There are quite a few snares when pitching a story to the press, but asking ONE question can spare you embarrassment and increase the likelihood you get earned media and a PR win: “Can you prove it?”
This simple question boosts critical self awareness as you pitch journalists to cover your story. It also happens to be a question that angers, frustrates, and confuses founders: where’s the disconnect?
Many founders, perhaps you’re one of them, think in a future-state. That’s not bad. Founders can often see 5 or 10 years down the road. But here’s the challenge, that future is as clear as day—you can see the pieces fitting together with such clarity you assume other’s see it too. You couldn’t be more wrong.
Investors, customers, and even employees can’t see the future you see so clearly. If you aren’t careful on how you speak to others or message them, you can confuse them. They may think you’re a bit crazy and avoid you. This applies to journalists too.
Journalists can’t see your vision, nor do they care about it. Even if they do care about the problem you’re trying to solve—it’s likely they don’t believe your claims. As a writer for the innovation section for The Washington Post, I saw hundreds of wild claims per week—and these came from seasoned PR professionals that should have know better. Journalists have seen thousands of sensationalist pitches, many of which look almost identical to yours. They’ll see thousands more.
Yes, most those claims are fabrications, but they don’t know that. They can’t tell the difference in an email, especially if you’re messaging isn’t meticulously planned—as is the case for most founders.
Because of the ocean of deception they filter through, if you’re fortunate to get an interview or a reply, the very first filter your pitch goes through is provability. If proof doesn’t exist, the best case scenario is that they forget your existence. The worst case scenario is they black list you.
To simplify this: founders want a journalists to cover their company’s future, but journalists want proof of present success. To catch their interest, prove bold claims or sit down.
Before you send any pitch, ask yourself “can I prove it?” If the answer is no, or not yet, go get your proof first.
How to “prove it”
I’ve used various strategies to “prove it” when pitching for my clients. Here are just a few, but you might have an even better approach. There’s no holy grail here—any PR person who tells you different is an idiot.
University research – Did you partner with a University or independent lab to validate your claims? State that clearly in your pitch. Name names, and get specific.
Titles – Does a co-founder or team member have a PhD or title of authority. That could be sufficient proof.
Social Proof – Are there lots verifiable posts online about product efficacy? Point that out, and make it easy to find and verify.
Referrals / Testimonials – Did a company like Sequoia invest in you? Did a single influential person verify a claim you made? Put that in your pitch.
Video/Photo – Do you have a video showing clearly your claim is absolutely accurate? Upload it on a safe site and provide a link.
Data – Verifiable data that backs your claim is gold. Treat it as such and make sure to provide this up front.
On-Site Visit – Open your facility and allow the journalist to access everything. If they can verify your claims in person, and your site-visit backs your claims that can go far.
Collaborators – Did an influential company partner with you? If that company has a good reputation that could be validating.
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The one thing to keep in mind when pitching is this: journalists expect you to be a liar. Make it impossible for them to label you as such.
