The Pitch Episode 34: Follow the Filter

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If a pitch has these four ingredients you’re more likely to get news coverage because you are following a news filter. Learn how following someone’s filter in decision-making can improve your success tenfold.

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When journalists are putting together a story they are typically running it through a news filter. This filter usually consists of these four things: national relevance, local angle, human interest and news peg. A story with all four of these “ingredients” typically makes for a good news article or segment. So when you are pitching journalists it’s likely they are running your pitch through their mental news filter to determine if what you are pitching will make for a good story. Every industry and every person has their own filter for making decisions. Knowing what their filter is before you pitch can improve your chances of success tenfold. Before you pitch, find out what the filter is so you know how to craft your pitch in a way that follows the decision making process of the person you are pitching. You might be pitching someone in their 20s, so you may have to ask yourself how will a 20-year-old relate to my offer? Or maybe you are pitching an international company; research that country’s culture and figure out the filter that resonates best with they way they conduct business. “The Pitch” challenge today: What’s your personal or business filter for making decisions? Write down four things that are important to you and that you take into consideration before finalizing a decision. By developing your own personal filter it will make you more aware of other people’s filters. Pitching blindly without understanding someone else’s needs is a waste of time. Follow their filter, as you develop your pitch, so that what you are offering will actually be considered useful instead of self-serving.

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