Friends & Family
“Hey ____! 🙂 Not sure if you’ve heard, but I’ve been working for the past __ months on a new ___. Have been burning the midnight oil many nights haha, but it’s finally ready! Well – almost ready. I’ve completed x, y, and z, but now we still need ___. I’ve already invested ___ in the project and have been working __ hour weeks for the last ___ weeks.
Unfortunately, this is as far as I can take the project on my own, and now I’m asking for your help (along with _mutual friend 1__, _mutual friend 2__, and _ mutual friend 3_).
It would mean the world to me if you could check out my Kickstarter campaign (link), watch the video, and pledge $_25_. If you do, you’ll get ___. In addition, I’ll be eternally grateful for your support.
In case you didn’t know, I will only receive the amount you pledge if I meet my fundraising goal of __ by __. If I don’t, your credit/debit card will not be charged.
Let me know if you have any questions! I’ll follow up with you via FB in the next few days.
– Name
P.S. ___(something specific to the individual)___.”
Professional Connections
“Hi ____,
How’s it going? I wanted to catch up and also let you know that I’ve finally launched my Kickstarter project for ____. As you know I’ve been passionate about ___ for ___ years and after ___ months of preparation, I’ve accomplished x, y, and z. I’ve done a lot of thinking, and this as far as I can take the project on my own. I’m now asking for your help.
I’d appreciate it if you could take ___ minutes to watch my video (link) and give me any feedback on the content. In addition, if you pledge $___ you will receive ____. I would like you to think of the pledge as investment or vote of confidence. I know this project is the start of something big, and I think your support would go a long way.
In case you didn’t know, I will only receive the amount you pledge if I meet my fundraising goal of __ by __. If I don’t, your credit/debit card will not be charged.
Let me know if you have any questions. I’d also like to catch up for coffee sometime if you’re around. How is _(coworker, company, industry)__?
– Name
Bloggers
First email:
Subject: Loved your article on _____
“Hey ____,
I loved your article about ____. (then describe what you thought about it or why you relate to it. Then ask a question related to the article to get them to reply). Just subscribed :).
– Name.”
Second email (respond to the email they sent back. This way, they see you have a previous relationship. This second email is the template if they cover news. Not all bloggers cover news.):
“Hey ____,
Enjoyed your last article on ____. I’m not sure if this is appropriate, but I’ve seen you writing a lot about ___, and I was wondering if you’ve ever covered Kickstarter campaigns? I’ve recently launched a campaign about ___ and so far we’ve managed to attract $__ from ___ backers. A lot of _(Insert slang for audience, like ‘gamers’)__ seem to like the project.
What do you think of the project?
– Name”
If they reply, and don’t want to write about it, ask for advice on approaching bloggers or if they know any bloggers that might be willing to cover the campaign.
Second email (respond to the email they sent back. This way, they see you have a previous relationship. This second email is the template if they write about more tips/advice related topics):
“Hey ___,
Enjoyed your last article on ____. It made me think of _____. I’m not sure if this is appropriate, but I’ve learned a lot from running my Kickstarter campaign on _____. So far we’ve managed to attract $__ from ___ backers. I have a lot of advice to share and I was wondering if you wanted to do an interview for your blog? It could be some good coverage for our campaign and I think your audience would also find the tips/advice to be valuable.
-Name”
If they are skeptical, you can ask to write an outline for a guest blog post and ask that they link to your campaign.
Journalists
Subject: (Make it a headline similar to another article they’ve written in your niche like “___ is a Google Glass killer.”
For the actual text of the email, I’d recommend tailoring it according to the selling points you’ve identified for that journalist. For any email, I would recommend keeping it to two paragraphs max and adhering to the principles described in this article. I’d also recommend reading “Top 5 PR Pitches That Rocked My Socks Off“
If you’d like me to include a sample pitch template for journalist in this post, then leave a comment below!
