One of the hardest parts of PR is knowing when to say no. Google ‘How to say no’ and you’re met with countless think pieces, links to therapists, podcast episodes, Reddit threads, and YouTube videos.
But knowing the theory is one thing: the reality of saying no to a professor can be very different. This is particularly true when it comes to pitching a story that the professor is really passionate about.
However, having been on both sides of this situation – the journalist and the PR consultant – it’s always about finding the right balance. Often you can find an angle that’s interesting to the right journalist, while satisfying the stakeholder’s requests.
Ultimately, as a PR professional, it’s your job to make the judgement on when to and when not to pitch a story. To help, here are six times NOT to pitch a story to the media:
When the story is not newsworthy
What might seem significant within your industry bubble, may not necessarily interest the general public or the media. Journalists will always prioritise stories that are timely, relevant, and impactful. If the story lacks a strong news hook – such as a significant development, trend, or human interest angle – it’s unlikely to gain traction.
Before pitching, ask yourself three questions:
- Does this story affect a large audience?
- Is this something new or unique?
- Would this make someone stop and read?
If the answer to any of these is no, it might be time to re-evaluate your angle, or even ditch the story altogether.
The timing isn’t right
Sometimes it might be a case of right topic, wrong time. When pitching a story idea, timing is crucial. The media is incredibly fast-paced, which inevitably means an outdated or already widely discussed story simply won’t get picked up. How to fix this? Again, consider a change in angle and consider pinning it to a current news story or trend.
Sometimes, however, you need to read the room. If a major breaking story has just happened – say, for example, there’s a global crisis or a political upheaval – a journalist is unlikely to be interested in your pitch on a completely unrelated topic. Despite this, they may be interested in the future when things have quietened down a bit, so keep the story to the side for now, and consider re-pitching in the future.
If it’s overly promotional
There’s nothing wrong with a bit of self-promotion sometimes. At BlueSky Education, we work with some fantastic professors who are working on fascinating research. Rightfully they want to shout about it.
There’s nothing wrong with this. If you’re highlighting something that’s genuinely interesting to the right audience, offering expert commentary and exclusive insights, you’re just making a journalist’s life easier.
The problem comes when you’re trying to pass off an advertorial as an OpEd. Journalists want stories, not adverts. An undisguised advert isn’t interesting for any reader. If you’re pitching content that is too promotional, you will get ignored by the journalist 10 times out of 10. It’s simply a missed opportunity.
When it’s not relevant to the journalist
Sending an irrelevant pitch to a journalist will not only mean that your pitch is unsuccessful, it may also damage your relationship with that journalist. Ensure you’re tailoring each pitch to the journalist’s specialism and audience.
It may sound obvious, but if a story isn’t relevant to that journalist, don’t pitch it to them. When I worked as a higher education journalist, you’d be surprised how many pitches I used to get about primary education. Straight to junk mail.
If the story has already been covered extensively
Boring, boring, boring. You wouldn’t pick up a newspaper that was showing yesterday’s news, just like journalists don’t want to re-publish an article without a fresh angle.
What was interesting last week might not be interesting this week. If the topic has already been covered widely, your pitch is unlikely to be successful unless you’re offering a fresh perspective or new data.
When you don’t have a spokesperson
Imagine you’re pitching the perfect story and the journalist loves it. So much so that they want to speak to the expert you suggested about it. You email the expert to tell them the good news, only to find out they’re on annual leave for the next two weeks. In this situation, the best thing you could do is ask if one of their colleagues would be available to comment.
If your key spokesperson is unavailable for interviews or quotes, it’s always best to have an alternative contact hand who might be able to respond.
But, of course, there are plenty of times when you should pitch a story. At BlueSky Education, finding the right angle to tell your story is one of the things we do best. If your institution would benefit from PR and media relations support, contact BlueSky Education today.
Chloë was previously Content Editor for QS Top Universities and QS Top MBA, Chloë produced over 400 articles during her four years at the world’s largest international higher education network. With additional experience writing for trade media, she is also formally qualified with a Level 5 Diploma in Journalism from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ).
