1. Get straight to the point – literally, bullet points work well in a pitch but DON’T totally abandon the press release; editors need it for fact checking
2. Be specific – cite the outlet’s title and the section it works well within, but DON’T write the editor’s story for them
3. Make it current – Tie your pitch to current world events
4. Follow up; but DON’T forget to be polite and appropriate in tone
5. DON’T ask to change a story after it’s run, especially if your brand wasn’t in the original
6. Keep it social – follow and engage with editors on social media but DON’T send your pitches in the editor’s DMs
7. IRL > URL – Relationships forged with editors in person will be much more fruitful but DON’T forget how short of time they are - make it efficient and worthwhile
