Abstract
This paper contains a pitch to the Los Angeles Times Business for an article featuring a local based telecommunications company. The paper will include information on why the company should be featured and its importance on the readers of the newspaper.
Introduction
I am of the opinion that the readers of the L.A Times: business section, would be interested in learning more about TelePacific Communications which is a business internet and phone data provider in the West Coast. With the need for the internet and data increasing on a daily basis, your readers especially those from the West Coast would find a review of this company quite informative as they are constantly on the lookout for cheap and affordable internet and data.
Part 1
Overview of the Company
TelePacific is a privately owned Company headquartered in California that offers telecommunication services in three states in the Western part of the nation. Currently, the company offers its services in three states- California, Texas, and Nevada. Some of the services offered by the company include phone call services, mobile data, business internet, private networking, voice over applications, colocations, private networking among other data and telecommunications related services. The company aspires to provide telecommunication solutions to members across the three states, and plans are underway for operations to spread out across the country in the next years.
First established in 1998, the company experienced medium growth in its first few years of operations but has been growing rapidly in the last few years. It is currently poised to be the biggest data provider in California in the next few years.
Currently, TelePacific boasts of the cheapest data rates in the West Coast.
Media Outlet: The Los Angeles Times Business
Los Angeles Times is the biggest media outlet in California. The business section of the newspaper is very popular with business enthusiasts not only in the West Coast but across the nation as well. With a circulation exceeding 600, 000 people as well as online platform, an article published in the L. A Time is bound to reach a huge group of individuals particular individuals who are looking for business opportunities and business services. This is indeed the main target audience of the L. A Time Business; that is, business enterprises as well as individuals business looking for both services and information. If a feature story on TelePacific Communications is featured on the Times business Section, the company is likely to get a wide exposure especially to these individuals and those business in the states of Nevada, California who may not be familiar with the company or with the services that it offers. Although TelePacific has been underdog in the telecommunications industry where it has been overshadowed by national telecommunication giants like Verizon, the small company is however growing and expanding its wings and in a couple of years, it hopes to have also transcended the state divide and gone national.
Part 2
Why pay more for internet and data when you are in the West Coast when you can the same quality for a cheaper prices?
TelePacific offers the best rates for phone call services, mobile data, business internet, private networking, voice over applications, colocations, private networking among other data and telecommunications related services in the West Coast. The company offers great rates for all these services, and this is one of the primary reason why the company has been witnessing a high growth rate in the last few years where its customer base has grown massively. Consumers will be interested to know that first-time subscribers receive a humongous discount on their first purchase of the company’s services.
These are just some of the reasons why this company should appear in your publication. Telecommunications characterizes every single element and aspect of our lives. Businesses, as well as individuals out there, are constantly on the lookout for favorable businesses opportunities and services. One particular area that has particularly received a lot of attention regarding regards internet and data. Many companies offering services related to data and internet have sprung up with many offering different types of services related to the internet and data. Unfortunately, the rates for telecommunication services have remained fairly constant, and many companies are refusing to adjust their prices. In addition, for many companies that promise cheap prices for their services, the services end up being of extremely poor quality. Because of this, many business-minded individuals as well as business enterprises are constantly looking out for companies that offer both quality as well as affordability. Of late, this information has been lacking considerably in major media outlets which many, of course, depend on to gain knowledge on the best business services and opportunities in the current marketplace. This is why it is important that you feature TelePacific in one of your publications, particularly on the week end where the distribution of the paper is considerably increased. Readers of the L.A Times business will definitely be attracted to this company and the various services that it offers. The readers will not just be attracted to the company’s products but will also be interested to know about the background and history of the company which unlike many other companies has been relatively devoid of many image threatening scandals or controversies. As mentioned earlier, this company was established in 1998, and although its initial growth was stunted by several uncontrollable environmental factors, it has nevertheless not been involved in any image damaging business actions and endeavors. This is indeed a very useful piece of information for your readers which I believe they will appreciate very much.
New consumers are always interested in associating and doing business with companies that have squeaky clean images and that they trust to provide them with quality services and for a cheaper price. TelePacific will cater to all the business readers need and concerns. This once again why I think it is very important for you to feature this company in one of your publications. You will also be interested to know that the company has been featured several times in the Forbes magazine as one of the fastest growing telecommunication companies in the West Coast. The company has also won several accolades in various telecommunication media award ceremonies. Forbes has hailed it as one of the companies to look out for.
In terms of action, I think that the editor of the newspaper should assign a reporter to conduct more research and investigation into the Company so that you can come up with a comprehensive piece that will definitely appeal to readers. As a marketing public relations officer. I am also willing to assist with any information you require that you may need in order to articulate an exemplary piece.
Part 3
After this, I plan to call the LA Times Business office personally and pitch my proposal even further. I will also write several emails to the company official email address once again pitching my proposal about a feature on TelePacific Communications. I will also conduct preliminary research about the company to acquire crucial and key data that might be of importance to the editor of the newspaper before he can publish a feature on the company. Before an article about certain company or business feature can be published, the editor will want as much information as possible. I believe that I can greatly assist in this area. My skills as public relation’s officer will enable me to not only conduct research about the company from the internet, but I can also make my way to the company’s physical offices to gather some data and information that I will then send it the editor of the newspaper to show him why the company is deserving of being featured in an article in the L.A Times Business.
When making a pitch to bloggers or any other media site, there are several things that one must take into consideration as I have learned from this exercise. The first thing is that one must be sincere and personal (Heath, 2006). It is not proper to give false information about the company or a product that one is pitching for (Wilcox et al. 1997). Some people tend to lie about information that the media or a blogger can easily figure out by simply looking up on the internet. In addition, one must also use normal language and try to avoid abbreviations as much as possible. It is always good to mention some of the previous recognizable attributes or accolades that the company or the product has received in the past. A successful pitch should also include relevant links, for example, to the website of the company that is being pitched for or even the product that is being pitched for (Jo, 2003). One should also incorporate on how the media or the blogger will benefit from the post or the publication (Porter and Sallot, 2003). Will the media get more subscribers? Will the site get more traffic? These are just some of the questions that should be taken into consideration.
Conclusion
A successful pitch is one that convinces a connector, such as media outlet to use one’s message and disseminate it to the wider society or to the concerned persons. As observed, a pitch should include all the relevant details that will convince the media outlet that by posting or publishing this message, it will also benefit in a way.
References
Heath, R. L., & Coombs, W. T. (2006). Today's public relations: An introduction. Sage.
Wilcox, D. L., Nolte, L. W., & Jackson, P. (1997). Public relations writing and media techniques. New York: Longman.
Jo, S. (2003). The portrayal of public relations in the news media. Mass Communication and Society, 6(4), 397-411.
Porter, L. V., & Sallot, L. M. (2003). The Internet and public relations: Investigating practitioners' roles and World Wide Web use. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 80(3), 603-622.
Los Angeles Times Business. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://www.latimes.com/business/
