How to write subject lines editors will open, and a little T+E recap

Last week Kirsten and I hosted a live Tweak & Edit PR Review workshop and we're thankful that so many of you showed up!

In it, we gave real-world feedback to three creative businesses. Everyone else got to watch and learn from their peers. Art school speed crit style.


We were thrilled everyone found it souseful! Here's what participants said: 
It takes a lot of effort to put together a presentation like that, so we won't be doing another one for a while.... but if you'd like to know what our Tweak & Edit PR Review is all about, you can learn more here, including a behind-the-scenes video where I show you exactly how it's done.

Show, Don't Tell

How to write email subject lines editors will actually open
 
Arguably the most important part of your pitch is the email’s subject line.

Think about it- you're an editor. You have an inbox with a hundred emails, most of them pitches. You have to start triage somewhere. Many editors will decide to open, or not open, your email purely based on the subject line.

We dug into the pitch archives of our sister company, Wolf PR, and pulled together eight examples of what to do and what not to do when writing a pitch's subject line.

Good Links Round Up

1. Lessons learned from a year of virtual product launches
Google’s Global Creative Works team went on a listening tour to answer this recurring question—What does it take to pull off a successful virtual product launch? Their main takeaway, "A launch is no longer a single moment; it’s a series of moments that work together, building on one another.” We couldn’t agree more! Launches that rose to the top followed a distinct pattern: a prelaunch, a launch event, and a post-launch follow-up. BTW we found this in PR@ctical newsletter.
 
2. Turning boring brand guidelines into a digital experience
Brand consistency can be elusive, especially as you scale. Brand identity guidelines can be tricky to use, since they usually live in disregarded PDFS. Brandpad is a great resource for creating interactive, digital guidelines with all relevant specifications and assets, allowing you to spend less time organizing and more time doing the important work.

3. Customers form an opinion about your website in less than a second.
Here’s how to win them over.

We post a lot about website design. Why? Websites are all about first impressions, and you don't want to leave a bad one. In this great read, UX Planet covers best design practices for your website header. Find actionable advice on the main elements of a header from navigation, text, CTAS, and logos. For example, did you know viewers remember a brand’s logo best when it's located in the upper left of the screen? Now you do! Speaking of logos, check out our post on how to design a logo that reflects your creative business.

4. How to write a tricky email template generator
This is one of my favorite tools of all time because it deals with the thing that everyone struggles with: how to respond to new requests for work! Are they asking you to work for free? Now you have a form email that shows you a professional way to say no! Is the budget reasonable but the timeline needs to be addressed? There’s an email for that too! Toggle between the types of clients, budgets, timelines, and curveballs to find the right email template for your unique situation. Thank goodness for Jessica Hische’s amazing Client Email Helper.

5. Plug-ins to help plug you into better work
I LOVE a google chrome browser extension (and my favorite one is called Library Extension and tells you if the book you’re looking at on Amazon is available currently at your public library and it's what I use all the time to get free books on my Kindle while supporting the library over Jeff Bezos, but that’s another story for a different kind of newsletter :) ) and this article goes into 12 extensions you may not have heard of that will help you get your work done better and faster.

Wins

Recently I spoke with Jesse Healy of eCommerce Impact about: 
  • Why PR is an essential part of your eCommerce marketing mix - but how it should never be your only tool
  • Why you need to put yourself in the journalist's shoes to ensure your pitch gets attention and coverageHow your sustainability or diversity efforts can increase your chance of coverage
  • Why you MUST read the publications in your industry and set up alerts for the coverage your competitors are getting
  • How to plan ahead to get coverage for the peak gifting season
  • How influencer marketing has become part of the PR process, and why you should pay for the content this brings.
I think it's a great listen. You can listen here or on Spotify! Thanks, Jesse for having me!

Work With Us!

Psst- here's another link to register for our *free* Tweak & Edit PR Review Workshop.

If you want to get really good at telling your business' story, we can help!

-Tweak and Edit- for when you need a critically constructive second set of eyeballs to look at what you're doing and tell you exactly what to fix, and then show you best-in-show examples to help you get there. We're so happy to say that people LOVE this service and find a lot of value.

-1-1 sessions- for when you want to learn how to tighten up your business and pitch it to the media yourself, and you want guidance informed by 15+ years of experience and someone to hold you accountable. 

-List building- for when you want a fully customized media list built to fit your specific needs and timing as it involves launches and other company initiatives- AND you want it to include suggestions for press materials, stories to develop, order of operations for embargos and/or exclusives, and other activities for the biggest media impact.

and finally 

-How to Pitch For Holiday Gift Guides- for when you want to truly knock it out of the park with holiday gift guide pitching, but also secretly learn how to pitch for all the other year round holidays as well. 

Thanks for giving us some time in your inbox! If you have any questions send us a note, we'll always reply. 

Cheers,
Nora & Kirsten


PS - If you liked the newsletter, we’d be so happy if you shared it with others who might find it useful. Anyone new can subscribe here.
 
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