Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Success with Meeting Reporters on a “Fast Pitch”
Sometimes meeting reporters face-to-face is the best route for coverage. Newswise hosts weekly fast pitch sessions, where PIOs can pitch to reporters through our state-of-the-art virtual chat room. They have 90 seconds to pitch their story idea, followed by an unlimited time for follow-up questions from the reporter. It’s a very exciting way to see and hear the latest research coming out of our members’ organizations.
Back in January, Newswise hosted a session with Erin Ross, a science reporter at Axios. Jeff Wakefield of the University of Vermont delivered a compelling pitch on lake ecosystems, particularly on why trout continue to thrive in the Great Lakes, but not in Lake Champlain. The result was an article published in Axios on March 1st.
Here’s what Jeff had to say about the fast pitch experience…
I found the session with Erin Ross of Axios to be very helpful. It was great to have the face-to-face opportunity to present her with a story idea. We all know cold emails to busy reporters, no matter how good the story idea, often seem to fall on deaf ears. Thanks to the pitch, Erin responded to my follow-up emails and the story happened. Also, I have a valuable contact in her for future pitches. Fastpitch is a great service; I intend to participate regularly in the future.
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