Pitch Count: How Many Pitches Does It Take?

How Many Pitches Per Hour?
 

A fellow, Solo PR Pro recently posted this question on our LinkedIn Group, "What do you think is a reasonable number of pitches to expect per billable hour?" That question sparked a lot of responses that I was generally glad to see. Most members of the group suggested 30 or less.

Kelly Crane, the founder of Solo PR Pro, wrote "Great question! I think, as with many things in our world, the answer is "it depends." In particular, the type of pitch and whether you have an existing relationship with the target plays a big role in the amount of time it takes. I would say an experienced pro sending email pitches re: a new product announcement to long-time contacts could do 30+ in an hour. A less experienced pro trying to time and schedule a press tour by email and phone might only do 10-15 per hour."

I agree with the responses provided. However, as a courtesy to the media I typically do 5-10 pitches per hour. Why do you ask? Well, I like to craft a pitch that will resonate with my intended media contact. I spend time reviewing their most recent articles and create a profile before I craft the pitch. I also research their social media profiles; as they often provide personal and professional details that may help to personalize my pitch.

Mitch Leff, Owner of Mitch's Media Match also agrees. "Honestly, I think looking for a quantity of pitches in an hour is looking at the process incorrectly. It's easy enough to send out 50 emails in an hour if you don't personalize them much. The quality of the pitches and the result are what you should be looking at. Someone who pitches two or three reporters in an hour is probably taking more time to research the reporter's recent stories and personalize the pitch to each writer and publication. Also, pitching via email is often a broad brush approach, rather than a focused effort," said Leff.

Regine J. Nelson is founder and principal of Allure Marketing Communications. Allure specializes in small business, consumer products, nonprofit and start-up PR. Follow her on Twitter, @RegineNelson or email her at regine@allure-pr.com.