Quick Links
PR Playbook
Daily Metrics Link
Client Feedback Survey
Client Central
Client central is where you can find details about the clients program, monthly goals as well as where we manage all of our clients weekly to do's which often come from projects and or client calls. This is also where we manage new client onboarding and offboarding.
PFG client goals is updated monthly so that we know that status of our clients and where we are it with deliverables.
Client assignments
This is where we track all of the client work we do as well as where we put writing tasks and or tasks for our team.
Client weekly
Weekly this is where we check off to ensure that our clients get pitched. All gets have 1-2 Cision pitches sent per week with the goal of ensuring each week we have new live media coverage or new secured media opportunities.
New Client Strategy and intake forms
When a client starts they are asked to fill out the new client and strategy survey. From this we build out the client strategy and PR plan.
Tools we use as a publicist
Cision, Similiar Web, Grammerly, ChatGPT and Claude.ai
How To Send A Cision Pitch
Transcription How To Send A Pitch
Transcription 2 How To Send A Pitch
- Heather mentions there are two different interfaces: the traditional Cision platform and Cision One
- She accesses it by clicking "Sign in Cision Communication Cloud"
- Note: Aura mentions scheduling training with Patrick from Cision about using "Cision One" as a potential platform transition
- Subject Selection Strategy:
- For supplements/health products: Use "supplements," "nutrition," "fitness," "holistic," "men's health," "women's health," and "new age" as subject filters
- For local business pitches: Start with city selection, then add "general assignment," "local news," "community," "neighborhood," "domestic lifestyle," "health and wellness," "regional news," "small business," and "people in business"
- Contact Volume Best Practices:
- Heather specifically mentions building "really big lists" - about 220 contacts
- She explains her pitching cadence: sending on Tuesday with follow-ups on Thursday for non-responders
- List Organization Tips:
- Date-first naming convention helps track when lists were created
- Client initials and product name make lists easily searchable
- Check existing lists before creating new ones to avoid duplicates
- Contact Verification:
- Use the dropdown to show 100 contacts per page
- Sort alphabetically and scan for specific names to ensure you're not pitching someone already engaged
- Heather demonstrates checking for "Reichman" to avoid pitching someone already connected
- Campaign Naming Conventions:
- Use consistent naming between lists and campaigns (e.g., "220_HG_FacialSweetener")
- This creates an organizational system that makes follow-ups easier to track
- Additional List Options:
- Heather mentions there are spreadsheets with media contacts that can be copied/pasted
- For building relationships with specific media contacts: "You can pull it from Air Table, you can put it here for them to get the pitch, too"
- Formatting Process:
- When pasting from a document, use Ctrl+A and click "TX" to remove formatting
- Set font to size 16 and "blackest of fonts" for optimal readability
- For images: 300 DPI is ideal for media (though Heather notes formatting challenges)
- Subject Line Psychology:
- "Best address?" is Heather's go-to for product pitches because "we want them to open the email"
- She mentions testing different subject lines to see what converts best
- Content Structure Best Practices:
- All pitches should connect to a news angle, awareness day, or product launch
- Include photos but be mindful of image size and formatting
- Test links vs. no links (Heather notes links might send emails to spam)
- Add statistics and credible data points wherever possible
- Be direct in your call-to-action: "Can we work together on a story? Can we schedule an interview? Can we send you product?"
- Personalization Strategy:
- Use contact's first name for personalization
- Ensure your pitch is appropriate for their role (blogger vs. producer)
- Timing Considerations:
- Send immediately or schedule for strategic timing
- Heather mentions her typical schedule: initial pitch on Tuesday, follow-up on Thursday
- Final Quality Check:
- Review the entire email in preview mode
- Check for spelling errors (Heather double-checks "Seattle")
- Verify all formatting is consistent
- Tracking Process:
- Document all pitches in appropriate channels (Friday Recaps or specific client channels)
- Specify which media categories were targeted
- Keep all responses in your inbox until proper follow-up
- Follow-up Protocol:
- Heather emphasizes getting concrete details: "When are you going to do a story?"
- For product requests: "We need clarity on when they're going to do a story"
- Avoid sending products without clear publication commitments
- Conversion Analysis:
- Monitor which pitches convert and which don't
- Heather advises: "If it keeps converting, it means the copy works. If it doesn't convert, you shouldn't keep sending it. We need to retweet the copy."
- Bring unsuccessful pitches to "Pitch Lab" for revision
- Spokesperson Selection:
- Heather notes that for most outlets (non-tier one), they would use team members rather than the founder for interviews
- "Unless it's tier one, like national, we wouldn't have Gary do the interview. We would have Aisha or someone else."
- Continuous Improvement:
- Heather mentions she's "always testing things out" regarding email formatting, subject lines, and content
- Keep track of what you're learning weekly to identify knowledge gaps and training needs
Daily checklist
AirTable Trainings
AirTable Trainings https://support.airtable.com/docs/airtable-training-and-resources
How To Filter AirTable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UylniOc5rdU
Media Interview Process
Talk Notes Example 1
Talk Notes Example 2
How To Send Media Opportunities
Call Recap Template
Call Recap Examples
Media Training
Types of media pitches
PR playbook