as my message has always been, there are untraditional yet proven methods that will help you produce results and get you featured?
More importantly, you can apply these methods to your cold pitches!
But you might be asking, 'what gives you the audacity that my cold pitches to journalists will work if I apply your methods?"
From pitching bath towels to my services, I've sent over a thousand cold pitches to journalists and continue to do so. Through time, I've seen what subject lines make journalists mark your email as important. And I've also observed the messages that media outlets don't prioritize because of inadequate elements.
These methods did not just work for me. Hundred of business founders in our community are leveraging these insider secrets to get their stories covered by journalists.
Here's the best part—I've done the research and compiled the essential lessons on cold pitching to journalists, and I'm happily sharing these insights with you.
You might be wondering now, 'Why are you sharing this?'
Don't be surprised, but here's a spoiler alert: my answer is already one of the five most important lessons I'm about to share in this podcast, and it's this—you have to be of service and a good value to people!
"Landing media is not only about growing our business, our expertise, our visibility. It's about redefining what the entrepreneurial landscape looks like. Because we cannot seek the representation of diverse entrepreneurs if we don't see ourselves reflected back at us."
-Gloria Chou
By now, I'm sure you're excited to learn more about the other significant lessons about cold pitching to journalists that you should know. So immerse yourself in this special episode as we take a deep dive into the things you should know about cold pitching so that when it's your turn to send that pitch, the doors of PR opportunities will open for you!
Topics We Cover in This Episode:
Realizing the truth that you always have the potential to pitch
The primary fear that holds you back from pitching
How being of value helps you get the journalists' attention
The cold and hard truth about timing and sending your pitches
Pro tips for an email that journalists will surely remember
Why asking the right questions matter in cold pitching
If you want to land your first feature for free without any connections, I want to invite you to watch my PR Secrets Masterclass where I reveal the exact methods thousands of bootstrapping small businesses use to hack their own PR and go from unknown to being a credible and sought-after industry expert. Register now at www.gloriachou.com/masterclass.
Resources Mentioned:
Gloria Chou's Masterclass: PR Masterclass
Gloria Chou's PR Starter Pack: PR Starter Pack
Small Business PR Podcast: Episode # 1: Pitch for Gift Guides
Small Business PR Podcast: Episode # 29: Get Onto Business Insider
Small Business PR Podcast: Episode # 32-Cold Pitch to Forbes
Small Business PR Podcast: Episode # 38- Secure PR and Paid Consulting
Additional Resources:
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Here’s a glance at this episode…
[1:34] If journalists were only interviewing the Elon Musks and Jeff Bezos of the world, we probably wouldn't really hold them in such high regard. That's why the opportunity, our opportunities are all around for you to pitch.
[2:28] Think about not selling to the journalist but how you can be a part of the solution. Remember, the journalist is not going to buy your product or service. They are in business to serve their audience. So how can you serve their audience? So think about your point of view as an expert.
[3:06] Another thing to know is that in order for you to get featured in the media, without knowing anyone, you really need to master the art of translating your marketing or sales pitch, which you're so good at.
[6:26] I want you to build up that mental tenacity, that resilience because that's going to allow you to step into your worth, and keep pitching over and over again because the more you pitch, the luckier you get.
[14:00] Because once you know that there is a blue ocean of opportunities for you to pitch every month, every week, every holiday, you will never run out of ideas of things to pitch. Don't let the PR industry make you think that other people have better ideas than you because no one cares or knows about your stuff more than you do.
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Gloria Chou 00:00
Now you know that here at Gloria Chou PR and the Small Business PR Podcast, we're all about dispelling the most commonly held beliefs around PR. The system has been made to make small business people feel like they're left out of the conversation, that the system is rigged against us, that you need certain access and privilege and to be a part of the cool kids club to get featured. And I have spent my entire career hacking it from the outside without any industry contacts. So this episode is 'The Five Lessons I Learned from Sending out over 1000 Cold Pitches to Journalists I've Never Even Met.'
