A media spotlight is a period of time when the press and public focus on an individual or issue. It can reveal much about a person or organization’s perspective, bias and ideology. For crime survivors and victim advocates, the media glare can be unwelcome and intrusive but it can also be useful for renewing investigators’ attention to unsolved crimes and raising awareness of resources for those affected by violence.
When preparing your media pitch, start by finding journalists who may be interested in the story. This can be done through online research (e.g., Prowly) and through your own professional network (Linkedin). Individual journalists have unique specializations or beats. Pitch the right journalist to increase your chances of getting a story published.
Be sure your pitch is timely and credible, and provide all the information the journalist needs to write their story. Avoid common pitching mistakes, like using a canned greeting or failing to tailor your message to the medium you’re contacting (TV is different from print). Lean into past interactions or mutual interests to maintain organic rapport without sacrificing brevity.
When you’ve identified the right journalists to target, be clear about whether you want first access or a pre-release to help them decide if this is something they want to pursue. If you choose to offer an exclusive, be sure you are able to follow through with the promise and only pitch one journalist at a time to avoid wasting everyone’s time.