The Great British Bake Off is back in full swing, but it isn’t just the bakers preparing for their all-important showstoppers, it’s also PR pitching season and the time to pull out all the stops to win over organisations looking for a new PR partner.

However, much like baking, one wrong move can be the deciding factor between being star baker or being sent home! If you’re on the receiving end of pitches from new PR partners – here are three key things to look out for.

Favour the flavour

Making a cake look attractive is only part of the challenge – you can have the most aesthetically pleasing cake packed with handcrafted edible flowers and light-up geodes but if it doesn’t deliver on taste, it’s unlikely that you will be progressing to the next round of the competition. And the same can happen in the pitch process. It can be tempting to load pitches full of glitz, glam, wild promises and high expectations, but the cracks will soon begin to show the closer you get to the finished product which can leave a bitter aftertaste.

Creative campaigns and ideas are only one side of the coin. A balanced PR programme must be packed with realistic and attainable goals, promises that can be fulfilled and transparency about what is offered. Like creating the perfect croissant, it can brown beautifully but if the layers aren’t defined, you simply aren’t getting what you expected.

Stick to the recipe

Adding those extra chocolate buttons or another spoonful of golden syrup is all part of the baking experience but ultimately, you need to stick to the basic recipe and routine in order to create the perfect bake.

The same can happen in pitching. Whilst changing up some of the slides and adding extra information and ideas as you go along is good, you want to stick to answering the needs of the organisation. And the same goes with team members and who should be presenting in the room too. The team in the pitch should be the team the organisation works with. No pitch and switch.

Try to give each team member a chance to personally introduce themselves, their expertise and what they can personally bring to the table. Transparency is your key ingredient and whilst your best presenters might come across well, look out for sugar coating.

The technical challenge

The Bake Off technical challenge is one that really puts the pressure on the bakers, putting their skills and techniques to the test so why not do the same in the pitching process? Try coming up with a few genuine real-life scenarios and get the team to explain how they would tackle it. You could use a recent crisis you have been involved in and get the team to feedback how they would’ve approached it and why.

Let each team member take a turn to rise to the challenge and prove what they would do and why to really challenge the skills of each person individually as well as the team as a whole. This will work especially well if you have never worked with PR professionals as it shows what you can expect. It will test how well they work under pressure, how they work individually, and also how they work as a team.

Just like a Bake Off showstopper, PR pitches can be baked to perfection to create a delicious and nutritious treat if enough time and practice is invested in them. As long as you evaluate individuality, flavour and professionalism, you’ll be well on your way to finding your star partner.