Gloria Chou 00:32
Hey friends, I'm Gloria Chou, small business PR expert, award-winning pitch writer and your unofficial hype woman. Nothing makes me happier than seeing people get the recognition they deserve. And that starts with feeling more confident to go bigger with your message. So on this podcast, I will share with you the untraditional, yet proven strategies for PR marketing and creating more opportunity in your business. If you are ready to take control of your narrative and be your most unapologetic and confident self, you're in the right place. This is the Small Business PR podcast.
Gloria Chou 01:03
Number one thing I realized from cold pitching, again, without any kind of industry context is that you do not need to be at a certain level of business or revenue level, have a celebrity spokesperson, or even fully launched to get featured. Listen, journalism is not dead. And the reason why journalists and media outlets have such integrity is that they are looking for perspectives from everyday main street heroes from you, people who are ordinary but everything but ordinary because you have unique and diverse experiences. If journalism was only interviewing the Elon Musks and Jeff Bezos of the world, we probably wouldn't really hold them in such high regard. That's why the opportunity, our opportunities are all around for you to pitch. So think about it this way. Whenever you read an article, you're constantly seeing quotes from this expert or this person that you've probably never heard of. That just goes to show that there are opportunities for people to get featured every day. The news cycle is so diverse. There are always new opinions and new stories being written for every season and every reason. So why have it not be you right?
Gloria Chou 02:10
Now, to think of it this way is less about what level of business you're in, or what kind of fancy connections you have and more about how you can pitch with relevance. I teach this in my PR Secrets Masterclass. And relevance is perhaps the most important thing for you to be able to cut through the noise and to get featured without any connections. Think about not selling to the journalist, but how you can be a part of the solution. Remember, if you can offer some tips, a framework an insight, a perspective, a discussion point on a topic that people care about, you are serving their audience. Remember, the journalist is not going to buy your product or service. They are in business to serve their audience. So how can you serve their audience? So think about your point of view as an expert. Think about what you've noticed amongst your community, or your audience. Or if you can make something just a little bit easier for the consumer to understand, boom, there you go. That is your angle. So always think about relevance more than anything.
Gloria Chou 03:06
Another thing to know is that in order for you to get featured in the media, without knowing anyone, you really need to master the art of translating your marketing or sales pitch, which you're so good at. As founders, we know the ins and outs of our product, the ROI who it's for. But we need to roll up our sleeves and do the work of honing in on how to cold pitch anyone and that starts with translating your marketing pitch into a newsworthy pitch. I always say this over and over which is there is no such thing as a newsworthy company or a person. I've written pitches for candles, bath towels, and they've all gotten featured. So there is such a thing about a newsworthy pitch. Anyone can have a newsworthy pitch as long as they follow my CPR method and that stands for credibility, point of view, and relevance. So there you go. It's one thing I've learned is as long as you have a good pitch, you don't need to know the journalist or be a part of the cool kids club. I certainly don't know a lot of journalists I never studied PR. I never worked a day in the PR industry. And I'm definitely not a part of the cool kids club. But I have been able to build an entire business and community of thousands of founders who are everyday heroes wearing all the hats, who are featured over and over again. So that's number one: It's you do not need to have a profitable business to have any VIPs vouching for you or even know the journalist to get featured. What you need is a really good pitch. And after this episode, if you still haven't already watched my PR Secrets Masterclass where I go over step by step how to write a winning pitch. This is a pattern that I picked up from cold pitching thousands of times, and I'm sharing it with you just go to gloriachoupr.com/masterclass. That's Gloria C-H-O-U pr.com/masterclass.
