Want to spread the word about a recent accomplishment or upcoming event and get the attention of the media? Or perhaps you're looking to get some quality reviews or help with a blog tour? How can you get the attention of reporters and those who might want to take part? Easy. The best way to do this is to develop a pitch and New York City Sports News send it out to your targeted audience. It's the perfect way to get in major magazines, newspapers, radio shows, and in front of other desired media outlets. It's also a terrific way to connect with the online community and establish blog tours, book reviews and more. However, it's important to do it right. Nothing can get a pitch deleted faster than making critical "rookie" mistakes. That's why we are here to give you some of our top pitching tips.

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Best ways to get the best results with your pitches:

Keep it brief. Many pitches are done via email, so we recommend a couple of short paragraphs relaying your pitch; who you are, what you have to offer, and why it should garner media attention. You can then include your press release or article with a mention in the pitch stating it's included.

Know to whom you are pitching. Hands down, this is one of the most important aspects of pitching. As in most marketing efforts, you need to write your pitch with the targeted audience in mind, and customize it to ensure it "speaks" the right language. New York City News Crime For example, some pitches are made for radio, some for newspapers, and some for blog sites. If you mention "readers" in your radio pitch it's going to be met New York City Health News with an instant red flag. (Rookie Mistake #1) For radio, it would be "listeners." Newspapers and magazines can be "readers" (obvious, but many miss this) and you can use "your audience" to cover a larger base. Just make sure you pitch appropriately.

Personalize pitches to a "real person" whenever possible. If not, use "Good afternoon" or "Good Morning." We don't recommend "Dear sir." It's a bit to too formal. Also, especially when doing mail merges, make sure you don't make a mistake with an incorrect salutation. Send a proof of the pitch to yourself first to make sure it reads correctly. (Rookie Mistake #2 - Dear "First Name.") Honestly, we've seen these and they are BAD; very BAD.

Lead with the pitch. Get right down to it. Then you can follow-up with a paragraph about who you are and a brief bio. It's very important that the first paragraph summarizes your pitch. If you start out talking just about you, they're going to wonder why in the world they should care.

Think angles and tell why your story is not only relevant, but newsworthy and of importance to them.

Tell them what's in it for them. If you are writing to get interest in your blog tour, they will want to know how they are going to benefit from it. Be specific; don't just say, "You'll get more readers to your blog." Instead, say something like, "Your audience can benefit in the fun by the activities we create, and by being able to take part in our contest." The more benefits you give regarding why they should participate, the more they will want to do it.

Create a good subject line. The subject line is critical. Make it appealing, but don't write a novel. (Rookie Mistake #3 - The subject line is so long it cuts off.)

Address current problems. If you are pitching on a problem that's current, you should mention not only the problem, but pitch the solution too.

Be aware of the PR calendar and when to submit news. Make sure the magazine, radio, TV, etc. you are pitching to is going to be interested in your topic. (Rookie Mistake #4 - pitching a children's book to a sports magazine.)

A great pitch is a perfect marketing tool and can get you more exposure for your press releases, book, blog tours, and more. Also, know you can customize your pitches for different audiences by tweaking the relevant parts. Sounds like a lot, but don't worry, that's what we specialize in. Let us help you with your pitching and see the results you can achieve with a finely crafted pitch.

The Pfizer pharmaceutical company announced a recall of their popular version of a COX-2 inhibitor drug called Celebrex, following the Vioxx recall, a similar arthritis pain medication. The reasoning behind Celebrex's recall is similar to that Merck gave for their withdrawal of Vioxx: an increased risk of cardiovascular events. The Celebrex recall was officially announced Dec. 17, 2004, months after Merck's September withdrawal. Pfizer issued an announcement in Sept., after Merck's recall, reassuring its Celebrex patients that the drug, although in the same class as Vioxx, was safe under a doctor's prescription.

Some have estimated that 45 million people had been prescribed and taken Celebrex since its release in 1999. Of those patients were sufferers of several different types of arthritis, who took Celebrex as a means of decreasing the pain involved with the disorder. In return, Celebrex users found that with chronic use, usually in patients taking it for over a year, they were given an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, blood clot and other cardiovascular events. The studies done revealed that Celebrex might actually cause a greater risk of heart attack and stroke than Vioxx, which was withdrawn earlier. That evidence raises more questions against Pfizer as to why they continued selling their seemingly more harmful drug after Vioxx was removed.

Celebrex's parent company, Pfizer, made the decision to remove their arthritis medication from the market upon their discovery of the results presented in an on-going study. Celebrex was being used in two studies to find alternative uses for the drug, such as for cancer prevention. One of the placebo-controlled studies resulted in a two-and-a-half time increase in cardiovascular risks for patients taking Celebrex over a long period of time.

The study showing an increase in possible heart problems was stopped because it convinced Pfizer to recall Celebrex, even though the other study did not bring similar results. The trial study New York City News Blog that brought an increased risk of cardiovascular events was based on patients taking either placebo or 400-800 mg of Celebrex. The other experiment uses a lower dosage of Celebrex and it has not been halted because no adverse side effects have been observed.

The studies done with Celebrex consisted of thousands of patients who have been involved with the experiments for two or more years. Patients who have been taking Celebrex on the doctor's orders are recommended to consult with their physician for a check-up and to talk about alternative painkillers. If a significant increase in your risk of cardiovascular events is noticed then further action may need to be taken, but a doctor will be able New York City News Channel to advise you best.

The Celebrex recall has also raised conversation about risks invoked by the drug, aside from the increased cardiovascular risks. Celebrex can cause gastrointestinal disorders, as can many of the known arthritis painkillers, but those side effects were warned about and known before the release. Although gastrointestinal problems were a known side effect the recall of Celebrex has brought on more suspicious eyes, and patients should get checked for any of these disorders as well as find out if you are at an increased risk of heart attack.