The first piece is your subject header. You want to have a compelling subject header that teases, so it includes your beat, your tease, and so forth to increase the odds of it being opened. It’s always good to tie it to breaking news.
The second piece is credibility. You want to get right to point and then establish credibility because if you don’t get right to the point, they don’t know what you’re talking about, and if you don’t get to why you’re credible, they could care less.
The third piece of the email is what’s in it for the media person. You have to get right to the point about what’s in it them, not for your clients. Let the media know how they can use what you’re saying.
And the last piece — the fourth piece — is your availability and that includes your geographic location — where you are in the world, where you are right now. Not last week or 3 weeks from now, but where are you right now, and if they open this email today, where can they reach you right now both during office hours and after hours. Be sure to let them know what time zone you’re in as well.