Gloria Chou 04:46
Now, number two thing that I've learned from cold pitching thousands of journalists and getting featured is this. The number one biggest fear, that is really a made up lie, is that somehow there is like a blacklist, that somehow the journalist is going to ban us or block us if we email them too much. And that cannot be further from the truth. Look, I know that PR seems like such a daunting task because again, the industry have told us over and over again, that you need special access or privilege or know-how to get featured. And that's simply not true. And I know that as a small business founder, when you're doing all the things, trying to wear all the hats, it can be so daunting to just press that send button because let's be honest, talking to journalists is not something that we were taught growing up. Unless you really know journalists, they seem like they are on a pedestal somewhere up there. Here's what I've learned. Journalists are people like me and you. They are approachable. They get thousands of pitches in their inbox. They are being messaged by very pushy, aggressive PR people who are sending them so many messages. So I want you to have that confidence of a $10,000 a month PR agency and just press the send button. I encourage actually you to press the send button even if the email is not perfect because here's why. As long as you can get over the fear of pressing the send button, you know that all of the opportunities are on the other side of the send button. I tell all of my PR Starter Pack students to get at least five rejections per week, whether that's sending a DM to someone who was an editor at a sought after outlet, or maybe being okay with hearing 'no' response. I want you to build up that mental tenacity, that resilience because that's going to allow you to step into your worth, and keep pitching over and over again because the more you pitch, the luckier you get. Vincent Phamvan, who is one of our PR Starter Pack members, he was able to get featured during COVID, staying at home on five plus outlets. He ended up getting onto Forbes and Inc, and was speaking at top panels and actually was able to connect with the Forbes journalist in real life when they traveled to his hometown of Nashville because he was fostering that relationship. And it all started with one cold pitch. So my friends, it is 1,000% doable. But do not think that there is a limit to the amount of pitches that you can send. You won't get blocked or blacklisted. Now, obviously pitch respectfully. Don't pitch and have demanding or threatening language. But as long as you're being of service and your pitch is something that's going to offer a new insight or perspective or a solution, then you don't have to feel like you're selling anything. That's the beauty of knowing how to pitch using the CPR method is you're not selling to the journalist. You're not begging to be featured. The energy is saying, 'Hey, this is something interesting that your audience might benefit from or this is an interesting commentary that might illuminate a bigger topic. Here is how I'm offering value to your audiences.' As long as you lean into being a part of the solution, and not being overly salesy, then you will not have to worry about following up again. In fact, I've interviewed so many journalists on this very podcast, journalist from top outlets like Alor, and Business Insider, and Forbes, Refinery29. And they all say that they've never blocked anyone from pitching too many times, from following up too many times. They actually really appreciate it if you follow up. Think about it this way. Think about all the things that you get in your inbox. Now times that by ten. That's how busy and noisy a journalist's inbox is. Margaux Lushing, who writes for Forbes and Refinery29, on Episode One of this podcast said that she always gets great story ideas, but she's eating lunch or she's walking out the door, and she reads an email. And then she was like, 'Oh, this is so good!' but then forgets about it. So she is actually super appreciative if you actually follow up with her. Now, in terms of follow-up, I teach this method in my PR Starter Pack. But usually, you want to follow up after about five to seven days. That way gives it a little bit more breathing room. And also don't forget to change up your subject lines, or change up the first few sentences if something relevant is happening. So for example, if you pitched in May, and all of a sudden, it's July, and June, it's summertime. So maybe there's an angle that's more relevant. You can definitely put that in the subject line. Because stories are changing, there is opportunity for new angles every single month and heck every single week. So that's that. Now just remember that in terms of follow-up, as long as you're delivering value, and you're being a part of the solution, you don't have to worry about following up because you're not selling. So that's really all of this is you getting over this fear that there are some limit to the number of times you can get featured or that you can pitch because there really is not. Now here's a pro tip if you're sending out any emails or cold pitches is install an email tracking device. So there are tons of Chrome extensions, for example, that will be able to tell you if your email is being opened or not. A lot of times we make up all these stories about how the journalist doesn't like us, but they haven't even read your email. So install an email tracking device, so that way you know if your email is being opened or not. If it's being opened multiple times, it means that you are really on the right track because the journalist is probably more than likely interested in what you're having to say. But they just don't have a place for it right now. But they're labeling it. They're filing it away, and they might come back to it later. In fact, Jennifer Dawkins from Business Insider, who was interviewed on this podcast, I asked her about how she reads and sifts through the hundreds of emails she gets. She says that she doesn't respond to all the emails because then that would open up a whole can of worms of having personal discussions with people, and she's too busy. But she reads all of her emails and actually tags them and labels them, for example, founder story, or gift guide feature or this and that. So that way, when her editor tasked her with the story, she can go back into her inbox and do a simple search, and that person might be used. So I always say, pitch early, pitch often. Don't forget to follow up. Because you need to put your name in the hat. You never know when they're going to be tasked with that story. And they're gonna go back to their email and do a quick search and boom because of your subject line and what you're pitching, you might be the person they want to get on the phone and interview and get featured. This has happened so many times with every single person in our PR Starter Pack. I can even tell you. This stuff really works.
