10 pitch ideas to send to journalists to get you started
I know it can feel like a mountainous task to come up with a pitch idea out of thin air, even though we’ve talked about different ways to generate ideas here before.
That’s why this week, I wanted to give you ten pretty concrete ideas that would work across any industry. These ideas work best when you’re sending a standalone pitch, rather than as a response to a journo request or as a news-hook (don’t worry - I’ll share more on how to respond to these too), so if you’ve been struggling to work out what kind of pitches to send, read on for ten possibilities that are better than “I’m this person and I do this thing.” The Power of Community: A story about how a particular community has come together to create positive change in their area.
1. Innovation in Action
A look at how your business or you as an individual are using innovative techniques to bring about positive change in your industry.
2. Overcoming Adversity
A profile of how you overcame significant obstacles to achieve your goals - preferably the kind that other business owners (regardless of your industry).
3. Sustainable Solutions
A feature on you and your business and how you’re leading the way in sustainable or environmentally friendly practices. Don’t work with physical products? Don’t worry, you can turn this into ‘mental sustainability’ - as in, practices you’re putting in place or that you can recommend others put in place to make their work/ life balance more sustainable.
4. Emerging Trends
An exploration of a new trend or development that has the potential to shape the future of your industry - this is a great way to position yourself as a thought leader, particularly if you have an interesting take on it.
5. Eye Opening Data
A piece sharing some new and interesting data within your industry and what you think it says about the industry/ society as a whole
6. Lessons Learned
A tips- focused piece on the major lessons you’ve learned working in your industry or as a business owner that others could learn from.
7. Trending problems
The most common issues your client base faces and advice you’d give on how to overcome them.
8. Lessons Learned
A profile about where or how you’ve experienced a setback or failure, and how you bounced back to achieve success.
9. Identifying
A series of steps to help the audience identify something they didn’t know before, whether that’s how to tell if they’re burnt out (an old and generic idea, but you get the gist!) or how to decipher complicated industry language to work out what product they need.
10. A Step-By-Step Achiever
A deep dive into a specific thing you or your clients have achieved and the exact steps someone else might need to take to achieve it too.
