5 Reasons You Should Always Follow Up On Your Pitches

Editor's Note: The following is a guest Marketing Mulligans post written by Mickie Kennedy, founder and president of eReleases, a cost-effective electronic press release distribution service, and a widely-regarded and well-respected PR professional who maintains the company's popular PR Fuel blog. Kennedy echoes a universal media relations truth we've been espousing for years:  if you want media coverage from your pitches and announcements, you absolutely need to follow up with the journalists you're targeting. Here's why.

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Some media members have PR people believing they live by the motto:  “Don’t call us, we’ll call you.” That’s why you might think that when you don’t get a response on that press release you sent out it must mean that no one is interested. Maybe that is the case, but maybe it’s not. The only way to know for sure is to follow up on your pitches.

Here are 5 reasons why you should always follow up:

1. Journalists Often Have Too Many Pitches To Go Through

Things slip through the cracks. That’s just how it is. Journalists are busy, and they receive countless pitches every single day. The pitches and press releases never stop pouring in, and to the busy journalist, they all start to look the same. Simply put, they can’t manage all of the information they receive on a daily basis. A simple follow-up call directing attention to the information you sent over can help ensure your pitch doesn’t go unnoticed.

2. A Story Published Without A Conversation Could Be Inaccurate

Has this ever happened to you? You send over a press release, and without any follow-up conversation with the reporter, you find your story has been picked up. But because there wasn’t a conversation, the story contains some significant inaccuracies. It happens more often than you might think. A simple follow-up call can help prevent this from happening.

3. Persistence Can Pay Off
There’s certainly truth to the old saying, “The sticky wheel gets the grease.” Persistence is important to achieving PR success, but you should also know there’s a very thin line between being persistent and being a pest. Don’t immediately call after sending an email; give it a few days. If the reporter sounds busy, don’t keep talking their ear off. If the reporter says no, don’t keep pushing.

4. There’s Something To Be Said For The Personal Touch

Picking up the phone helps you form relationships with journalists. It makes your pitch more personal, helping you stand out from the plenitude of emails crowding the reporter’s inbox.

5. A Follow-Up Call Can Explain The Benefits Of Picking Up Your Story

When you follow up on your pitch, it gives you the perfect opportunity to explain how the story you’re pitching is the perfect fit for the publication you’re targeting and its readers. You can quickly explain why your idea is so unique, and you can talk about the information in a way that shows how it can be readily used by reporter.

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