6 Tricks for Pitching the Trades
When organizations build their media relations strategies, they often focus on getting their stories told in the local media or in the national mainstream press.
But they often overlook an important potential avenue for spreading the word about their work -- the trade press.
If you’re a foundation or nonprofit, coverage in the nonprofit trade press -- The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Inside Philanthropy, Nonprofit Quarterly, The Nonprofit Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review, among others -- can be incredibly valuable. So, too, can coverage in outlets that connect directly with their missions.
If you’re running PR for a business, you can gain credibility or attention in an array of trade publications, blogs, and online channels related to your specialty.
But before you start sending these outlets the same pitches you make to the general media, keep in mind that the recipe for pitching your story to these outlets is much different.
That's because the audience is much different than what you'll find in a mainstream publication. These outlets cater to providing people inside your industry with information that connects directly to their work.
As a result, they are focused on finding stories that speak to a trend that is happening in the industry, a best practice that others can learn from, or something that challenges the status quo.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy and The Nonprofit Times are less interested in the fact that you've launched a new fundraising campaign than they are in learning about how you're conducting the campaign.
If you're serious about getting your organization featured in one of these outlets, you need to think differently about how you structure your pitches.
It helps to think about your pitch in terms of what a peer who works in your industry would find interesting.
If you were talking to a colleague at a cocktail party, what would she be interested in knowing about related to your organization’s work?
If you can answer that question, chances are you have a good chance at offering an idea or angle that would appeal to one of the industry's trade outlets.
But you shouldn't stop there. Here are six tricks you can use to get on their radar:
Read Them
The cardinal rule of effective media relations is to know the outlets and reporters you're trying to pitch. Take the time to read, watch, and listen to their content and develop an understanding of what they cover and how they cover it. You'll start to see patterns in the types of stories that they like to pursue and who they quote.
Pay Attention to Trends
The trade press is always interested in identifying trends in how organizations are doing their work, market trends, and how the economy and legislation are affecting the industry.
Often, your organization is uniquely qualified to offer insights on these trends because you're living them.
Think about how your organization is either shaping or being shaped by a trend and share that information with a trade reporter. It could lead to your top executive being called as a source or your organization being spotlighted as an example.
Customize
During my time at The Chronicle of Philanthropy, I received thousands of releases from organizations about annual dinners, fundraising events, and award recipients. Rarely did those releases actually identify what would make their event or award interesting to other nonprofit professionals.
If you're going to take the time to send a release to a trade publication, invest a little bit of extra time to customize it. Otherwise, you are guaranteeing that that release will end up in the trash.
Use Data
For trade journalists, good data is often hard to find.
Be constantly on the lookout for items in your data that are noteworthy and, when possible, get permission to share it.
Find an Interesting Personality
Like most media, the trade press isn't just looking for hard news, trends, and data. It also likes to profile interesting people who work in the field. But they often struggle to find profile subjects who are outside of the "usual suspects" who dominate their pages.
Be on the lookout for people within your organization who are taking an interesting approach to their work or who might be willing to open their doors to a reporter to show them what it's like to walk in their shoes.
Be Accessible
Trade journalists are often looking for reliable sources that they can reach out to when they have a tight deadline or are struggling to find the right perspective for a story.
As you study these outlets, find out who the reporters are who cover the issues that connect with your work and let them know who you are and how your organization can help them.
In addition, make sure your website has a page for the media that makes it easy for reporters to find the right contact and to access previous announcements and releases.
Webinar: Virtual News Conferences
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on how we communicate with journalists.
Thankfully, it’s also created some new opportunities – including virtual press events.
Join us on March 24 at 2 p.m. ET for a free webinar in which we will walk you through how to host a successful virtual press event.
And please feel free to pass along the invite to colleagues and friends. The more, the merrier!
