Social media has changed the way we do a lot of things. Instead of instant messaging and emailing friends, we’re more likely to send them a Facebook message or a SnapChat. Instead of buying magazines to keep tabs on our favorite celebrities, we follow them on Instagram and Twitter. And instead of spending hours on hold with a customer service hotline, we send a tweet to the company’s customer support account (my personal favorite).

If social media has changed all of these things, shouldn’t it also change the way you interact with reporters? According to Vocus’ 2014 State of the Media Report, 91% of reporters still prefer being pitched via email, so those days aren’t completely behind us. But that doesn’t mean social media shouldn’t become part of your pitching strategy.

Here are three ways it can help you land that next great piece of coverage:

Before the pitch: Foster name recognition

We all know that journalists receive a ton of pitches, and seeing a name they recognize in their inbox could be the difference between landing in their email’s trash folder and becoming their next story. But if you’ve never met or worked with the reporter before, how can you make that initial introduction?

Start a relationship on social media. Follow them on Twitter and retweet them, share their stories mentioning their handle, etc. The Cision 2013 Social Journalism Survey found that 80% of the journalists that responded used social media for professional networking at least once a week. This is a great way to start a relationship and increase the probability that your name will stand out in their overflowing inbox full of pitches.

A helpful way to keep tabs on reporters in your niche is to put them all into a private Twitter list or Facebook Interest List and check them each at least every few days. Interact with those you already have a relationship with, and make new connections that could be beneficial in the future.

During the pitch: Conduct reconnaissance

While flattery definitely won’t ever get you everywhere, as the adage goes, it can definitely get you somewhere. Not only does letting a journalist know you follow their work help in that regard, it also shows that you’ve done your research.

Set aside 15 minutes before writing your pitch to go through the journalist’s social media updates. What have they written about recently? What’s their opinion on a recent piece of big industry news? This information can be helpful when writing your email’s intro. Diving straight into the pitch might be quicker, but you want to foster a relationship, not throw information at them.

After the pitch: Follow up

One of the things journalists hate the most is a phone call saying “Did you get my pitch/press release?” or a another email asking “Did you get my email?” For your follow-up, try going a less invasive route.

When it’s time to follow up with a reporter, try reaching out on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. If they haven’t seen your pitch yet, it’s likely because their inbox is so crowded. By comparison, their mentions stream on Twitter is probably a lot emptier.

I frequently follow up with reporters via social media and am met with a much quicker response than sending another email. Even if it’s a rejection, at least I know that the pitch was seen and not lost in cyber land, and I know not to follow up a second time. If I had emailed them, I likely wouldn’t have seen a response.

While journalists will probably prefer being pitched over email for at least the next few years, there’s no reason your online communication with them should be limited to just email. Reaching out to them on more than one channel will add a depth to the relationship, which can help all parties down the road.

Have you had any success pitching journalists via social media?

 

Brittany Berger is the Content Marketing Coordinator at eZanga.com, a search engine and online advertising company in Delaware. Connect with her on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.