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Pitch or Treat: Do Halloween like a PR Pro

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By Stephanie Lough
Public Relations Coordinator

It’s creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky, and personally my favorite time of the year: Halloween! Every fall I spend countless hours coming up with creative costume ideas that are sure to be one-of-a-kind and stand out in the crowd. Coming up and executing an outfit with that perfect combination of original-yet-recognizable can be tough work, and is a process I start months in advance…just like a public relations media campaign!

While brainstorming my creation this year I realized that there are several parallels to coming up with a perfect Halloween costume and crafting the perfect pitch. From the first inkling of ideas to the final glossy product, here are some DO’s and DON’Ts that will help get you (your business and/or your costume) noticed.

DO: Be timely – The media moves a mile a minute, and hot topics are forgotten as quickly as they come. Referencing something that happened a few months, or worse, years ago might just leave people scratching their heads. The right timing when pitching stories is also hugely important if you want your brand to be relevant. Be up-to-date on trends to know what the latest buzz is.

DON’T: Wait until the last minute. Even though you will want to have a timely costume, you’ll still need a good amount of time to assemble and execute. It’s easy to tell when something is thrown together last minute. Same goes for pitching – even more so for long lead publications that secure stories months in advance. Have a plan, have a strategy, and allow yourself plenty of time to accomplish your goal.

DO: Be original – Hundreds of thousands of people will dress up in costumes on Halloween. Hundreds of thousands of pitches are sent to the media every day. Sticking with a mundane, obvious costume will get you lost in the crowd, just as a boring, unoriginal pitch will garner no attention. Being unique takes more effort, but pays off, both in media relations and costume creation.

DON’T: Jump on the bandwagon (but do follow it!)– It can be easy to want to latch onto a story or theme everyone is talking about, but chances are you’re not alone in your thinking. While the bandwagon can certainly help drive media attention (and will launch a costume into popularity), spend time finding something new about a story the media has already beaten to death. Same goes for popular costumes – go with a different version or character than what the masses are doing. You can still take advantage of the relevancy without being caught in the same garb (or with the same angle) as dozens of others.

DO: Know your audience – Just like you probably wouldn’t wear the same costume to your neighborhood church’s Trunk-or-Treat as you would a downtown bar block party, you don’t want to pitch the same angle to vastly different publications. Know what is appropriate for each publications audience, and tailor your angle to interest those people.

DON’T: Be tasteless – It goes without saying that if you have to ask if your costume is offensive, it shouldn’t be worn. Sure, something may seem timely and original, especially if it’s a hot topic accompanied with media frenzy. But just because something has media attention, doesn’t mean it is the attention you want or should be associated with. Thanks to social media, we have already seen some major costume faux pas go viral this year, and not only for celebrities. Similar gaffes have been done by brands by trying to tie culturally sensitive aspects or high profile tragedies into their public relations efforts (remember Kenneth Cole’s Egypt tweets?) Leveraging stories of other humans’ suffering is a great way to get your brand into hot water, and similar costumes are sure to get more dirty looks than high praise.

Have anything to add? Let us know on our Facebook or Twitter! Happy Halloween!


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