Collective-E Interview: How To Pitch The Press

by MagnoliaPR | Mar 24, 2010 | Uncategorized

Magnolia PR’s owner Adrienne was interviewed by Collective-e.com about how to pitch the media for baby and children brands. We were happy to offer some of our tips!

Knowing the inside scoop on pitching outlets – whether they be parenting, cooking, fashion, business – you name it – is often the key to faster, more powerful success.  Today’s inside scoop discusses pitching mom and baby products to the parenting press, but before we dish, I wanted to remind you that the lessons Adrienne Dorsey, founder of Magnolia PR, shares with you can be applied across categories – so whether you work with mom and baby products or men’s swimwear, read, take notes and apply it to your own press outreach!

Now let’s dish!  Moms are one of the most powerful demographics small businesses can go after – they’re buying for their kids, their husbands, themselves, their parents and more.  That said, there is a sea of products out there for them to choose from, so how do you make sure yours stands out?  How can you land that coveted press in the hottest blog or magazine?  How do you get you score a spot on a top morning show featuring your brand?  We consulted with Magnolia PR, a leading boutique agency in Los Angeles that specializes in just this area to give us her thoughts on ten questions we hear the most when talking about this hot category.

If there were two or three things you think are golden rules when pitching the parenting press what would those be?

-Know the media outlet you are pitching and what they cover—be sure to read their publication and get a feel for what type of stories they do—and don’t—cover.

-Make sure you have a newsworthy angle—such as a new spring collection you are launching.

-Keep it short and sweet with all of the information editors need—forget the fluff. Editors don’t have time to read long press releases, so try to highlight your main points and relevant information- what’s new, price points, where to buy, and links for more information. Try to include one strong image.

How important are product lookbooks and line sheets when you’re pitching your mom and children’s products?

It’s important because editors are able to look at these for reference and quickly request the items they would like—rather than having to navigate around your website or blindly asking if you have items that fit their criteria—it saves editors time and hassle to have line sheets and lookbooks readily available.

How do you wade through the many “mommy blogs” and find those that are legitimate and worthwhile to pitch?

I check out their media kits and readership levels, and also see if they fit specific niches that would be appropriate for my clients. There are a ton of mommy blogs, so I prefer to focus on ones with original concepts and content.

To read the entire article, go here.