Reporters Love Trendspotters: Make Your Pitch Bigger by Linking to One

TalentZoo.com | Beyond Madison Avenue | Digital Pivot | Beneath the Brand

Archives | Categories

By: Bulldog Reporter

Journalists like to write about trends, and tying a PR pitch to a trend—or better yet, bringing a trend to a reporter’s attention—can be an effective way to get attention for your client or organization. But several caveats apply. Obviously, the trend you’re describing should be relevant to the journalist’s beat. You should have evidence demonstrating that it’s a legitimate trend worthy of coverage. But the real trick is identifying the trend before it’s old news. This means learning to think about trends in the same way that journalists do.

What makes a trend in the journalist’s mind? Many apply the Rule of Three. If something happens once, it’s an isolated incident. If it happens twice, it’s a coincidence. But if it happens three times or more, then it might be a trend.

And how do journalists learn about trends? Often, it’s in the normal course of newsgathering: Talking to sources, going to events, reading studies and surveys, or even perusing press releases. If you’re a beauty editor, one press release about a new guava-flavored lipstick might not be a big deal—but if you get three of them, it’s a good sign that something is happening in the lipstick business.

KEEP READING HERE