Sara Idacavage is a standout
Amy Flurry intern who went on to work in the New York offices of Daily Candy before landing a job in the
sales department at New York
magazine. She is a contributor to the Brooklyn blog, FREEwilliamsburg as well as the popular online fashion site, Refinery 29 and I, for one, think her
personal blog, The Pop Couture is
brilliant! We asked Sara a few questions
on how to strike the right tone in a pitch and what always catches a writer’s
eye.
Are
one to two paragraphs and a good picture really enough to interest an
editor/blogger?
Yes, definitely. If the product grabs my
attention with a quick look, I can always ask for more information.
What’s
the one thing you want to find in every pitch?
I may start sounding like a broken record, but
I can't stress enough how important it is to do your research on a
writer/publication to find out why they would specifically be interested in
what you are promoting. For example, if someone sees that I've been doing a lot
of themed shopping roundups, I would be impressed if they included ideas for
what kind of roundups their product would work well in.
The
one thing that makes one pitch stand apart from the next?
Personality!
What’s
missing when a pitch is almost there, but not quite?
Sometimes a pitch is just missing the right
tone. The product could be great, but if the pitch sounds generic enough to
have been sent to a million editors before, chances are it will not make me
want to write about it. Again, if someone does their research to determine why
I would want to use it for the site/publication I'm writing for, I'm going to
be MUCH more likely to go with it.
In
what ways do publicists, whether in house or large PR groups, develop
relationships with editors?
Publicists usually know better than to pitch
ideas to the wrong people. If a publicist consistently sends me pitches that
are in line with my writing and if they don't get rude if I turn down an idea,
I'll probably go back to them whenever I'm searching for material.
What’s
the easiest and quickest way to a writer’s heart?
Aside from bringing a great story or angle on
an idea to me that has yet to be written up, I can't help but love receiving a
thank you note after covering someone. Chances are I'll continue to write about
them in the future or recommend their business to my friends. It's always nice
to feel appreciated!
