But as someone who spent time in news radio production, here are four key strategies radio and public relations have in common:

A Strong Hook to Pull Them In. 

A strong hook is absolutely key, whether you’re trying to keep someone from changing the station or deleting an email. When crafting a pitch email, both the subject line and opening sentence are absolutely critical. Just like with radio, you need to deliver expertise in a personable way that compels people to pay attention. This requires you to throw out the usual way these messages are crafted and instead come up with something fresh that they haven’t seen before. 

Don’t Make Them Wait. 

Even though it is important to be personable and interesting, you need to make it clear, as soon as possible, why you have contacted someone. Keep the obligatory niceties and introduction to a minimum while making sure you’re not frontloading your email with information that can come later. Help the recipient know right away why they should be interested in your message so they can know right away if they should continue to engage.

Stay on Topic. 

The goal of a radio script is to trim every ounce of fat. Radio is often timed to the second so there is no room for anything extraneous. That kind of attitude should influence any correspondence written for a potential client or journalist. People are busy and most journalists have inboxes that are already too full. They have low tolerance for anything that might waste their time, so make sure nothing is in there that doesn’t have to be. 

Leave Them Wanting More. 

You want to pull them in and give them the information they need in the most streamlined fashion possible. But you don’t want to give them everything. Instead you should leave them hanging, with anticipation of what comes next. This means you should build in the promise of bigger things beyond the initial message and finish with a call to action that pushes them to learn more. Getting them to open the email is a success, but having them write back is going to mean a whole lot more. 

There are many other strategies PR veterans use which are effective tools to win over clients, and not all of them necessarily have a clear radio analogue. With that said, next time you find yourself captivated by every word from a host on your favorite station (or podcast), pay attention to exactly how they’re doing it and why you can’t stop listening. 

Looking for a PR firm that can help you attract more investors? Mercury Global Partners is an “all senior” PR firm focused on emerging tech like sustainability, healthcare, AI and more. We also have mad skills to help you perfect your investor deck. Drop us an email at hello@wearemgp.com to learn more. 

But as someone who spent time in news radio production, here are four key strategies radio and public relations have in common:

A Strong Hook to Pull Them In. 

A strong hook is absolutely key, whether you’re trying to keep someone from changing the station or deleting an email. When crafting a pitch email, both the subject line and opening sentence are absolutely critical. Just like with radio, you need to deliver expertise in a personable way that compels people to pay attention. This requires you to throw out the usual way these messages are crafted and instead come up with something fresh that they haven’t seen before. 

Don’t Make Them Wait. 

Even though it is important to be personable and interesting, you need to make it clear, as soon as possible, why you have contacted someone. Keep the obligatory niceties and introduction to a minimum while making sure you’re not frontloading your email with information that can come later. Help the recipient know right away why they should be interested in your message so they can know right away if they should continue to engage.

Stay on Topic. 

The goal of a radio script is to trim every ounce of fat. Radio is often timed to the second so there is no room for anything extraneous. That kind of attitude should influence any correspondence written for a potential client or journalist. People are busy and most journalists have inboxes that are already too full. They have low tolerance for anything that might waste their time, so make sure nothing is in there that doesn’t have to be. 

Leave Them Wanting More. 

You want to pull them in and give them the information they need in the most streamlined fashion possible. But you don’t want to give them everything. Instead you should leave them hanging, with anticipation of what comes next. This means you should build in the promise of bigger things beyond the initial message and finish with a call to action that pushes them to learn more. Getting them to open the email is a success, but having them write back is going to mean a whole lot more. 

There are many other strategies PR veterans use which are effective tools to win over clients, and not all of them necessarily have a clear radio analogue. With that said, next time you find yourself captivated by every word from a host on your favorite station (or podcast), pay attention to exactly how they’re doing it and why you can’t stop listening. 

Looking for a PR firm that can help you attract more investors? Mercury Global Partners is an “all senior” PR firm focused on emerging tech like sustainability, healthcare, AI and more. We also have mad skills to help you perfect your investor deck. Drop us an email at hello@wearemgp.com to learn more.