I’m getting a few dozen PR pitches a day now that the Consumer Electronics Show is fast approaching. I am stunned by how bad they are.
It’s not that I’m picky, or that I have some highfalutin self-image. I’m utterly thankful that Forbes allows me to write stories, and I’m always on the hunt for more content. Further, my ‘day job’ is running a PR agency focused on pitching innovation stories, so I know how hard it is to convince someone that there’s a story to write.
I also know that the folks who do the pitching are earnest and well-meaning.
But, jeez, the pitches for CES mostly stink.
It’s like the writers were simply tasked with securing X number of interviews at the show, and go about it as if they’re spamming the world with generic offers of Nigerian bank account transfers, or inheritances from long-lost relatives.
Granted, no media pitch is guaranteed to work, but a little forethought can go a long way to increasing those odds.
I’ve come up with 5 ways to do so (they all start with C’s). If I were the curmudgeon I sometimes think I am, I’d send the list as a reply to the pitches I’m getting. Instead, here they are..
Read the entire essay at Linkedin