3 Real Pitch Emails I Received That Will Result in a ‘No’

So many people want to get interviewed today.  People have a business, a product, or a service that they want to get the word out about, and they know that being a guest on a TV show, a radio show, a podcast, and other media is a great method for promoting.  They are singers and musicians, actors, entrepreneurs, authors, inventors, comedians, spokespeople/experts, podcasters, and more.  But too many of them are going about it the wrong way and, as a result, are wasting a lot of valuable time.

And then they wonder why they’re hearing ‘No’ in response to their pitch, or, a lot of times, not hearing anything back at all.

As someone who has done public and media relations for long enough that it will make me sound “old” if I admit to the number of years, I have been involved with all facets of interviews.  I have been interviewed.  I have been the middleman who books clients into interviews.  And, as has been the case for almost seven-and-a-half years now, I am the interviewer in my role as host of the weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast.  Heck, I worked in professional sports and at two Summer Olympics as a PR person, so all that time spent with athletes and coaches and executives and facilitating so many interviews for them certainly gave me lots of perspective and experience in that realm.

I have just launched an Interview Tips Course that helps you get the most out of such opportunities.  One of the reasons I created it is because getting booked for an interview is only half the work.  Once you’re scheduled, you still need to do lots of preparation so as to maximize the opportunity and get the result you want, which is more business (sales, bookings, or whatever the goal is with your business, your product, or your service).

One portion of my new Interview Tips Course is a module that gives you more than 15 different sources you can use to get leads to potentially get more guest bookings.  People are emailing me daily with a pitch to be a guest on “Now Hear This Entertainment.”  And there are three such inquiries that came in recently that I’m likely not even going to respond to because if I did my answer would probably border on emotional rather than professional.  In other words, I would envision writing, “Did you even look to see what my podcast is about?!”

As you read these three examples of how not to pitch a show that you think you are a fit for, keep in mind that on “Now Hear This Entertainment” I interview guests who are having success in entertainment – primarily music.

1.    Keeping this as anonymous as I can, the most recent example of someone who’s NOT going to get booked on NHTE wrote to me saying, “Hello, I’m (name)!  I would like to pitch myself as a possible guest.  Here’s why:  All small business owners know that ranking on page 1 of Google search is essential, but most have no idea how to do it.  And in this economic climate, without a strong SEO campaign, small businesses will not survive.  I’m the founder and owner of (company name omitted for privacy), a (city)-based Digital Marketing agency with a specialty in Search Engine Optimization and Lead Generation. I also teach at a Search Engine Optimization Academy in (city).”  I’ll stop there, although I should add that the email went on (and on), unnecessarily long.  Clearly this person is not having success in entertainment and likely isn’t having success pitching podcasts to get interviewed on.  [And, by the way, did you notice how they started off the message?  If they would’ve clicked Play on any episode of NHTE they’d hear me saying my name at the start and thus could’ve written, “Hello Bruce, I’m (name)!”]

2.    This one started off their email with “Dear there” and ‘there’ was in a different font size, as though it had been imported into that field from a different source, although I’m still not sure where in Now Hear This or Bruce Wawrzyniak you get the word ‘there’ from.  But anyhow, their email was also unnecessarily long and started off with, “I wanted to pass on something that could be a good fit for your podcast – (name) would love to come on the show as a guest.  (name) has just launched the world’s first ever full collection of sustainable clothing that is backed with a 30 Year Guarantee.”  Clearly this too has nothing that lines up with me interviewing guests who are having success in entertainment and almost makes me wonder if this person (agency) simply wants to go back to their client and say, “We pitched you to xx shows,” meaning that they’re focusing on quantity and not quality, which is why they won’t be reporting very many bookings back to that potential guest.

3.    This last example at least started off with, “Hello Bruce!” but otherwise scored zero points with me.  They went on to say only the following three lines, none of which had any appeal to me whatsoever – and by appeal, I mean relevance.  “I am representing a client that I think would be a good fit for your podcast.  (name) is currently running $50MM in government contracts for her and has grown it purely organically over the last 5 years.  Are you interested in having (name) come on your podcast?”

In each case I had to decide, should I (a) write back and say, “No thanks, it’s not a fit.  I’ll pass.” (b) “Wow, this is a really bad way to try to get a guest on a podcast.  You need to take my Interview Tips Course.”  Or (c) not answer them back at all, which seems to be the way I’ve leaned.

You’ve heard the old expression “You get out of something exactly what you put into it.”  These are perfect examples of not doing research on a show that you’re attempting to get booked on and thus not getting any results.

Enroll today in my Interview Tips Course so you get the results you want.  And, give me your feedback on this blog through Twitter via @NHT_tweets.  Or, comment on it either on Facebook or LinkedIn.  Alternatively, you can write to me via email.  I’m also available for a private, one-on-one video consultation if you need media training or other services that I’ve been providing to performers, authors, actors, and entrepreneurs/small business owners for well over 15 years now under the Now Hear This umbrella.