300 billion emails are sent each day and a fair few of these appear to be heading Jay Rayner’s way. 

For context, journalist Jay Rayner recently published an open letter asking PRs to stop driving him “nuts” by sending emails about irrelevant pitches. An incessant amount of follow-ups was another complaint, with Jay stating that “the record is five, but three is common.”

Jay’s original tweet on the matter has so far received over 320,000 views and has been the talk of various publications and social media posts as of late.

Simply put, that’s because it’s widely agreed the problem of poorly executed email PR outreach is something that many journalists, bloggers and website owners can identify with.

At EcoSend, we want to help you succeed at email, which when used correctly can absolutely be your secret weapon. 

So whether you are in the PR industry or another similar niche where you do a lot of email outreach, we’re here to break Jay’s comments down so that you can avoid these common mistakes. 

Not Tailoring Your Pitch To Your Audience (Including Their Wants And Needs) 

Jay Rayner: “It is clear to me that a staggering number of you put together random, unfocussed lists of journalists and then just send them everything, despite it being irrelevant to them.”

Understanding your audience is essential. Talking as someone who also once worked in a newsroom like Jay, the number of emails we received even as a local publication were in the thousands per week. Mostly, these were PR pitches or sometimes companies requesting backlinks of some sort. 

The problem for us as journalists, is that we were under immense pressure each day to find stories of interest and hit page view targets. Crucially for us, these stories needed to be newsworthy and have a local edge. 

So when we (a local newspaper in an urban northern town) were sent random PR pitches about wellness supplements or equestrian clothing, our immediate need was to delete this clutter from our inboxes. It’s not personal, but rather a lack of relevancy and even capacity to read your pitch. 

The missing ingredient here is an acute understanding of what is newsworthy for that publication based on its readership demographics. Sure, your pitch might be important to you. But is it important to the audience? 

How can you fix this?: You must research your audience in advance to ensure there is an interest for them. Present this ‘interest’ upfront so that it’s clear from the subject line. 

Also, use segmentation. Most email software (including EcoSend) will provide tools that allow you to segment your list depending on various factors. This can ensure you send the right message to the right person, rather than sending the same message to everyone and hoping for the same results.  

Over Communicating Through Email

A very common mistake seen in email marketing as a whole is the idea that the more emails you send, the more likely you are to succeed. 

In reality, the opposite is actually true, in that when you over communicate your engagement levels actually drop.

If you over communicate with everyone, then your emails may be automatically filtered as spam and not even seen by the recipient. 

Bombarding people with lots of emails (including the three to five follow-up emails which Jay says he receives on average) isn't a way to 'sell' your pitch. It's annoying.

In case you didn’t know, email has a carbon footprint making excessive email sending a definite no-no. 

How can you fix this?: Quality over quantity is how to win at email, including if you send PR pitches via email. Make sure any genuine emails are sent from a sustainable email tool such as EcoSend.

Not Making The Value Of Your Proposition Clear Enough

While Jay didn’t directly refer to this point, it is closely related since as hinted at above, many publications such as newspapers are often high pressure environments.

There was often a very limited time for us to filter what may be relevant to our audience. Beyond segmenting based on our readership, the presentation of the pitch also needs to consider that time is finite.

Think about it, you have a pitch, but why are you telling someone? What’s in it for them? 

What publishers look for is an immediately clear hook that is backed up with stats and other relevant information that is of genuine interest. When there is too much content before the pitch gets going, or any information that doesn’t add any value to the pitch, it is unlikely to be engaged with. 

Beyond being irrelevant, often the problem is a lack of clarity about who the content would even be aimed at or what it’s trying to achieve. Remember, publishers also need to be able to make money from your pitch.

How can you fix this?: Nail your subject line, include relevant stats or information that quickly breaks down your topic. More information can be requested if needed, so only include what’s absolutely necessary. 

Things Need To Change—But It’s Not Your Fault

So you’re amazing at PR. But tell us, who taught you about email marketing?

A conversion we have often here at EcoSend, is that the education around email including how to do it well basically doesn’t exist. Some people are fortunate to study marketing or communication where the nuances of email are covered. However, it’s all too common to be told to send emails as part of your job with no guidance, training or strategy to really go off. 

All things considered, is it any wonder that sending irrelevant emails along with too many emails are common problems that lead to poor results? You might not even realise you are doing so! 

Now you know that email is an art form that needs to be carefully studied to reap the rewards, this is where progress can be made. Given email has an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spent, it is well worth learning your craft, including by studying our email marketing glossary. 

But beyond this, we recommend learning about the success factors of email marketing, not least when it comes to focusing on relevance and quality, rather than sending as many messages as is humanly possible. 

Sending PR Pitches Via Email Checklist

✅ - Segment pitches rather than send to all

✅ - Align audience demographics (including location)

✅ - Newsworthy subject line, pitch and overall angle

✅ - Key data or information provided

✅ - Craft your pitch with a consideration of hierarchy (i.e. most important info first)

✅ - Make your emails impactful rather than incessant

✅ - Respect the recipient’s time and priorities 

Reduce The Carbon Footprint Of Your Emails With EcoSend 

Now you’re much clearer on how to create a better PR outreach strategy through email, are you also ready to reduce the carbon footprint of your pitches?

In true PR style, here’s a pitch for you: Your emails have a carbon footprint!

Research by Tim Berners-Lee found that email generates as much as 50m tonnes of CO2e every year. Powering our systems through renewable energy, EcoSend gives you everything you need to do winning PR outreach (or any other kind of email marketing) but without the carbon footprint. 

Give EcoSend a try for free for 7 days or drop us a message if you have any questions about our sustainable email platform.