How to Pitch Your Business

I recently put out a call for sources for my new Business With Passion TV series on "If I Can Help a Reporter Out...". Because I received a wide range of responses, I thought I'd share some advice for how to pitch yourself (or your client) well:

Read the request. Although my subject was "Passionate Guests for Local Biz TV Show (TV - San Rafael, CA)", a couple of people thought I was looking for guests for a radio interview.

Don't underwhelm me. A number of people wrote saying, "I'd be a great guest - check out my website to see more". I don't mind digging for information, but only after it's clear it's worth my time.

Don't overwhelm me. One person sent me 20MB worth of high-resolution head shots of their client. Besides taking a while to download, it wasn't helpful to evaluate their pitch.

Tell me why you'd be great. Ideally, you've been on other media (and have clips to share). If not, tell me a story to get my interest piqued. This is tricky, because you need to balance personal information with professional accomplishments. As a producer, I am looking for an interesting person with a story. As a reporter, I am looking for solid credentials.

Don't sell me your services. Some people sent me their advertisements, complete with price sheets. I'm looking for a guest, not a salesperson.

Don't pitch me your story idea. A couple of people had their own agendas to push. I might be interested in listening to them after we've explored my needs first.

Proofread your pitch. Especially double-check your contact information (including your website's URL). Spell checking is available in most email programs as well.

Don't tell me that someone is "perfect". Unless you know everything about the show, the target audience, the format, etc. you can't know if there's a fit. Also please don't say, "I guarantee your time will not be wasted."

Look professional. About half of my responses were from public relations firms who were representing their clients. The read the request and pitched a single client of theirs (usually) in a single paragraph/bio. They provided links to their client's media pages and any current/relevant information. As a result, it made for easy work.