HuffPost Bureau Chief Talks Exclusives, Do’s and Don’t’s of Pitching

From Seth Arenstein at PRNews Online…

How can you get your executive or organization quoted in a national media outlet? It’s a defining question for PR pros at companies and institutions of all sizes. One way is pitching a story about something an executive or company is doing locally that may have national implications, says Amanda Terkel, Washington bureau chief at HuffPost.

Terkel spoke during the opening keynote session at today’s (Dec. 9) PRNEWS Media Relations Conference outside Washington, D.C.

Another tactic for national coverage, the veteran journalist says, is pitching reporters on something unique about an executive.

“You could allow the reporter to follow the executive for a day. A lot of reporters like doing that kind of story,” Terkel adds.

Multiple Pitching

In addition to the above advice, Terkel dove into areas about pitching that are rarely discussed during public events. For example, pitching multiple reporters the same story, separately, is verboten, she says.

“Once I say no to a pitch from a PR pro, having a reporter come to me later with the same pitch is really irritating,” she says. She judges subsequent pitches from that PR pro more harshly, Terkel says.

On the other hand, she believes it’s fine to copy multiple reporters on a pitch. It’s part of being transparent, which is a must for PR pros.

More about pitching transparency: Don’t imply in a pitch that a story is exclusive unless it truly is.

For the rest, click here.