No matter how much time you have spent creating a plan, honing the perfect launch strategy and fine-tuning your press releases, there are many business owners today who find that even with all of their efforts, sometimes the media just doesn’t care. You can do all of the prep-work you want and start pitching with confidence, but sometimes even the most talented pitches fall of deaf ears. So many of us have been there before, we try everything we can in order to get coverage, only to find the media never contacts you back.
Nothing can be as frustrating as putting in a great deal of time and energy into a pitch only to be faced with complete silence on the other end. You can have the most textbook pitch and something that looks utterly perfect on paper, only to find that you never get the attention you have been looking for. It can be frustrating, but there are some ways that you can handle this type of rejection so you can make the most of the situation you have been dealt.
Know When It’s Time To Stop Following Up
If you haven’t followed up yet with your pitch, feel free to send a follow-up email. Be polite and don’t be pushy or even try a fresh angle. Sometimes a follow-up can help. However, there are very few situations where multiple follow-ups can help you. If you have not heard back from the media and already followed up, you need to know when to stop.
There are lots of reasons why you may not be hearing back, some could be your fault, others could just be what has been going on in the industry lately or what is going on with a certain publication. If you keep following up to the point where you become a nuisance, you can end up hurting your chances for attention in the future. Don’t annoy the media and don’t take it personally.
If you’ve been met with silence more than once, let it go until you have something new to pitch.
Add Some New Info
So no one responded to your pitch. It can be frustrating. However, this is a great time to go back and look over what you sent. If you are looking to get some media attention and your pitch sounds like you’re selling something, then this could be a problem. There are so many editors who are understandably put off by the idea of a company trying to sell them a product or service instead of selling them a story.
Take a new approach to your pitch. Add some research information or insight on trends to show how your company is leading your market or how they are different from others in the space. You need to make sure that you provide enough information and the right angle to show the editor that they have a story in front of them. Sometimes, adding something like this can be just what you need to turn silence into acceptance.
Go Back Through Your Email List
There are so many companies who create a contact list and then constantly utilize that media list every time they need something to go to press. If you aren’t getting the attention you want, then it may not be what you are sending, but who you are sending it to. Make sure you research your media list and make sure that your contact information is still correct, if it is an old list, and that you are actually sending something that would appeal to the people on your list. If you are trying to sell a story about a small local business, don’t send it to the finance editor.
Don’t expect people to tell you that the story doesn’t fit within their realm of coverage either. Editors are very busy individuals and chances are they don’t have time to send an “I’m sorry but I don’t cover this type of story,” email to every message they get. If you want to find out if you are sending the wrong stories to the wrong people, you need to do the work yourself.
While it can be frustrating to deal with media rejection, if you keep these three tips in mind, you just may be able to get the answer you seek and prepare yourself to prevent rejection again in the future.
