I remember the first “pitch” I received from a PR person. Fresh out of college, I was reporting on the business desk of the Indianapolis Star as a Pulliam Fellow when my phone rang. I don’t recall exactly what product the voice on the line was shilling. In fact, that’s all I really remember about the call – someone on the other line was selling something and wanted me to help them with their sales. I politely thanked this stranger (journalism hadn’t roughed out my smooth edges quite yet) and hung up a little confused. How did this person get my number? Don’t they know we have an advertising department? How very strange.

After a few more weeks on the beat, I got more accustomed to the often-annoying daily reality of a newspaper reporter, especially one on a business desk: You get pitched a lot of stories from a lot of strangers. I reported on a few stories sent my way that seemed like legitimate news. A local start-up that souped up police cars seemed interesting enough to write about (and, well, I hoped I might score a test drive). And I passed on many more.

Laura Standley, editor in chief of 303 Magazine, dropped by Linhart PR’s offices the other day to share her views on best practices for pitching the media, and some of her personal pet peeves. I included a few of my own tips that I pass onto my fellow PR practitioners from my experience being on the other side of the phone line.

DO:

Build personal relationships. Reporters aren’t just a means to an end, and they shouldn’t be treated as such.

Do your research. If you’re pitching a reporter, know what they cover. Check out their recent reporting and make sure it jives with the beat you may have listed from whatever database you may be pulling from.

Identify the real news. The more newsworthy the “news” you’re pitching is, the less likely you’ll be wasting a reporter’s time. Some useful questions to ask:

What’s new?

What’s unique?

Who cares?

Why now?

What’s the bigger issue?

What’s the local angle?

Consider the reporter’s audience. A writer for a national business wire has different needs than a general assignment reporter for a local TV station. Your pitch should reflect their needs and their audience.

Be brief. Consider summarizing your points in bullets – reporters are busy people; help them cut to the chase.

DON’T:

Hound. This one can be tricky – sometimes e-mails get lost in the shuffle. An e-mail and a follow-up are usually sufficient.

Send generic pitches.

Bury the news. Make dates/times visible, and keep it brief.