Dear Publicists: Here's Why Relationships Matter

Silly me! I thought 2022 would be the year of fewer pitches and more relationships. I thought people would put into practice developing a relationship versus sending a blanket email. In 2021, I received 1,500 pitches a month. Yes, you read that right. FIFTEEN HUNDRED PITCHES A MONTH! Insane! That number doesn't include pitches I received from people I know. I maybe opened three from my inbox and DMs out of all of those pitches. Six weeks into 2022 has brought the same amount of pitches per month, if not more. 

It is not possible for a contributor to sift through all those emails. A contributor means just that, contributing to a publication now and then; it's not a full-time writing job. Contributors work full-time or have a business, so we get double the emails. 

So here's where I'm confused. Why don't publicists take the time to get to know writers? Understand the type of people they feature and want to feature? Here's why it's a good idea to make an effort to build a relationship with a writer.

Spam Folders Are A Second Barrier

In 2021, on average, 326 pitches wound up in my spam folder. About 100 of them always had follow-up messages attached to them. And out of the roughly 3,912 pitches in the spam folder for the year, I opened 2 of them. 

On February 1, 2022, I looked in the junk folder for January to see if the number had decreased. Nope! It actually jumped to 586 pitches in the spam folder. Think about that for a minute. Five hundred and eighty-six hopeful publicists praying that their client would land a feature at a top-tier publication had no idea that their pitch wound up in the dark hole of the inbox. 

Take The First Step In Developing A Relationship

Now, pretend you took that first step to follow the writer on Instagram. You like and comment on a couple of posts, so the writer gets to know your social media handle. After a couple of weeks, you slide into their DMs and ask how they are doing (and that's it). The writer responds and asks how you are. After a few more weeks following up on a friendly conversation, you politely ask if you could schedule a virtual coffee as a discovery call to discuss what the writer is working on at the moment and how you could help the writer.

Boom! You've now built that beneficially mutual foundation. So when you email the writer, they respond back to you regardless of the answer. And better yet, your message isn’t drowning in the sea of 586 pitches in the spam folder. 

Is it more work? Yes. Will it take a little longer? Yes. Is it worth it? That's up to you to decide. Is it better to be lost in the spam folder or be one step closer to getting your client featured?

The media landscape can be overwhelming for new publicists and entrepreneurs looking to gain traction. That's why I teamed up with Stephanie Burns and Melissa Houston. We created the Media Accelerator to share inside tips and tricks straight from the writer's perspective to navigating the media landscape. To join us on this journey, check out our Facebook group.

Start the connection. Make 2022 the year of the Feature!