Visibility Expert

Raleigh Pinskey

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Pitching Tips For Your 8-Second Power Pitch
Hooking for a Booking

“If your pitch is longer than 8 seconds, don't bother calling. If you’re emailing, it better be less than 25 words cause I won’t read it.” This is the consensus of most media.

That’s were the hook comes in. secret lies not in what you want from them, but rather in what benefits can you provide their audience.

Why do the media look for and want a GREAT story?
-- A great story attracts a bigger audience
-- A great story makes for a satisfied audience
-- A bigger audience makes for increased sales or viewers
-- Increased sales or viewers make for more advertisers
-- More advertisers make for higher ad revenue
-- Higher ad revenue makes the owners more money
-- Happy owners don’t fire the person who delivers

For the audience, benefits take the form of

• Education, something they didn't already know
• Entertainment, a way to forget the day's troubles
• Emotional involvement, a laugh, a cry, a heart tug
• Enlightenment, a clue to the problem and/or solution
• Empowerment – something they can hang a dream on

Three critical elements of your pitch
1) A head's up to a problem
2) A head’s up to a solution to the problem
3) A benefit to the solution
Yes, the pitch will contain both the solution and the problem.

Examples:
Headaches (the problem) can warn you of other health problems (the solution) so you can be made aware of more severe underlying conditions. (benefit)

Retirement (the problem) doesn't have to mean “boring.” (the solution).

It can be the start of a new chapter in your life. (benefit)

Pitching Categories That Work:

• Statistics
• Best of Lists / Worst of Lists
• 3 Ways to…( use any numbers)
• Questions
• Points of Pain in the subject matter

Raleigh Pinskey began her  high visibility career in 1980 as founder and President of Raleigh Communications. Her client history includes Sting, KIIS, Blondie, McCartney, the first Chicken Soup for the Soul, Fit for Life Solution, Lisa Delman’s Letters From the Heart, many authors, books and information products. Raleigh Pinskey is known as a book title strategist, , a branding expert, an 8-second media pitch magician, a book visibility coach. Sign up for your free High Visibility Branding Tips Online newsletter at www.PromoteYourself.com

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Column updated: 01/01/07