After years of people pitching their clients or themselves, I as publisher, decided to give you all some quick advice how to do it the right way so your emails aren’t deleted on sight.
The first thing you should do, which should go without saying, is read the magazine and the content we post on our site. It is an absolute waste of time to pitch something that we never cover. Do you see any country music or artists on this site? Do the research so you don’t waste your time sending something that doesn’t serve our editorial needs. As far as music goes, we primarily feature hip-hop and R&B, including soul. I wouldn’t recommend sending anything else.
Second, make sure your pitch is professionally written. Unless you have developed some personal rapport with members of the editorial team, it needs to be formatted correctly. The Women In PR organization offers classes and seminars on how to do it right. If you send us an unprofessional pitch, we are more than likely going to pass without a response or reply. The best way to avoid this is to hire a professional to handle your media relations. We can refer you to some really dope people, but you are absolutely going to need manners and a budget.
Lastly, be patient. We are running a fucking magazine over here. Regardless of who you are repping, including yourself, you are not the most important thing happening in our lives. Just because you think that you’re the best _______ in your town, city, or state, doesn’t mean you cut to the front of the line. Nobody over here owes you shit. Unless you’re one of our faves, Jay-Z, Rihanna or Beyoncé, you can wait like everybody else (not messing up my chances to go to the Roc Nation Brunch next year). You have no idea what our staff is dealing with throughout the day. Applying pressure will only end in a “no” regardless of the matter. Trust us, we are going to be alright. Anyone who knows me should know better. I am not having it at all. I don’t care who you are pitching. We appreciate the support we receive and we do our best to get back to you, but you’re not going to press anyone over here.
I hope this post helps you help us help you. Send us your best pitches with these things in mind and we will do what we can. Just make sure whatever you send is dope. If it’s not, we don’t want to know about it.
B.
Publisher, Urban Magazine
