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We sat down with Jené Luciani, on-air correspondent for the Today Show, and correspondent for Shape Magazine. Jené is the author of The Bra Book, first of its kind guide to bras, from fit to fashion and everything in between! You've seen Jené on her Today Show shopping segments, and you've read her articles in Shape. So what makes her choose those items out of the hundreds of emails she receives? We interviewed her to get the scoop:
How would you personally describe the perfect pitch to you? How do you want the pitch delivered?
To me, the perfect pitch is succinct and to the point, and puts the ‘sexiest’ information first to grab my attention right off the top. When you get hundreds of emails a day, sometimes you only look at the subject line before you hit the delete button. So the subject has to make me want to open it, then the opening line/paragraph has to make me want to read further.
What info you want in the pitch? What makes you want to work with a brand/expert?
The emailed pitch should contain the important info I need to grasp the subject or idea, but make me want to know more. Also, please have your idea fleshed out. If you are pitching an expert or personality or celebrity, have some ideas geared towards my typical content right within the email. I can get creative, but don’t make me do guesswork. If I have to think too hard about how or what to do with something or someone, I’ll probably discard it altogether. It’s your job to give me some info to get me excited about writing about the person or product.
How early do you personally prefer to get information (how long is your lead time)?
It really all depends. For SHAPE, I turn 15 articles a month for the website so I am constantly looking for good pitches. For my TV segments, if you send me a pitch that gives me an idea for an overall concept, that’s always good. Something with a too-narrow focus is tough for me to sink my teeth onto and then pitch my producers with it.
How do you prefer follow up to be done (if at all)?
Always via email. Check in with me once a week, not more. Trust me, I will let you know if I’m interested but some weeks I’m more swamped than others so definitely try again!
What’s the most annoying thing a person can do when pitching you?
They write ‘dear xx’ in the note (trust me, happens all the time!) OR they pitch me completely off-topic with no regard to what I write about or cover in my TV segments. I’m a lifestyle correspondent and contributor. I’m probably not going to be covering the Occupy Wall Street protest in downtown Manhattan.
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Follow Jené Luciani on Twitter at @JeneLuciani to get to know her!
Also read her latest articles at Shape.
Looking to pitch other segments for the Today Show? Read this tip for how to pitch Kathie Lee and Hoda. Knowing how to pitch the media is a major step to securing press for your brand. At Tin Shingle, we empower small businesses, experts and young and established brands to make this happen through our unique membership program. Once you unlock membership, you can have instant access to Media Contacts at major magazines, Editorial Calendars, select PR Leads, an all-access pass to all classes in our .EDU Education Program, a connection to a trusted community of other businesses who are going through what you are experiencing as you grow your brand. Click here to learn more about membership with Tin Shingle.
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