How to end your pitch

No matter how dazzling your PR writing, you didn’t send your pitch to your target journalist just to inform. You want them to do something.

And the odds of them doing the thing you want go way up when you actually ask for it.

But how often do you actually ask?

Too many pitches either skip the call to action or dribble it out with a whimper.

Have you ever noticed how the big scene in a romantic movie builds to an ask?

Sometimes there’s a big gesture – flowers, puppies, a boombox – and then the hero asks for something. Will you go out with me? Will you go to prom with me? Will you marry me?

How anticlimactic to see our hero chase his love to the airport, catch her just before she gets on the plane, and offer a lame “Thanks for your consideration.” No one would watch that movie. (Okay, if it starred Henry Cavill, my wife would watch that movie.)

Think of your last pitch. Did you lay out an awesome story angle you knew your target would love and then ask the journalist to take a specific next step? Or did you put it all out there and then simply write, “Let me know if you’d like more information”?

Fortunately, you’re not asking for a commitment as deep as marriage. The right question depends on your relationship with the reporter and what you’re offering.

But every pitch should end with at least some kind of ask. A few examples:

• Can we schedule you some time with [the source in the pitch]?
• Can I send you a sample to try?
• Would you like the full report?

What do those examples have in common?

They’re specific yes-or-no questions, and none asks the journalist to commit to doing the story right off the bat. You’re helping them deal with all the complexity they face by boiling everything down into a simple next step.

If they’re into the story idea, they can take that step while they’re still weighing other pitches or wondering whether their editor is in a cranky mood right now.

Doing this consistently will increase your response rates (assuming the rest of the pitch is solid).

So, PR friend, on your next pitch, will you close with a simple and direct call to action? 😉