Pitching to the Media

Why do you buy? Fits (suitable for your needs) Trendy Traditional (but still timely) Stands out Inspires emotion Convenient/Economical Local/Unique to that area

What makes a good pitch? Knowing your program! Attention-grabbing headline (one sentence) News hook Refugees / Real estate / Opioid crisis / Back to school Library expert to speak to news issue? Trend Social services Instrument rentals General trends – can you tap in? Photo/Video potential Shareable Social Services: : http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/library-social-worker-kitchener-public-library-1.3932414 Instruments: cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/kitchener-public-library-unveils-new-instrument-lending-library-1.4197428 Knowing your program: ____________________ HEADLINE: 1. Are you excited? 2. if you say this headline to your family/friends – will they care?

Media Release Write an attention-grabbing headline Get to the point in the first paragraph What would the intro be on a radio/TV program? Include the five W's and 1 H in your release Include facts / hard numbers Make it grammatically flawless Use quotes to provide insight, not information Include contact information Limit to one page ideally Include access to more information Create an attention-grabbing headline. The beginning of a press release is the most important. A strong headline (and email subject line when you send the pitch) will attract journalists seeking good stories. Your headline should be compelling -- and accurate. Most journalists get hundreds of emails every day, so it's a good idea to label emails containing press releases with the phrase "press release" or "story idea". A great subject line is also a must. But don't try to be clever: get right to the point. So if your story is about the the launch of the first financial planning consultancy for women, say that. "Women cash in on financial planning" might sound like a better headline, but may mean nothing to a busy journalist scanning their inbox.   Get right to the point in the first paragraph. Reporters are busy people, so you must assume they'll read just the first sentence and then scan the rest. If your first sentence doesn't grab them, they may not read any further – which is why you need to get the "lead" of your story right. Your first line should be a summary of the story (in no more than around 15-20 words) and read like the opening of a news story. Journalists are generally taught to get as many of the "five Ws" (who, what, where, why and when) in the opening line of news stories, so if you want examples of great first lines for press releases, look no further than your daily newspaper. Another trick is to imagine your story is going to be covered on a TV or radio programme. A presenter generally has around 5-6 seconds to introduce each item, i.e. "And coming up next ... why a local cafe owner is giving a free coffee this weekend to anyone born in July." If your story was going to be featured on the radio today, how would the presenter introduce it? Asking yourself that question should give you the first sentence of your story. Include the five W's and 1 H in your release. In the body of your release, make sure you answer who, what, where, why, when and how. Include hard numbers. It’s easy to fill up a page with a creative, colourful narrative. But leave that to the reporters — pack your press release with hard numbers that support the significance of your annnouncement. If you’re claiming a trend, you need proof to back it up. Quantify your argument and it will become much more compelling. Make it grammatically flawless. Proofread your press release — and let a few other people proofread it as well — before sending it out. Even a single mistake can dissuade a reporter from taking you seriously. Use quotes to provide insight, not information Including quotes from people in your organization can be helpful for journalists. A common beginner's mistake is to use quotes to provide information, for example, "last year, we helped 20 farmers get their products to market." Quotes should be used to provide insight and opinion and sound like a real person said them. They definitely should not be full of acronyms or technical language or "development speak". Ideally, one of the quotes should be from someone who is affected by the story. i.e. if it's International Volunteer day, you should have a quote from a volunteer who says volunteering has changed their life/opened their eyes for whatever reason. It humanizes the story! Include your contact information. Don’t forget to include an email address and phone number on the release -- and make sure that person(s) is available the day of the event to answer media calls. One page is best — and two is the maximum. As with most good writing, shorter is usually better. Limit yourself to one page, though two pages is acceptable. This will also force you to condense your information into a more readable document — something journalists are always looking for. 3-4 paragraphs and a couple of quotes. Include access to more information. Providing relevant links to your organization’s website, where journalists can learn more about your mission and what you’ve already accomplished, is a crucial element to the release. Don’t make writers search on their own for more information — guide them as quickly as possible to your website, and keep their interest piqued.

What not to do Cold call Email incessantly Be unfamiliar with program you’re pitching to Write a meandering press release Not have guest(s) available after sending release

Unsuccessful Pitch The release of The Handmaid’s Tale  television series has captivated viewers with its dystopic vision of a world in which women lack control over their bodies and futures. Though The Handmaid’s Tale story itself is a work of fiction, there are millions of women and girls around the world who face barriers when it comes to making their own decisions. Margaret Atwood has also said that each scenario is in fact an extension of things that have actually happened somewhere at some time. Similar to the women in The Handmaid’s Tale, the lack of autonomy women and girls in developing countries have over their own bodies is a constant global issue that needs addressing. [……..] XYZ is available for interviews to discuss this global issue and the startling comparisons between life in The Handmaid’s Tale and reality for many women and girls in developing countries.

Successful Pitch Media Interview Opportunities: Local and International Apparel, Textile Experts  Top Industry Experts from More than 20 Countries to Come Together in Toronto for Canada’s Largest Apparel and TextileEvent, August 21-23 Members of the media are invited to interview participating experts: International Round Table (Aug. 21, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.): key government representatives from China, India and Bangladesh who will discuss imports from their countries into Canada.    Sustainable, Ethical Apparel Practices – The Canadian Way (Aug. 22, 3:30–4:30 p.m.):  how successful Canadian apparel leaders infuse sustainable practices into their business models. http://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/news_releases/2016/12/what-did-toronto-read-and-watch-in-2016.html