Ten Rules To Effectively Pitch Research

When working with PR professional and journalist, there are some clear and tangible rules for you to live by. You only get one chance to pitch a journalist on your research - and it is extremely important to get it right the first time! Here are ten rules marketing research firms live by when pitching surveys to the media:

1) Know the basics before you pitch:

a. Methodology: How was my survey conducted? Online, by phone, or in person?

b. Sample Size: How many people did we interview?

c. Audience: Who, precisely, did we survey? Was it Americans in general? Moms? Know exactly who you reached out to.

d. Confidence Level: How confident can you be in the data? If your confidence level is 95%, it means that 19 times out of 20, your survey results would come back within the margin of error.

e. Margin of Error: Simply put, this measures the accuracy of your data. If your margin of error is 3%, and your confidence level is 95%, it means that 19 times out of 20, the survey data is going to come back within 3% of the results you got in this poll.

2) Practice makes perfect: Familiarize yourself with the data before you pick up the phone or write a release. Read and reread your NewsWorthy Analysis; practice your pitch. You'll be much more fluid on the phone.

3) Keep the glory for your client: This isn't your survey, it's your client's survey. You are there to provide third party validation; but mention your client whenever possible. It's their study. Remove logos from documents when possible and keep the glory for your client!

4) Tell the story first - wrap the data in later: Journalists write stories - so give them one to tell. Throwing numbers at them makes the story hard to understand. Don't tell them that 98% of Americans brush their teeth every morning and 77% floss - tell them that Americans care greatly about oral hygiene! 5) Focus on the best stats - don't overcomplicate!: Don't barrage journalists with numbers - think about what's most likely to interest them, and lead with only the best stats. Simple and strong is always better; journalists don't react to sheer volume.

6) Respondents are real people: Try not to refer to the people who took the survey as "respondents" or "participants" - they are fast food eaters, electronics shoppers, or stay at home moms - real people. 7) Make it easy on the reporter: Include the methodological notes and the dates your study was fielded at the bottom of your press release. It cuts down on the number of questions that need to be asked by the reporter!

8) Customize your releases: A lot of surveys have data that both a Good Housekeeping writer and a Wall Street Journal reporter would be interested in; often, that isn't the SAME data. Think about your audience, and customize your materials and pitch accordingly.

9) Share the knowledge: We recommend using brand spokespeople to represent your research - but make sure they understand how to talk about it too! Don't get them into trouble talking about things they don't understand.

10) Call an expert market research company: Experts are here to help. To be successful, you need to prepare the best that you can and call in the cavalry when necessary. As questions arise, as you need help reviewing releases, or even if you want to practice your pitch, call your market research firm for help.