“[The] subject line is everything. Without a good one, you’re dead.”
The above quote comes from Ryan Grim, D.C. Bureau Chief for The Intercept and former D.C. Bureau Chief for news giant The Huffington Post. E-mailed to me for this column, it succinctly explains the importance of subject lines for getting into the press: have a great one, or you’re wasting your time.
Why get into the press?
As explained in a previous column, getting in the press is a great way to let potential clients know who you are and what you do. It bolsters your social media, humanizes your business, and allows you to get dynamic ideas in front of potential clients.
It also makes you fireproof before the fire – in other words, pro-actively tell your company’s good stories before something bad happens.
What’s in a subject line?
A subject line is a summary of your e-mail, which is a summary of whatever idea you are presenting. These eight words or so is all the space you have to get media gatekeepers interested in what you have to say.
Your subject line has to be informative and eye-catching because hundreds of other people are also trying to get the attention of those producers, reporters, and editors. You have to use the right words in the right order at the right time to cut through the noise – and your topic has to be on-point.
As Keybridge Communications Managing Director Robby Shrum told me, “Your e-mail’s subject line is the first impression you make with a member of the media. A good subject line captures the reader’s attention and compels him or her to read on. A boring subject line will put your e-mail on the fast track to the trash.”
For example: A CPA should reach out to the press about tax issues in April, not on Thanksgiving. One helps put the CPA on the map; the other simply gets the CPA deleted.
Whether you are reaching out to the press for the first time or the thousandth time, the subject line is key. To again quote Shrum, “without a compelling e-mail subject, even the best pitch will go ignored.”
With a great subject line, you have a shot.
Some key elements to a great subject line
I’ve written thousands of subject lines over the last decade as a journalist and then as a publicist. I’ve gotten the attention of industry leaders, staff for Members of Congress, editors, producers, and everyone in between. I’ve learned what works – and what doesn’t – for local and regional outlets, trade publications, and national outlets such as The Washington Post and USA TODAY.
While each e-mail subject line is part art and part science, there are some elements which I commonly use to cut through the noise.
1. If sending an e-mail to a single person, considering using their name first and then state your intention. This got me an interview with “Shark Tank” investor Mark Cuban.
2. State your intention early and succinctly. If you are sending an op-ed, “Op-ed Submission” often works. If you are sending a press release about an upcoming media event, “Media Alert” or “Media Advisory” will suffice, especially if sent to a group of gatekeepers. If you are commenting on relevant news, say that!
3. Highlight important details. A “time-sensitive” op-ed draws the eyes more than just a regular “op-ed submission” if such a deadline exists. Individually pitched “exclusive” opportunities for media coverage are far more likely to get a response than an e-mail blast to lots of reporters.
3A. Important details can also include names, if the name is credible. Some names are almost universally credible – Mark Cuban, Shaquille O’Neal, Bill Gates, etc. Other names may have limited credibility due to geography (such as a local business leader or state politician), industry, or other factors.
4. Be shocking without being controversial. Turning conventional wisdom on its head or offering a unique spin on a common subject is eye-catching. Insults about those who follow conventional wisdom are not.
Nothing is guaranteed
The world’s best subject line may not get you placed. That’s the way things are – even the best batters only get on base three times out of 10.
But just as you don’t land every sale even if you are on-point, or make every basketball shot even if you’re Lebron James, this doesn’t mean you should give up. Did you give up your business after losing out on a sale you think you should have had? Of course not. The same is true with getting in the press.
The good thing about working on subject lines is that done right, they open the door to future opportunities. Today’s pitch could lead to success next time, just as someone who turns you down for a contract today may be interested next time.
