Which Is Better For Your Marketing Strategy: Media Pitch or Press Release?

Despite their similarities, a media pitch and a press release are two very different components of your press strategy. Although most people think of press releases as the bread and butter of securing media coverage in a public relations campaign, the reality is that a lot of story ideas simply aren’t worthy of a full release, and a pitch can be a much better option. So, what’s the difference between a media pitch and a press release? Keep reading for more details!

What Is A Media Pitch?

Media pitches are often the core of a press strategy. They’re used to suggest a story idea to individual journalists via email. If the journalist likes the idea and their editors approve, then they write a story for their media outlet based on your suggestion.

Pitches tend to be shorter and more informal than press releases. The more personalized you make them the better – taking the time to get their name right, mentioning a past article, etc. all shows the reporter that you’ve taken interest in them and are serious about your inquiry.

What Is A Press Release?

A press release is generally longer than a pitch and provides details of something newsworthy. Newsworthy is key here. You can write a pitch about a fantastic line of makeup, but unless the makeup is made by a major brand or has a phenomenal feature (e.g. is made entirely from recycled plastic) it just isn’t worthy of a full release.

Press releases are generally distributed much more widely. They’re usually sent to reporters and newsrooms, in addition to being posted on your site. A nice benefit to posting them on aggregating sites is they can usually help improve your SEO, too.

Which Is Better For Your Press Strategy?

A pitch tends to be more effective – especially when your goal is securing editorial media coverage, although press releases do have their time and place in your press strategy. Yes, media pitches take more time and effort, but almost all of the coverage we secure for Three Girls and our clients is in response to these letters.