In the age-old tussle between public relations practitioners and the media, pitches take considerable heat. In fact, a blog is devoted to bad pitches.

Previously, I worked for a large organization in a small town. The local newspaper wanted story ideas – it just wouldn’t accept ideas that came directly from the organization’s communications office; the paper has an unofficial, though frequently cited, policy against publishing information that came from press releases. The organization, on the other hand, requires media to work with its communications office if it wants news.

Two conflicting needs arose: the newspaper wants “unique” news that no other outlet will receive; the organization wants to share its news with local audiences as well as in a larger geographical area. What was a PR practitioner to do? One strategy we incorporated was to “pitch” media through social media, a practice we found to be successful.

In general, PR practitioners may find media receptive to pitches through social media because inboxes may be flooded and social media is easier to wade through. In addition, reporters may be monitoring social media to stay on top of news.

“Though traditional media is sometimes still a more trusted source of information, I have found many journalists to be more accessible and attentive over social media than email or voicemail/phone,” says Corina Newby, a communications officer at Supernova in Toronto, Ont. “Social media is my go to for anything requiring me to quickly access key influencers, and initiate a viral spread of information.”

Here are a few tips.

1. Establish relationships on Facebook and Twitter with the media. Follow them and engage with them, before you reach out to them with a pitch. Don’t let your social media relationships become a perpetual request to have the reporter do something for you. “I’ve used Twitter to introduce myself to editors that I didn’t know before Twitter, which then led to a soft email introduction, then to an actual face-to-face meeting,” says Mike Phillips of The Neo Com Group in Portland, Ore.
2. Post thought-provoking, heart-tugging, sexy, timely or otherwise interesting content. (Here are a few tips on what makes a good story.) Not only does this capture the attention of media, but it also reaches your general social media audiences and takes your message further.
3. Be succinct. The beauty in Twitter is that it requires people to keep messages brief. With Facebook, the tendency is to post longer messages simply because there is more space.
4. Keep the content flowing continually. Have a plan for social media and stick to it, even during organizational transition.
5. Don’t overtly call the media out when you post. If you’re creative enough or the news is captivating, they’ll notice. (Notice we started this list of tips out by listing “pitch” in parentheses – it’s because you need to engage in such a way that media don’t need to be flagged for the story because they’re already attuned to what you’re saying.)
6. Avoid sending direct messages to media through any social media channel. Again, providing news and feature ideas through these channels is meant to intrigue them, not harass them in a way that makes them want to disengage.
7. Be attentive. Follow your target media’s social media channels. Seek those opportunities to engage with them on their terms – be a resource for them when they ask a question or are looking for sources.

Not sure this strategy will work? Here are some successes:

• Jolene Miklas, director of communications at AnimalFriends in Pittsburgh, Pa., shared one of her successes. In June 2011, they conducted a large-scale cat rescue. “We knew the rescue would be expensive. We needed donations, and we needed to get the word out immediately,” she recalls. “Instead of sending a press release, I posted the story to our blog, Facebook, and Twitter. The story exploded and within hours we had TV, print and radio coverage.”
•  Contstance Aguilar, a social media specialist and account manager for Abbi Public Relations in Reno, Nev., helps manage a tech client’s Twitter account. “It’s mostly for communication to fans and posting industry news and insights, but I did use it after the South By Southwest Conference to re-connect with a journalist at Entrepreneur Magazine,” she notes. “Through that initial connection, which was very in-depth and pertinent to the tech industry, which she covered and I was pitching, I was able to not only create a relationship that landed said client for an upcoming story in the magazine, but also set up two more clients for meeting with her, which resulted in a story that’s already been published.”

 What are some of your successes or tips?

Related blogs:

• Check out Pop Culture PR Lessons for some tips on media strategies and relationship building.
• Are PR firms still great sources for media? Check out PR Firms and Media: A Symbiotic Relationship for some insight.