The perfect pitch needs good setup first
When I saw this headline from Jason Falls — “There Is No Perfect Pitch, Only Perfect Pitches” — I immediately thought, “Wow. That makes perfect sense.”
As I read the article, I found that, although I agree with what he wrote, Jason didn’t go in the direction I thought he would. So this post will explain what I thought after reading Jason’s headline.
First, Jason’s concept:
By understanding that every media member is different, we can segment them into categories of preference, we can better organize our outreach, customize our pitches and serve both the media outlet and our client or organization. We don’t need the perfect pitch. We need the perfect pitches. [emphasis mine]
And he’s right. But in addition to being a PR guy, I also play a little baseball (so what if we’re only 4 and 8 right now — I’m batting .381!), so I had a different take on the idea of “perfect pitches.” When I read Jason’s headline and saw his post’s photo of a pitcher on the mound, here’s what I immediately thought with regard to PR.
Jason’s right that the perfect pitch is something that’s unique to each situation. In baseball, if I have a runner on first with one out, I’m going to try to throw a low pitch or a tight breaking ball, hoping to get the batter to hit a ground ball for a double play. In media relations, I’m might tie my client’s story to a big news item in hopes of riding that news wave to the land of PR glory.
But when I think of “perfect pitches” being the key, rather than a single “perfect pitch,” I think about the setup.
When I’m on the mound, I might try to catch a batter off-guard by throwing two smoking fastballs and then a slow, floating change-up (if, of course, I could throw a decent change-up!). If I’m good, he’ll swing for the fences but miss by a mile. The slow-flying change-up might be a sitting duck if the batter has a clear head and is looking for a meatball to swing at, but in the context of having seen two well-placed fastballs, this guy might be thinking he’s going to jump all over my next pitch because he’s seen that fastball and knows exactly what to do with it.
That context — the two previous pitches — makes my change-up the perfect pitch. Maybe next time he’s up, I’m going to have to unleash my curveball on this poor strikeout victim, if the context is right.
When I’m on media hunt, I’m not going to be trying to catch anyone off guard, but I am going to apply the same basic principle. I’m going to work to build a relationship with a reporter or a blogger — establish that all-important context. Perhaps I’ll first introduce myself and my client and share a link to the client’s podcast, so the reporter can learn a little about the client and relevant industry issues without having to hear it all from some lowly PR guy. Then I’d share some news items with the reporter that are relevant to his or her beat; they might include my client, they might not. Point is, I’m demonstrating that I’m in touch with what’s going on and am interested in the reporter’s success as well as my client’s.
Then, when the time is right and my client has a relevant angle, I can truly make my pitch. And keeping in mind the lesson Jason’s reminded me of, I’ll know that there’s no one perfect pitch — just a pitch that’s perfect for this reporter at this time in this context.
Thanks, Jason, for getting me thinking.
