Pitching © by Will Folsom
Every now and then we get perfect, on target pitches and press releases. Most of the time, they’re ok, and then very occasionally we get the real stinkers. The ones that <sarcasm> fit perfectly into our designated coverage and readership.</sarcasm>
Yesterday must have been a very special day as we received not one, but two completely mistargeted pitches.
Mercifully I’ve removed the names of the offending senders, but otherwise, below please find, for your reading pleasure, pitches perfectly suited to you, our readers (I assume I didn’t have to use the sarcasm tags this time around).
First – the one that actually had a pitch:
Hi Nathan,
After 4 months in development, our hotly anticipated and first-of-its-kind ‘Superfood-powered’ weight loss app for iPhone is expected to launch in Apple’s App Store next Tuesday, May 15th.
I would like to offer you a sneak peek of our app – Super Diet Genius. We believe that your readers in particular would find our app of great interest. With summer creeping around the corner, the time is ripe for a new-to-the-world weight loss app powered by Superfoods.
…
(the pitch did go on to include links to background materials, videos and explain how to get the app on a preview basis, etc.)
I’m sure that filled your PR, social media, learning needs for the day. If it didn’t, then perhaps…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Aretha Franklin, Ricky Skaggs, Dallas Holm, The Hoppers, Love Song and Rex Humbard Announced as GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame Inductees
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – May 10, 2012 – The GMA Foundation (GMAF) has announced that it will induct Aretha Franklin, Ricky Skaggs, Dallas Holm, The Hoppers, Love Song and Rex Humbard into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
“The diverse talents represented in this years class of inductees have impacted millions of people around the world. It is an honor to induct these individuals” said Charles Dorris, Chairman, GMA Foundation.
…
Yes, this one was just a copy and pasted release, with the body right justified and boldfaced throughout.
Pretty sure we all know the moral of the story, yes?
- 29 May 2013 : Agency Outreach Gone Wrong: And How to Avoid It
- 6 May 2013 : Knowing Your Audience: How PR Agencies Need to be Careful Choosing Customers
- 30 April 2013 : Get Geoff Livingston’s Welcome to the Fifth Estate Free
- 19 April 2013 : Auto-tweets, Kawasaki and Takedowns: The Ugly Side of Social
- 15 April 2013 : 2013: The Year that Social Media Will Run out of Kool-Aid