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Stop Your Nagging: The Rules of Following Up

by Infinity Concepts | Nov 5, 2021 | Public Relations

PR professionals invest a great deal of time and consideration into crafting the perfect pitch and tailoring a media list. Once the pitch is sent, your focus should shift on to your follow-up.

Sure, some of those on your list might reach out and respond on their own. After all, Public Relations is all about relationships. Over time you will establish relationships with some key media on your list. However, if you are still in the process of building those relationships (like me) or have pitched to a newer list, follow-up is necessary.

Most media receive hundreds of emails a day and any of those emails can be overlooked. Follow-up is simply part of a PR professional’s communication plan.

Here are some tips for effective follow-up:

Be Patient
Wait at least two or three days before you follow up. If your pitch is not time sensitive or urgent, one week is acceptable. Never follow up within twenty-four hours. Immediate follow-up makes you seem needy. However, never wait longer than one week. You might as well consider yourself—and your pitch—long forgotten.

Simple Is Best
A follow-up email does not need to be lengthy. Keep it short and to the point. One or two sentences with a reference to your initial pitch is ideal.

Provide Additional Details
A follow-up email is a great opportunity to provide additional information. Perhaps you have a document you can attach or a link to share. The more information you can provide, the less research the media will need to do.

Do NOT Nag!
It is more than acceptable to follow up once. A third email is OK when you truly feel that your pitch is the right fit for a specific outlet or journalist. In this case, make sure you have personalized the pitch and point out why. Anything more than that will make you a nag. Better to try again with your next relevant pitch.

If you are interested in Public Relations strategy or consultation to help protect your brand,
Infinity Concepts is here to help.
Contact us today!

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