Every public relations professional knows that strong relationships with journalists are a quick way to land coveted media coverage. Yet in a time where emails fill journalists’ inboxes by the hundreds each day, how can a professional build a relationship without a reply back? Getting your pitch to stand out is difficult because journalists hold the power over what they do and do not read. Two public relations professionals are trying to solve this problem by creating an innovative and unique way to get your pitch heard.
Meet UPitch, the very first speed-pitching app similar to a popular speed-dating app, Tinder. With UPitch, public relations professionals have 400 characters and up to five images to catch a journalist’s eye. Just like with Tinder, a journalist may “swipe right” to connect with anyone who creates a pitch that they find interesting.
The disadvantage of this method is the short form style. Four hundred characters are only a little more than what three tweets can contain. Squeezing all the important information for a pitch in 400 characters is a challenge. On the other hand, the advantage to this speed-pitching style is that smaller clients receive visibility while put on the same playing field as big corporations.
UPitch co-founder Allison Kugel said the goal of this app is to not eliminate the essential aspect of public relations and journalism, but to help public relations professionals evolve with the digital world.
“We aren’t changing the industry, but rather being the first to adapt to an industry that is already changing,” Kugel said in an article for the Huffington Post. “We’re helping people along the way while we’re at it. We also understand the value of the PR rep and journalist relationship and hope our app will foster more of those relationships. And at the end of the day, a journalist’s best relationship is with their next great story.”
-by Amanda Perrucci, PRSSA General Member