Hyper-personalize PR pitching for higher journalist response rates
As the Communications Manager for Propel PRM, I've had the opportunity to "dogfood" our own platform and see firsthand the benefits it offers. For instance, I was able to receive a journalist response rate of 10.48%, a success rate which would have been difficult to achieve had I not been using the platform.
This response rate is especially impressive when compared to December’s average journalist response rate of 2.86%.
To do this, I utilized one of the key features we have at Propel - the ability to automatically generate drafts and schedule the drafts to be sent out at the optimal time a journalist is likely to respond. By using this data and the insights garnered from the platform, I was able to craft customized messages that resonated with the journalists I was pitching. This personalization paid off, resulting in seven articles being published from my efforts in the month of December.
Journalists receive hundreds of pitches every day, and many of them are generic, clearly sent en masse, boring, and worst of all, aren’t even tailored to the specific interests or beat of the journalist they’re trying to reach. Therefore, when a journalist sees a pitch that is relevant and tailored to their interests, they are more likely to pay attention to it and seriously consider the news angle.
However, by spending the time and sending fewer, yet hyper-personalized pitches, PR pros can better determine which journalist is the best fit for a pitch while simultaneously showing the journalist that the PR pro has actually taken the time to research and understand what the journalist covers - something which also helps with the PR-journalist relationship.
In short, personalizing pitches is a key component of effective PR outreach. By using Propel's draft generation feature, I was able to quickly hyper-personalize my pitches, find what angle would make them interesting for each individual reporter, and ultimately achieve a response rate well above the average while securing valuable media coverage for my brand.
