When reaching out to someone in the media, it is crucial to understand WHO you are writing to. Journalists, influencers, directors, and TV personalities often share names with regular people, and their contact information can be incredibly similar. Before blindly sending them a message or a pitch, it is important to make sure you have the correct information for the person you want to contact. It requires some research, but this happens to PR companies more than you might think. In order to get your message across, it must be the correct person. It may seem like common knowledge, but precise contact information is vital.
Take Savannah Guthrie as an example. If you wanted to contact the well-known Today Show host, Savannah Guthrie, you might e-mail her, or DM her on social media. However, here’s the catch: on Instagram, there are two identical handles with the name @savannahguthrie. The only difference between the two Instagram handles is that one of them is the verified Today Show host, Savannah Guthrie. If you fail to double-check and make sure that the media personality you are DM-ing is the media personality you are trying to reach, your pitch won’t be heard.
It may take more time and effort than you would like to spend on hunting someone’s contact information down, but it is important for your pitch to be heard by the correct person in a timely manner.