Does getting national magazine coverage for your business seem like a fairytale?

When I dig deep into the pitching practice of my coaching clients, we often reveal those forehead-smacking things that make a pitch go from fab to totally drab.

Before send your next pitch, hit the delete button on any pitches that include these three fallacies:

You Didn’t Read the Magazine

So how was the latest issue of the magazine you’re pitching? If you’re sheepishly looking away from this blog, then I know you didn’t read the latest issue.

Why is this so important?

For a slew of reasons. You need to know the magazine would actually COVER what you’re pitching (don’t pitch adorable baby clothes to Cosmo magazine).

You also need to know who to pitch. You need to know which section of the magazine you’re pitching. And you need to customize your pitch for the tone and target of the magazine.

If you’re sending the same pitch to more than one magazine, hit DELETE.

Your Subject Line Sucks

Does your subject line make an editor want to open that bad boy right away?

If not, then you might risk your pitch getting deleted before it’s even opened.

Gulp.

Take a cue from magazines. They are absolutely genius at writing headlines that get you ripping through those glossy pages and devouring the copy.

If your subject line doesn’t stack up to the headlines you see on the cover of the magazine – hit DELETE.

You Didn’t Personalize

Mass pitches suck. Plain and simple. Plus it isn’t worth the sea of crap you’ll leave in your mass-pitching wake. Instead of waking up to a slew of magazine editors clamoring to cover you, you’ll wake up to a bunch of ticked off editors who are now annoyed that you’ve clearly pitched them something that you also sent to every other competing magazine.

Epic fail.

If you didn’t start off your pitch by introducing yourself and include information on how your pitch would work for this specific magazine, hit DELETE.

Want more information on pitching magazine editors? Don’t miss my free call How to Get National Magazines to Feature You this Wednesday, June 29th from 8pmET to 9pmET.

Sign up here: http://casseracommunications.com/freecall/

This call will be crammed with helpful info to get national magazine coverage.

And if you’re not available, don’t worry. You’ll get access to the recording afterward.

It seems as if we just passed our 2009 holiday season and already I’m suggesting you publicize your product or service for December 2010. Have I gone mad??

The reality is that several major magazines work up to 6 months in advance in choosing their holiday gift suggestions and their experts to contribute to holiday-themed stories. Now is the time to start preparing your pitches so you don’t accidentally miss the deadline!

A few things you can do now to prepare for a holiday publicity magazine splash:

• Make a list of 10 major magazines you’d love to get coverage in that are appropriate for product/service. 
• Search online for the magazine’s media kit. Often times the editorial calendar is easily found online and can provide hints as to what the December issue will feature (example: Holiday gifts under $20, holiday gifts that give back)
• Contact the magazine and ask who will be managing the gift guide for 2010. Sometimes the appropriate section editor chooses the items and sometimes one editor is assigned to compile the gift guide.
• If you’re in the NYC area (where most major magazines are located), try to set a deskside appointment. A deskside is an in-person meeting with an editor where you can present your product line or present yourself as an expert resource. Remember to only contact the appropriate editor to ask for this! Expect the meeting to be extremely brief and bring a media kit and samples (if applicable).
• Get amazing, eye-catching product photos (if you don’t have them already). While most major magazines will photograph the products for their issues, you will certainly catch their eye if you can show how beautifully your product will photograph on a page!
• Have your holiday pitch perfected. Know why your product is a great holiday gift or have excellent and brand-new tips/advice to share as an expert resource.

Getting an early start on your holiday pitching increases your chances of getting those coveted placements.

Happy Pitching!