Sending professional emails to the media is a core skill for every PR professional. Your first challenge is getting the editor to read your message, as this is your chance to interest them in your proposal. A well-crafted email is essential; if it’s poorly written, all the work you and your client have done could go unnoticed.
With this in mind, here are 7 tips to help you compose a professional email to the media:
Write clearly and directly in the subject line
The recipient of your communication needs to know what they will be reading about before they open it. Make your introduction short and relevant to the body text of your email and its attachment. If you are sending a press release, you should state the following as a preface in the subject line: ‘Press Release: XXXX…’
Make sure you spell check
Always take a minute to read your email one more time before hitting the ‘send’ button. An unprofessional missive with a lot of spelling mistakes will have your media colleague thinking that your organization is a sloppy one. If you give this impression, they will hardly be interested in what you have to say.
Short and simple
Editors and journalists have busy schedules. Long, wordy emails can be frustrating and might lead to your message being skipped. Keep your email concise and straight to the point.
Address your recipient formally
Always include the recipient’s name at the beginning of the email. Great them with the salutation: ‘Dear XXXX…’ There is some debate about whether ‘Hi’ is acceptable, but if it is to be used, it should only be when you have an established personal relationship with the recipient. Certainly avoid slang terms such as ‘Hey there,’ ‘Yo’ and ‘What’s up?’ When closing, you can’t go wrong with ‘Best regards’ or ‘Kind regards.’
Contact details
Emails should be sent from a professional account that includes your company’s signature. Your signature should have your full name, job title, phone number (with area code), and company website.
Distribution list:
If you are sending a group email to the media then always use the ‘BCC’ blind copy function. Editors will already realise that they are not being selected as special when they receive an e-mail from a PR company, but it’s quite something else to see a hundred other names listed in the ‘CC’ copy field.
Replying to all:
Lastly, when your e-mail is a response to the media, pause before you hit the ‘reply all’ button. This way you can avoid clogging up other people’s inboxes unnecessarily.
Happy email composing!