october-2009

Pitch Perfect
Want to get your company some publicity? Take this
advice from the people who decide whether or not
your story is worth telling.
BY ELAINE POFELDT ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHRISTIANE GRAUERT
In a world where a mention
in O, the Oprah Magazine
can turn an unknown book
into an overnight bestseller
or a cameo on the evening
news can send the sales of
a small business soaring,
it’s not surprising that
companies vie to catch the eye of the
media. What’s shocking is how many
don’t know how to go about it.
Natalie Rodriguez, an assistant
editor at This Old House, is always
flabbergasted when she gets pitches
for an older product that a company
tries to pass off as “new.”
Jennifer Owens, senior director
of editorial research and initiatives
at Working Mother Media, never
ceases to be amazed by companies
that are rude when following up on
an emailed story idea. After sending
a pitch while she was on vacation,
one publicist bombarded her colleague
with calls and left demanding
voicemails. Upon returning to work,
she found a poorly timed pitch
that was inappropriate for Working
Mother—and hit delete. “Have some
consideration for the people who put
out the magazine,” she says.
And Adriana Gardella, a senior
editor at FORTUNE Small Business,
can never understand why companies
try to sell her on a story by saying it
has already been covered by her
competitors. “We don’t want to write
about you if the whole world already
has,” she says.
If you’re trying to get publicity
for your company in print, online,
on TV or on the radio, you don’t
want your story to end up in the
scrap heap. Here are some tips from
media professionals on how to catch
their eyes:
BUSINESS
OCTOBER 2009 GO MAGAZINE
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