The biggest error in writing a pitch letter is not getting to the point in the first two lines. What are you writing about? You get to the point when you’re talking to people you like and know. You’ve got to get to the point with journalists. The first two lines are what people see if they’re looking at your email in a preview screen, and many people do that. Not including contact information. Not having a link to more information. Not providing names of people within the company that can cover the subject. Not providing sources of additional information is a very, very big mistake.

For more tips how to write a succinct and effective pitch letter, check out Transcript—How To Write a Pitch Letter.