Emailing a pitch? Put your company or product name in your first paragraph. Better yet, first sentence. Best: first word. I’m not reading to the end of your pitch regardless, so why take chances?
Search
Get the Book!
Like the blog? Get the book!
Order yours today!Recent Comments
- 25 Tips from 25 PR Experts - Make Your Next Campaign Rock on Tip #131: Lullaby
- motivational speaker singapore on Tip #217: Beware the brand promise you can’t keep
- 83Ray on Tip #174: Delusions of grandeur
- Professional public relations tips - Bill Bennett on Tip #42: Restroom pitch
- jouer à hatchimals on Tip #42: Restroom pitch
Brought to you by...
More Bad PR
More Rafe
Rafe’s Tweets
- Grr. Fedex's newish API restriction makes me less likely to use Fedex's paid service, not more likely to use Fedex… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 3 days ago
- Super interesting, thoughtful, and precisely written review of what I would have expected to be just another pop m… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 3 days ago
- SFUSD admin + union has efficient method for making sure the brightest new teachers leave: Tell recently-hired teac… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 week ago
- New rule: All jeans to have easily identifiable style IDs, or better QR codes, on internal tags so when you finally… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 2 weeks ago
- Star Trek Strange New Worlds ep 1: They nailed it. The writing is clear and hilariously timely (like TOS),… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 2 weeks ago
Post calendar
Meta
Rafe
Pro PR Tips · Advice from a jaded tech journalist
Pro PR Tips 
I write for the Chicago edition of a daily men’s e-newsletter and receive all manner of pitches, many of which share this very difficulty.
I seem to remember this lesson from the FIRST day of my FIRST PR class in college.
Since they don’t seem to understand this, I will now be sharing the link to this post so they can “get the memo”…from you.
I disagree. I’d rather have a statement of the product’s benefit in the first sentence. “A new mind reading interface from SuperPhone will make the guesswork of voice dialing and touch screens obsolete.”
Yvonne, how about, “SuperPhone has launched a new mind reading interface that makes voice dialing and touch screens obsolete?”
Rafe, how about, “SuperPhone just came into a lot of capital from investors who didn’t quite hear their pitch and will be out of business before year end.”
Pingback: Tip #167: Don’t bury the lead | Pro PR Tips
Pingback: Tip #170: Rafe brain hurt! No like! | Pro PR Tips
Pingback: Tip #194: Don’t bury the embargo | Pro PR Tips
Pingback: Tip #197: Assistant Executive Superstar. Got it. | Pro PR Tips
Pingback: Tip #198: Don’t subject me to this | Pro PR Tips
Pingback: They don’t want to hear it!!! | PR Boutique Dreams