The Message

1. Make your message simple and clear, and stay focused whether it is a press release, a pitch letter, or a pitch call.

• If it is a press release, make the news value of your information obvious.
  
  
• It is better to drop a press release every other month on one subject than to put everything into one release. The editor who gets that release won't know what "the news" is.
  
  
• Since one of the main purposes of public relations is to increase image and awareness for your company and its products, it is important to keep yourself in the news through a consistent press release schedule.
  

2. Highlight what is unique about your product, service, or company compared to the competition.

• Pitch your information in context of the trends and developments within your market or industry.
  
  
• Understand the issues and hot buttons in your market or industry.
  
  
• Use this as a framework for discussing what your product or service brings to the market.
  
  
• A framework is also very good for educating the editors and the market about your product or service.
  

3. Make your story compelling. Write strong pitch letters, and follow up on them.

• The first paragraph of a pitch letter, like the first paragraph of a press release, should be the strongest part.
  
  
• A good way to make a story compelling is to use an application story that describes how your product or service is being used by one of your customers, and, most importantly, how they are benefiting from it. This is the information that benefits the publication's readers, because they have business problems that they need to solve, and you are showing them a way to do this.
  

4. Be as proactive and creative as possible.

• At RMR, we sometimes send out promotional premiums with a first press release in order to get the editors' attention.

The Editors

1. Take the time and do the research so that you contact the correct editors at the relevant publications with the appropriate angle.

• When sending out pitch letters or making calls to pitch a topic, create planned, individualized pitches for each editor.
  
  
• In conclusion: Know the publications you are pitching and why you're pitching them.
  

2. Be prepared to educate the editors if you want them to understand your product or service-if you want them to "get it."

• "Be prepared to engage in meaningful dialogue." You should not have anyone on the phone pitching your company or service who is not well prepared to do the job. The impression that an editor gets from an uninformed caller is that is that it really isn't important enough to you to spend the time or make the investment in qualified people to promote your products.
  

3. Another important thing to remember: Editors are very busy like the rest of us. They work on tight deadlines-daily, weekly, or monthly, as the case may be. Getting them any information they've requested by the their deadline is essential.

4. Be as flexible as possible when contacting the media, and contact them the way they like to be contacted. More and more editors prefer email.

Robyn Sachs is the president of RMR & Associates, a full-service advertising, marketing and public relations firm based in the Washington metropolitan area that specializes in the high tech industry and is known nationally for its innovative campaigns. She can be reached at rsachs@rmr.com. The Marketing Advisor is published quarterly. We welcome yolur comments or questions.