Episode #20: Nobody is Writing About "Just You" with Lisa Rabasca Roepe
“The pitch from the PR person really got me thinking in another way about something I hadn’t thought about. And to me, that is the best pitch I can get from a PR person.”
-Lisa Rabasca Roepe, on what makes a great PR pitch
The more freelance journalists we meet, the more we’re learning just how different each one is. Some work on assignment, while others pitch their own stories. And while these differences can leave us publicists frustrated, it’s important that we keep digging to create an informed "freelancer outreach strategy.” Our guest, Lisa Rebasca Roepe, a freelance journalist who covers workplace culture, gives some unique perspective on what it takes to successfully collaborate with her. And, to be honest, we’ve heard a lot of great insights we hadn’t before.
In this episode, you’ll learn...
How to make your company/client fit into a larger story worth covering
What common mistakes publicists make when pitching freelance journalists
Why sometimes it really is all about timing and luck
Our guest is:
Lisa Rabasca Roepe is a former newspaper reporter turned freelance journalist. She’s written for some fantastic publications such as Forbes, Fast Company, CS Monitor, and more.
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Show Notes:
:00-- Jackie discusses the challenge PR’s face when pitching freelance journalists. She then introduces our guest.
1:00 -- Lisa shares a story that stemmed from a PR pitch.
3:11 -- Britt asks Lisa how she sources those experts and if she prefers PR’s come with outside experts as well.
6:57 -- We’re reminded of the “problem solution” formula. (Sound familiar?)
7:30 -- Jackie asked what this winning pitch looked like.
8:30 -- Britt asked what the subject line was like.
8:56 -- Jackie notices there’s a survey cited in the piece and asks if that also stemmed from a separate PR pitch.
9:35 -- Jackie asks if she welcomes a cold pitch from an expert.
10:17 -- Jackie asks how many pitches she receives on a daily basis.
11:24 -- Jackie asks what her standards are for a data study.
15:18 -- Jackie asks how the PWC and disaster recovery expert pitches were timed out from one another.
16:14 -- Jackie asked about another time she took a PR pitch and pivoted into an entirely different story.
20:02 -- Jackie asks if she pitches her stories or is on-assignment.
21:01 -- Britt summarizes the episode so far, and then asks for her pet peeves.
33:18 -- Jackie asks Lisa to give a shout to a PR person. She gives a shoutout to Linda Chung.
34:50 -- Britt asks Lisa to give final words of advice.
Things We Talked About
Disaster recovery experts offer 8 steps companies should take before reopening the office to protect their team’s health and business’ safety (Business Insider)
Why this company wants your old underwear (CS Monitor)
Connect with Lisa Rabasca Roepe
Connect with Jackie & Britt
