The REAL best way to get your email pitches opened

I recently had dinner with one of the best media pitchers I know. He shared a media interaction that highlighted the real best way to get your emails opened.

Whenever I’m in Philadelphia, I get together with Adam Dvorin. This week, we found a window between the training sessions I was doing for a large retailer and his daughter’s soccer practice.

I’ve been following Adam’s work for nearly 10 years, and what sets him apart is the preternatural way he connects on a human level with journalists via social media and email. When you see his pitches, you can feel empathy dripping off the screen. I wouldn’t call him “touchy-feely”; on the contrary, he’s quite matter-of-fact. He just gets what journalists need, how they see the world, and that immediately comes across to them. It seems like he knows everyone in the Philly media market, or at least knows their work well enough to speak comfortably about it.

The fruits of those skills? Experiences like this one:

One of the TV news anchors in Philly has a charitable foundation that partners with big businesses in the city to make donations and highlight good causes. And one of Adam’s clients is a charter school for disadvantaged youth. When the anchor’s foundation was looking for causes to support, Adam was the point person for what became a formal relationship, which they announced at a joint event last week.

When they met, the anchor told Adam, “When I was mentioning your name around the newsroom, lots of people said that you’re great to work with.”

Pleasantly surprised, Adam said, “Really?”

The anchor listed off a few who had said good things, and Adam accepted the compliment. Who would have ever thought that his media relations skills would one day lead to helping seal a successful fundraising partnership?

Hearing this reminded me of the part of your email that has the biggest influence on open rates. It’s not the subject line, it’s the sender line. Your name is your secret weapon.

When journalists come to associate your name with professionalism, knowledge of their needs, and sensitivity to their pressures, they open your messages regardless of the subject. And when your name comes up in the newsroom, they tell their colleagues you can be trusted.

Adam has been a member of my Inner Circle program since its inception almost 10 years ago. You can rub virtual shoulders with people like him if you decide to join. Register here to be alerted before our next enrollment period opens. I’ll be sharing bonus content about specifically how members like Adam are succeeding at media relations, but only with those who have registered for the wait list.