For many PR professionals, sending an email is second nature—whether you’re contracted, freelance or work for a full-time agency, sending pitch emails is something you can do with your eyes closed!
While many of us aren’t on the receiving end of the PR email pitches, we may have not ever stopped to consider if we’re approaching these pitches correctly, let alone professionally. Are you using the proper diction and language? Are you properly addressing the person you’re sending the email to, does your subject line contain something that will force them to click and actually open your email? These are just a few of the many questions you should be asking yourself and making sure you’re checking off of your list before hitting that “send” button.
However—many of us don’t realize how often we make embarrassing and costly errors when sending emails. No one wants to tarnish their professional reputation by not following proper email etiquette. Here are seven tips for formulating the perfect email pitch.
Formulating the Perfect Email Pitch
Include an attention grabbing subject line
Your subject line sets the basis for your email. It allows your recipient to grasp an idea of what your message will entail—especially if your recipient receives hundreds of emails each day, you want to make sure yours stands out to them so you get your reply in timely manner.
Briefly introduce yourself + make a personable connection
If you are sending a new email for the first time to someone you have never emailed or reached out to, introduce yourself. It’s only right that you allow the person you are wanting to connect with know a little bit more about you, and why you’re deciding to reach out to them in the first place. Besides, no one wants to feel like they are being used, so make sure you introduce yourself to start the basis of forming that relationship outside of the Internet.
Secondly, you want to make sure you include a personable connection that will make the recipient feel as though your email isn’t generic and you did your research on them prior to reaching out. Research makes such a difference in how you will receive a response as well as the basis of the relationship you will build with them. Including a few stories of theirs they wrote that you loved, or including something you both have in common that you read on their social media sites will contribute to making your pitch stand out from others.
Use a professional email address
How embarrassing would it be to send a pitch email with an unprofessional email address or even your personal email address? As a professional working for a professional company, you want to always ensure you’re using a professional email address when reaching out to anyone. Using your personal email address isn’t always the best tactic—especially if your handle is a bit outdated or unprofessional.
Include a signature
Your signature tells your recipient exactly who you are and how to directly contact you. Set your signature up automatically so it appears after each email you send. Make sure to include all of your contact information (email address, phone number, LinkedIn profile), so your recipient doesn’t have a hard time connecting with you once they establish who you are.
Use professional salutations
Colloquial language and emails just don’t mix. Using the words “Yo” “Heyyy” or “What’s Up” are neither professional or formal and should not be used when sending email pitches. Regardless of how well you may think you know the recipient, it is always best to use a more formal choice of words such as ,”Hello” or “Hi” when addresses them.
Proofread your email
Proofreading your email is so essential! No one likes reading emails with typos and misspellings in them—it shows you do not care and you didn’t take the time to actually read your own email before sending it, so why should they waste their time reading it. Always check your spelling and grammar before finalizing your email pitch.
Respond in a timely manner
It’s OK to wait to respond to an email if you feel you don’t have the best answer or all of the information for the proper response just yet, however it’s inappropriate to respond out of a timely manner. If you receive an email (unless you are out of office), you shouldn’t wait long periods of time to respond. Responding within a timely manner shows that you care, and you are aware about whatever it is the recipient has sent to you.
Formulating the perfect email pitch takes lots of time and practice. Incorporating these seven strategies into your pitches will help make all the difference in the responses you receive for your recipients. Let us know in the comments below how you prepare for your email pitches and what advice has worked to get you in the door!
