“It’s a good pitch, just not for me” –Bloomberg writer

Earlier this week my Inner Circle watched a Bloomberg writer react as I showed him 12 actual PR pitches and drilled down on his biggest likes and dislikes.

A key takeaway was the disconnect between what bosses/clients think qualifies for top-tier treatment.

The writer praised one of the pitches for its structure, fluid writing and useful information. But he wouldn’t cover it because it lacked key requirements, mostly outside the PR pro’s control. Some of these included:

• “Size and scope” – If your brand isn’t one he’d recognize, you need to include hard numbers that show it's relevant to the type of people who read top-tier business outlets. If not revenue, at least include number of employees, locations and/or customers.
• “Stories, not topics” – A common pitching approach that can work for other outlets is highlighting a trend and offering your spokesperson’s take. That doesn’t fly with him. He needs characters and conflict – a journey your brand or client went on (not always rosy) that got them where they are.
• “Proof points” – Beyond writing books and giving speeches, he wants experts who can prove they’ve succeeded at actually doing the thing they are advising others about. If you’re pitching a crisis communicator, for example, you better name the crises they’ve handled.

If your company or client lacks these elements, that’s okay, just don’t pitch Bloomberg! Aim for Business Insider or Fast Company or a podcast with decent reach but not such sky-high standards.

Inner Circle members said they liked his raw, pull-no-punches style, and especially learning from two pitches he favored (one of which didn’t have any of the three elements listed above, but qualified because of a special appeal that overrides those points).

If you’d like a shot at watching the full pitch review session, register for our Inner Circle Wait List to be alerted when we next open up to new members. If you join, the recording will be waiting for you. And so will similar pitch reviews with journalists from Axios, Reuters, the WSJ and TODAY.