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How to Pitch a Story:
What — Pitching a story means convincing the media that you have a great story idea for them to
report on, this can be with print, television or radio. All you have to provide is background
information, interview suggestions, and information about events for them to cover. The reporter will do
the rest of the work.
How — If you have a special story in mind about a family caregiver in your area, or an event you
are planning, you will need to write a customized pitch letter. In that case, use the sample enclosed as
an outline. Your next step is to call the reporter and follow up on your story pitch. Before you call,
be sure you have all of your facts and information available including names and contact information for
the interviews. Click here for a sample general pitch letter about NFC Month.
When — You got it — send out immediately. People are planning ahead for their November coverage.
Regardless of whether this is for NFC Month or a special event, you need to do this as early as possible.
Where — This part requires some homework and possibly relationships you may or may not already have
with the media in your area. If you have contacts at specific media outlets, use them. Even if your
contact is not the appropriate person to do the story, call and ask for a referral to the right person.
If you do not have a contact, do some research to find out who would be the best reporter to do a family
caregiving story. Finally, remember to match the reporter to the message. For example, are you pitching a
“family” story? Then, contact the feature section. For an advocacy/action related story, contact the metro
page. If you are pitching to a radio or television station, be sure to consider all of your options
including AM and FM radio, public, network and cable television. Decide whether you want to be part of a
news story, a call-in talk show, a special theme show, etc.
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