Fortune magazine is a great source of knowledge for entrepreneurs because it covers the entire field of business, including the people, trends, companies and ideas of today’s top businesses. Fortune columns include features on the marketplace, career trends, U.S. politics and European business news. Readers look forward to the magazine’s annually updated lists such as “40 Richest Under 40,” “Most Powerful Women” and the “Fortune 500” ranking.
Fortune magazine covers trends in today's top business world and news affecting business people. Each issue includes a section that provides readers with a first look at changing industries and articles devoted to the people behind major companies. An average Fortune magazine reader is a top business entrepreneur or CEO. Publishers prefer pitches that lead them to the big companies and big names behind these companies. Angle your pitch so it would give readers insight into the mind of a CFO or CEO. Structure your pitch so it would be easier for the journalist reading it to make his or her next step (include all necessary links and contact information of the person you are writing about).
Getting your story published in Fortune is a big publicity success for your company. However, Fortune journalists receive hundreds of pitches every day, though they can only write about the ones that are especially interesting. Here are some tips on what Fortune journalists are looking for in a pitch:
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The best pitch is about an interview or meeting with an executive who doesn’t need an introduction.
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Offering an exclusive piece of news about a company that doesn’t need an introduction is also high on the list of preferences for Fortune magazine journalists.
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Make it easy to turn your pitch into a good story. Think in terms of what makes an interesting story, not simply how to promote yourself or your client.
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Choose the right person to send your pitch to and write specifically for that journalist. No reporter likes receiving autoblasts of irrelevant information or pitches that obviously oversell.
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Write your pitch in easy-to-read language free of jargon. Make it short and concise.
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Fortune writers prefer to receive pitches from trusted sources – from people they know. Build your working relationships with Fortune journalists gradually over time by being their source of interesting, fresh, reliable information.
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Be honest and straightforward.
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Fortune journalists like getting press releases as “FYI material.” Some information from your press release may make its way into a story, but press releases are rarely published as they are.
Seeing your story in Fortune could be considered a high point for any publicity campaign. Make your pitch sound like a fresh, interesting story, written for a specific person, and you will get a Fortune journalist on the phone in no time.
To learn more about how to develop productive relationships with the media, see Axia Public Relations’ webinar Confessions of CNN Producers and download our fre e-book Learn Media Relations From the Media.
Yulia Dianova is a public relations professional who is skilled in building relationships with target audiences. She provides counsel to organizations that seek PR help to further their growth and reach their goals. Yulia earned a master’s degree in public relations management from University of Maryland University College. She is fluent in Russian and is always looking for a new challenge.
Topics: media relations, public relations
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