Gloria Chou 11:12
Number three is that, when I interviewed the editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur Magazine, he has two podcasts. He's probably one of the most sought-after top-tier journalists giving, speaking on the world stages. When I asked him, what is the number one skill that all successful entrepreneurs have? What do they have in common? He says, 'they master adaptive adaptability. They are masters at being adaptable.' So let's translate this to pitching. Adaptability, you need to be adaptable, and know that you're relevant all year round, not just in the most obvious ways. So for example, if you're in health and wellness, it's not just about giving tips about health and wellness. It might be something completely unrelated, but to a certain sector of audience. It might be to vegan people or people who are overcoming surgery and they need low impact exercises. Think about how specific you can be. I always think about pitching and like layers of an onion. The most obvious one that people pitch the most is the top layer of the onion. It's the most obvious, but it's probably the less least flavorful. How can you peel away the layers of the onion and get to that really juicy core that's really going to flavor the entire dish? That's what I mean by peeling away the onion. I once worked with non-alcoholic winemakers so she made sparkling juices. And instead of writing a pitch about the benefits of not drinking alcohol, and substituting it with something that's non-alcoholic, which is the top layer of the onion, she told me that there was a social media trend going around where people were using the hashtag, sober. Curious people were dabbling in the sober, curious lifestyle. So that became a whole pitch about whether or not the sober lifestyle that people were trying for the first time. If that was going to survive a pandemic, when people were drinking more than ever. So do you see how using social media memes, maybe looking at trending keywords, using SEO that's going to allow you to adapt your story to something that is super trending right now? So again, it's all about adapting your story, peeling away the layers of an onion, and thinking about creative ways that your story can build connections and draw people into your world. And I'll give you another example. Dr. Ross Radusky, Episode 38 of this podcast. He is a dermatologist and inventor, and he doesn't only pitch around protecting your skin in the sun or kind of the most obvious things about skincare and acne. He actually pitched stories, even during the Halloween season. Now you might be thinking, what does Halloween have to do with a dermatologist? And he said, 'Oh my god, I got featured because I pitched a story about how all that Halloween candy was wreaking havoc on your skin and what to do instead. And what are those signs of too much sugar.' That is such a creative way to think about it. That's really power of our Small Business PR Community. Because once you know that there is a blue ocean of opportunities for you to pitch every month, every week, every holiday, you will never run out of ideas of things to pitch. Don't let the PR industry make you think that other people have better ideas than you because no one cares or knows about your stuff more than you do. Maybe it's just about taking a few steps back and looking at again, not the most obvious story angle right in front of you. But maybe some of the other ones like Dr. Ross pitching a story around Halloween. So that's probably something to think about. I'm sure you're beaming with ideas so definitely take a pen and paper and write it down.
Gloria Chou 14:39
Number four is that I've learned from pitching thousands and thousands of times is that, again you never know when it's going to be your time. So as I touched on this about following-up, what I mean is we don't have a crystal ball into knowing when the journalist is going to write about on certain topic, when they are going to be tasked to maybe write a product roundup of 50 best products featuring something that you might have, or highlighting founders with stories like yours. So what you need to know is that journalists are always organizing their inbox, and they do a search. And if your email with the subject line is there, it's very possible that even months down the line, you can still be featured. So think of it in a long-term perspective. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint, we are building skills, connections and relationships for life. So you might be pitching something right now, it might not get featured. But in a few months or weeks, boom, something happens in the news, something happens to a big company in your industry, and they're looking for everyday heroes to give an insight, they're gonna go back into their inbox and do a search. You never know when they're going to contact you. That's why it's so important to do PR in-house. You can hire an assistant or an intern to do this. I have these all laid out for you in my PR Starter Pack. But if you own the pitching process, if you're sending emails from your email, you're not going to have to relinquish your power to an outside agency who, once you stop paying their retainer, we're going to stop bringing those connections to. You're gonna have to keep paying them and paying them until they get results. If there's no results, then you're still stuck at square one, not knowing how to do PR, the beauty of honing your pitch. And knowing how to do PR and delegating it to someone in-house is that you're always going to know who's opening your emails. You're gonna have transparency into the process, and you're building that relationship in the long term. So even if it's three months down the line or something, there's still a plausible chance that you can get featured. I can't tell you how many times this has happened to our PR Starter Pack students and also to me when I was pitching for startups. I'd pitch something and they wouldn't get back to me or they get on the phone, but they decided not to run the story. All of a sudden, something happens in your industry. And they're looking for someone to get on the phone to give commentary, and boom, that's your chance to shine. So it's definitely happened many times before. Just because you don't get a response right away does not mean that that seed is not planted. So think of it in a long-term view because journalists will always go back to their email and do a quick search. So that's why it's important to have good subject lines, and to take a long-term view.
