Pitching on Twitter

By on February 24th, 2009 In Pitching

Now that more Phoenix reporters are on Twitter, I noticed some of them looking for help with stories or discussing pitches in their tweets. At first I was concerned about approaching them with an idea and having everyone else see what I was doing. Then, I’d try to approach some through a DM (Direct Message) and would first state that I wasn’t sure of their Twitter policy regarding pitches, so if they wanted me to contact them directly by phone or email, I would. Some responded and told me their preference, others just didn’t reply and that could be for many reasons, such as not checking their DMs…

I thought I would ask some of my favorite media Twits how they felt about being approached with pitches on Twitter. The majority like it, but within certain guidelines.

From Carey Pena (@careypena3tv) of KTVK Channel 3:

I like it…The idea is pitched in a more concise fashion and if more info is needed, then go to email. Also on Twitter hopefully PR folks have a better sense of what reporters are like and what sort of stories they cover so the pitches aren’t so random.

From ABC 15‘s Tim Vetscher (@Tim_Vetscher):

I love Twitter. I use it daily and continue to find new uses for it every day.

I think it’s a great tool for the PR community to get their pitches to reporters like me. Many, including yourself, are doing just that here in Phoenix. I’ve found Twitter to be a big time saver. The fact you can reach so many people in one fell swoop makes my job a lot easier and I’m sure vice versa for those in PR.

I’ve got press releases clogging my inbox, half of which don’t even have my name spelled right. They go right to the trash. If anyone wants to truly catch my attention, they’ll contact me through Twitter. Since Twitter only allows a certain number of characters, the pitches are straight to the point. I don’t have time to read through multi-page press releases. Twitter makes sure the pitch is succinct.

Erin Zlomek (@ezlomek) of The Arizona Republic has a different perspective:

Not a fan. There is already a lot of noise on Twitter. If it became standard for PR people to pitch on twitter a la email blasts, I think the noise would become unbearable. (By “pitch” I assume you mean they use @ezlomek or DM. I fully expect PRs to use their Twitter accounts to talk about clients. Though, I can control that noise by choosing whom to follow.)

Even for relevant pitches, I still say no. I dedicate at least an hour of my week to weeding out good pitches from my email and deciding what I’ll save for briefs, quick-hit stories, etc. Why not reach me there, where you know I will see it?

However, PRs that I have a close rapport with are welcome to @ or DM me anytime.

Jaimee Rose, (@JaimeeRose) also of The Arizona Republic has this to say:

Sometimes I put stuff on Twitter because I WANT people to pitch me. I would like it if PR people responded to something that I put out there, though I wouldn’t want it to become the first place they tried to touch base for a story they were pitching.

Adam Kress (@KressOnBusiness) of the Phoenix Business Journal is new to Twitter:

I suppose my advice for PR people would be to ask the journos they already know if they mind being pitched on twitter. For journos they don’t know, I would stick with phone or email.

The more I think about it, I don’t think I want to be pitched — at least now — via twitter. But the forum seems to be good for journos to give a shout-out to PR people when they need help on a story.

Jan Buchholz (@jreneebuchholz) of Phoenix Business Journal echoed my concern about being so open with pitches and discussions:

I’m not rigid about this. Problem is that Twitter is so public. Other reporters are watching and may steal ideas. Even so, I sure have put out story feelers on Twitter. I guess just depends on the nature of the story.

All in all, I think its wise to approach with caution and pitch on Twitter after developing some sort of rapport with the reporter. If you have other experiences with pitching through tweets, let me know.

Editor’s note: Valley PR Blog has compiled a list of Phoenix-area media on Twitter in our Resource section.
  

Comments

Gelie Says:
February 24th, 2009 at 9:53 am

Hey Charlotte,

Great blog as always!! This is very useful and timely :)

Gelie

Sam Alpert Says:
February 24th, 2009 at 10:08 am

Charlotte,
I agree with the second to last sentence of your post. It’s all about developing that personal rapport with the journalist and getting a feel for how they want to be interacted with on Twitter.

-Sam

PS. Thanks for compiling the list of Phoenix media on Twitter. Very helpful.

Matthew Dutile Says:
February 24th, 2009 at 10:19 am

To be honest, I don’t like pitching a story via DM or @. However, I will often post a link about what I’m working on or pose a question that is really just my pitch in open format. Bear in mind I am new at developing and growing my Twitworld. That being said, my opinion is based off dabbling a bit in both strategies.

The only reason I could see pitching a reporter via @ or DM was if I had a story that I knew was 100% a hot story. However, in that instance, why wouldn’t I just pick up the phone or shoot an email instead? I’d probably only use the DM if none of these other channels were working or if I knew the reporter really preferred to be pitched that way.

What I prefer is posting something that’s catching and usually a link to follow for more information. If the reporter is interested, I’ll usually get an @ or DM pretty quickly from them. This has worked very well so far. It’s more about being an info source than a client agenda pusher. I’m quite fond of it.

If we take anything away from Twitter pitching it should be this: make the pitch in 140 words or less. I think that’s right on the money.

Samantha Says:
February 24th, 2009 at 10:54 am

Great blog post Charlotte. I have always approached this on a case by case basis and what you reported just confirms that notion. Thanks as always for the helpful information.

Samantha

Dave Murrow Says:
February 24th, 2009 at 11:35 am

Charlotte – Thanks for this post – very helpful. I love the give and take on Twitter for pitches and story requests – like a microcosm of HARO. Be polite, think before you write and I think everyone’s interest will be served.

Mike Padgett Says:
February 24th, 2009 at 12:05 pm

Regarding pitching ideas on Twitter: I’m flexible, but I tend to oppose it for several reasons. Twitter is like happy hour in a large building – it’s difficult to hear the interesting information because of all the noisy and irrelevant chatter.

Email is better for PR pitches, but it is still not as good as direct contact by phone calls or meeting for coffee. Here’s why:

Discussion by phone or face to face strengthens the relationship between the publicist and the reporter, for one thing.

But more importantly, direct contact saves time. It also allows both sides to reconsider the idea, if it’s a weak one, and rework it into something better.

Some PR pitches are not newsworthy. I will tell you when I think it’s not worth my time, and that’s not meant as a criticism.

Other ideas from the PR arena are first-rate, and I’ve been fortunate to have received many of them.

And other ideas are in the middle: the PR agencies have taken a step in the right direction, but they could be better. That’s where direct contact is most important. They lead to discussions during which a weak idea can evolve into something much better for all sides: the PR agency, the client and the reporter.

Kari Mather Says:
February 25th, 2009 at 10:22 am

This is incredibly helpful. Thanks, Charlotte! My assumption is that we’ll transition to a more open pitching on Twitter media audience as the platform picks up speed. Think about the days when we did fax blasts to media instead of e-mailing. I shudder when I hear our Brother Fax gives that error message beep to this day. Good thing it’s hardly used now!

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