The best length for a PR pitch

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Insights from Muck Rack’s State of Journalism Report


At BlueSky, our PR professionals excel at crafting tailored, compelling stories that help keep our client’s brand top-of-mind across print, broadcast and digital channels. Our priority is to capture the attention of key journalists, build relationships with them for future pitching, and most importantly, secure media coverage for our clients.


To deliver a successful media relations campaign, the BlueSky team does frequent research around the media landscape to find out what journalists believe to be a strong PR pitch. Which poses the question – with many journalists being bombarded with emails on a daily basis, are shorter pitches more effective, or do longer pitches offer more value with further details and context? Findings from Muck Rack’s State of Journalism Report asks more than 2,000 journalists this same question to determine the best length for a PR pitch.


According to the report, nearly half of journalists (45 per cent) prefer pitches that are 100-200 words in length. This concise approach allows journalists to quickly grasp the main points of the pitch without getting bogged down in unnecessary details. In fact, the report also found that the most successful pitches in the past three years were in the 100-200-word range (43 per cent). However, it’s important to note that journalists also indicated they wouldn’t reject a pitch that is under 100 words or over 350 words, as long as it is relevant and compelling.


To ensure we grab the interest of the journalist, there are certain pitching tips that may be seen as an afterthought. For instance, when we share news releases or other materials with journalists, we find it’s best to use hyperlinks instead of attachments or placing them at the bottom of the email. Using existing links or creating a Google doc and hyperlinking it to a pitch can provide easy access to additional information without cluttering up the email and potentially turning off journalists with large attachments.


As PR professionals, we understand the importance of maintaining good relationships with the media to ensure success for our clients. That’s why the frequency of follow ups is also important. Best practice is to do a maximum of three pitches – the original pitch, a short follow-up, and a final follow-up closer to the original pitch. This approach ensures that we are persistent without being overly pushy, respecting the journalist’s time and inbox.


In summary, while the ideal pitch length according to journalists is 100-200 words, at BlueSky we understand the importance of being flexible and considerate of their preferences. Over the years we’ve developed solid relationships with traditional and online media, and we know the elements of success for securing interest from trusted journalists at top-notch publications.


Looking for a successful media relations campaign? Get in touch with BlueSky today!

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