I’m not here to help you pitch better

I had a surprise for the PR agency staffers I was training in downtown LA.

We were in the big conference room in the center of their offices on the 11th floor. Floor-to-ceiling windows gave us a great view of the three giant cranes in the process of building new skyscrapers outside.

This group thought they knew what to expect from me. I had previously trained their predecessors and managers on media pitching.

But about 15 minutes into the daylong session I told them:

I’m not actually here to teach you how to pitch better.

They looked confused. I explained further:

I’m here to teach you how to make a lot more money over a longer period of time.

You see, I’m trying to correct a misperception that I caused over the years. I’ve been so focused on giving practical tips that I haven’t said enough about what those skills can make possible for your career.

For sure, knowing and applying best practices absolutely helps to do your job better. But the real transformations of careers and personal lives I’ve seen come when people also rethink the value they provide.

For example, your judgment is part of what people pay you for. Once you recognize that, you’re more willing to tell a boss or client when the story angle itself needs work, even if they only asked you to improve the pitch.

As that judgment produces better results, you have a stronger case for better pay or more control over your schedule. Those rewards can also give you more time and resources for causes that matter to you.

That’s what I wanted these agency staffers to understand, and what I hope to share with you.

We work on this in my Inner Circle membership program. Yes, we cover using AI to build super-targeted media lists and making your pitches stand out from the automated slop journalists complain about.

But throughout that training, we also work on trusting your own judgment and earning your boss’s or client’s trust, so you have the freedom to put those approaches into practice.

The Inner Circle is a closed group, and we’ll be accepting new members soon – but only for a week, and then we close the doors again. So it’s best to decide ahead of time whether you belong.

The way to do that is to sign up for our Wait List. You get early emails that explain more about who is right for the program, and you get first notice when we’re opening.

Register for the Wait List here.