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PITCH PERFECT – MAKING THE MEDIA YOUR ALLY

PART 2: Taking your pitches digital

In the last part of my blog, I shared tips for making yourself heard in the competitive media landscape, and in this part I will highlight why digital channels are also essential for making a good media pitch,

Similar to the rest of the world, PR in Dubai continues to leverage the power of the digital world, using innovative techniques to secure media coverage.

  1. Social Media Platforms
    • Facebook: In the UAE, media and PR professionals share thoughts, stories and media opportunities on a Facebook page called ‘UAE journalists’. One sentence either mentioning the topic or the event is good enough to catch the attention of the relevant people and generate a quick response.
    • Twitter: Tagging the journalist in a tweet, along with a compelling explanation, has proven a very effective method for reaching out to the media. From my experience, the success rate has been great as journalist quickly respond if they would like to take the story forward.
  2. WhatsApp: The popularity and use of WhatsApp has grown incredibly over the years and it has the benefit of notifying journalists immediately. Through WhatsApp we can send out pitches in the form of a message, a quick video or a voice recording for an extra personal touch. This medium should only be used once you have built a strong relationship with the journalist.
  3. Emails: Emails is still one of the most used and strong mediums for sharing your story. However, the form in which content is shared has evolved. Videos are a more interesting way to talk about your story and you can also include a quick message from the spokesperson making it more personalised. When it comes to emails, think beyond text to video, infographics and GIFs.

All in all, lengthy pitches in any form are a waste of time and it is essential to use digital channels in an innovative way. If you can show that your news is more than just promotion and instead promises to benefit society and contribute to the wider news, you’ll be are on to a winner.

Happy pitching!

Lovelyn Rodrigues is the Senior Account Executive of Cicero & Bernay Public Relations. An independent PR agency headquartered in Dubai and offering new-age public relations consultancy to the UAE and across the MENA. | www.cbpr.me