Be Spare in Your Pitches

Earlier today, I opened an email pitch that was ten paragraphs. Unbelievable, I thought, as I scrolled down the page wondering when on earth the message was going to end. Why do publicists send out pitches that are way too long? It's bad enough that I'm on some list that has people sending me material on subjects I so don't write about. But getting back to the lengthy (understatement) email. I only counted the paragraphs; I didn't read them. You know, I can't even tell you what the pitch was about because I was so stunned to see it in the first place.
    I used to send pitches that were too long and some reporters/editors/producers might think my pitches are still too long, but I'm much more attentive to length than I used to be. These people are so busy, so every single word has to count. That includes the subject line, which is why it's important to think strategically about that as well. If the subject line is dull, why would someone take the time to open the email? In the same way, if the first line in your first paragraph doesn't get to the point, then you and your pitch might be doomed.
    Think of what you like to read. Consider the email that crowds your in-box. Why do some message get on your nerves while others, in their brevity, make you glad to be alive? The way someone pitches a story, at least in my mind, says a lot about the amount of respect that publicist has for the person she's pitching. That's a mouthful. But my point is this: if you respect other people's time that will show in your pitch whether you're doing so on the phone or by email. Here's the other benefit of being brief in an email: it give you a built-in opportunity to say something a little different in a phone call. What? You don't pitch by phone? Email is adequate. I say no. Even if you're 150 percent sure that you'll need to leave a message it's worth your while to leave out a little something from the email, nothing critical of course, but something so that it sounds as if you have a lot to offer.
    Next time: should you send thank-you's to reporters/writer/producers?