Gloria Chou 17:23
All right. The last one is: remember, it never hurts to ask the journalist how you can be of service or asking them if this is not a fit, then what stories they're writing in the upcoming months that maybe you can be a valuable resource for. It also doesn't hurt to offer samples. If you have a product, maybe you want to get into a gift guide. And if it's low cost for you to provide a sample, I never force or say that this is a prerequisite to getting featured. Because a lot of times your profit margins are thin. You might not be able to offer samples, but you might be able to offer a video which gives them an experience of your product. Or maybe if you're if you make a scarf, it could be a little piece of the materials, so they can just feel how soft it is. Or even a small travel sample size, whatever it is. It doesn't hurt to offer up whether it's samples or new ideas, or ask maybe if they're writing something about it this year. So for example, in the PR Starter Pack, a lot of my students have the database that is unlocked for you, once you're in the Starter Pack. You can search for any journalists online. If they wrote something about, let's say fitness trends, last year, and they're doing the best, 50 summer workouts or five summer workouts, you might ask them around this time and say, 'Hey, since you cover this last year, are you still doing the same?' Or if maybe it's a product guide or a gift guide. Or if they write about books, And you can say, 'Hey, I saw from just Googling you that you wrote this brilliant article about the five best summer reads, are you going to do again this year? So it doesn't hurt to ask. Don't be afraid to ask, and don't be afraid to always be of service. If they actually say yes to, 'Yes, you can send me a sample' or 'yes, I'm interested in knowing more' Even if they respond, you are 80% of the way there. The fact that you even get a response is incredible because journalists do not respond unless they're interested. They're very busy people. So pat yourself on the back if you get a response, even if it means it's not now. It means that you already are doing your part to get featured, and I know you're already doing your part because you're listening to this podcast, the Small Business PR podcast. So from the bottom of my heart, I so appreciate you being here week after week. And please rate and subscribe in order to win a one-on-one pitch writing session with me and recommend this to your friends who are just starting their business or looking to get on a podcast or immediate feature. For me, landing media is not only about growing our business, our expertise, our visibility, it's about redefining what the entrepreneurial landscape looks like. Because we cannot seek representation of diverse entrepreneurs if we don't see ourselves reflected back at us. Now growing up, I never saw people that look like me in the media. And unless we tell our stories, unless we have the audacity and courage to pitch, we will never be able to rewrite the narrative of what an entrepreneur looks like. So that is my 'why.' I encourage you to lean into your 'why' the next time you get afraid to send that cold pitch or that cold DM.
Gloria Chou 20:28
Hey, small business hero. Did you know that you can get featured for free on outlets like Forbes, The New York Times, Marie Claire Pop Sugar and so many more, even if you're not yet launched? Or if you don't have any connection? That's right. That's why I invite you to watch my PR Secrets masterclass, where I reveal the exact methods thousands of bootstrapping small businesses used to have their own PR and go from unknown to being a credible and sought after industry expert. Now if you want to land your first press feature, get on a podcast, secure a VIP speaking gig or just reach out to that very intimidating editor. This class we'll show you exactly how to do it. Register now at Gloria Chou pr.com/masterclass. That's Gloria Chou c-h-o-u pr.com/masterclass. So you can get featured in 30 days without spending a penny on ads or agencies. Best of all, this is completely free. So get in there and let's get you featured.