| name | media-pitching |
| description | Craft effective media pitches to journalists and editors. Use when seeking press coverage or building media relationships. |
| origin | ECM |
Media Pitching
When to Activate
- Pitching a story or announcement to journalists for press coverage
- Building media relationships for ongoing PR strategy
- Securing coverage for a product launch, funding round, or company milestone
- Offering expert commentary on industry trends or news
- Responding to journalist queries (HARO, Qwoted, Source of Sources)
- Planning a PR outreach strategy for a campaign or quarter
First Questions
- What is the story you're pitching? (Not "we launched X" — what's the story?)
- Why would a journalist's audience care about this?
- Which publications and journalists cover this topic?
- What is the news hook or timely angle?
- Do you have exclusive data, access, or a unique perspective to offer?
- What is the desired coverage outcome? (Feature story, mention, quote, review)
- What assets can you provide? (Data, visuals, expert access, customer stories)
Journalist Research
Finding the Right Journalists
- Beat matching: Find journalists who cover your specific topic, not just the publication.
- Recent coverage: Read their last 10-20 articles. Understand what they care about.
- Social media: Follow them on X/Twitter. See what they share and comment on.
- Tools: Muck Rack, Cision, Just Reach Out, or manual research via publication websites.
Building a Target Media List
For each pitch, build a tiered list:
Tier 1 (3-5 journalists): Top-choice outlets. Most relevant beat. Highest potential impact. These get the most personalized pitches.
Tier 2 (10-15 journalists): Relevant beat coverage. Good publications. Personalized but templated pitches.
Tier 3 (20-30 journalists): Broader coverage. Industry publications, blogs, newsletters. More templated pitches.
Media List Essentials
For each journalist, track:
- Name, publication, beat/focus area
- Email address (use Hunter.io, Muck Rack, or publication contact pages)
- Recent articles relevant to your pitch
- Social media handles
- Notes on preferences (email-only? DM-friendly? Hates phone calls?)
- History of your interactions with them
Pitch Email Structure
Subject Line (Most Critical Element)
- 6-10 words. Specific. Intriguing but not clickbait.
- Include the news or the angle, not your company name.
- Good: "AI startup cuts supply chain waste by 40% — exclusive data"
- Good: "New research: 72% of marketers can't measure ROI"
- Bad: "Acme Inc. Announces Exciting New Product"
- Bad: "Press Release — Please Cover"
Email Body Structure
Line 1: The Hook (Why should they care right now?)
Connect to something they recently wrote, a current news cycle, or a trend they cover.
- "Following your recent piece on [topic], I thought you'd be interested in..."
- "With [industry event/trend] making headlines, we have data that shows..."
Line 2-3: The Angle (What's the story?)
Not a product description. A story angle. Journalists cover stories, not products.
- "We analyzed 10,000 [data points] and found [surprising result]."
- "[Expert name] has a contrarian take on [hot topic] backed by [evidence]."
Line 4-5: The Evidence (Why is this credible?)
Numbers, data, customers, expert credentials.
- "We've grown from 0 to 5,000 customers in 12 months with zero paid marketing."
- "Our CEO previously [impressive credential] and has [unique perspective]."
Line 6: The Offer (What can you provide?)
Make the journalist's job easy. Offer specific assets.
- "I can share the full data set, arrange an interview with our CEO, and connect you with two customers willing to speak on the record."
Line 7: The Close (Low pressure, high availability)
- "Would this be interesting for a story? Happy to share more details."
- "Let me know if this is worth exploring — I can send over the data today."
Length
- Maximum 150 words. Journalists receive 100+ pitches daily. Brevity is respect.
- No attachments in the initial pitch (spam filters). Link to the press release or materials.
- No formatting (bold, colors, images in the email body). Plain text feels personal.
Pitch Timing
Best Days and Times
- Best days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
- Best times: 6-9 AM in the journalist's timezone (they check email before the day gets busy)
- Avoid: Monday (inbox overload from weekend), Friday (end-of-week, lower response), weekends
Editorial Calendars
- Major publications plan themed issues and special reports months in advance.
- Check editorial calendars (usually available on publication media kit pages).
- Pitch for themed issues 4-8 weeks before the publication date.
News Cycle Awareness
- Newsjacking: When a major story breaks in your space, offer expert commentary within hours, not days.
- Counter-programming: When everyone covers the same story, offer the contrarian angle.
- Avoid: Pitching during major breaking news events unrelated to your story (your pitch will be ignored).
Exclusive vs. Embargo vs. General Availability
Exclusive
- One journalist gets the story before anyone else.
- Offer to: Your top-choice journalist at a top-tier outlet.
- Script: "I'd love to offer you an exclusive on [story]. We're planning to announce [date] but would love to give you early access to break the story."
- If declined: Move to the next journalist. Never offer the same exclusive to two people simultaneously.
Embargo
- Multiple journalists get the story early, agree not to publish until a set date/time.
- Offer to: 5-15 journalists simultaneously.
- Script: "I'm sharing this under embargo until [date, time, timezone]. Please confirm you accept the embargo before I send details."
- Risk: Embargoes can break. Only use for stories you're comfortable potentially leaking.
General Availability
- No restrictions. Pitch to anyone, publish anytime.
- Use for: Most pitches. Smaller announcements. Trend stories. Expert commentary.
Follow-Up Cadence
The Follow-Up Timeline
- Day 0: Send initial pitch.
- Day 3-4: Follow up if no response. Brief, helpful, not annoying.
- "Just bumping this to the top of your inbox. Happy to share [additional asset] if helpful."
- Day 7-10: Final follow up. Add new information or a different angle.
- "Wanted to share one additional data point: [new stat]. Let me know if this changes the story for you."
- After 2 follow-ups with no response: Move on. Do not send a third follow-up.
Follow-Up Rules
- Never say "just checking in" or "circling back" — always add value.
- Reference new developments, additional data, or alternative angles.
- If they say no, thank them and move on. No arguing.
- If they say "not now," ask when would be better and set a reminder.
Pitch Templates
Template 1: Product Launch
Subject: [Product category] startup hits [milestone] with [unique approach]
Hi [Name],
Loved your recent piece on [topic]. Quick pitch:
[Company] just launched [product] — [one-sentence description
of what it does differently]. We've [key proof point: customers,
revenue, growth metric] since [timeframe].
What's different: [1-2 sentences on the unique angle — why this
is a story, not just a product].
I can offer: an interview with our [CEO/CTO], access to [demo/data],
and introductions to [2-3 customers] willing to go on the record.
Worth a look?
[Name]
Template 2: Data / Research Story
Subject: New data: [surprising finding in 6-8 words]
Hi [Name],
We just analyzed [sample size] [data points] and found something
your readers might find interesting:
[Key finding 1 — the most surprising stat]
[Key finding 2 — the most actionable insight]
The full report covers [scope]. We can share the complete data set
and our [CEO/analyst] is available to walk through the methodology
and implications.
Should I send over the report?
[Name]
Template 3: Expert Commentary (Newsjacking)
Subject: Expert source on [current news topic]
Hi [Name],
Given the news about [trending topic], our [CEO/expert name] has
a [contrarian/informed/data-backed] perspective on [specific angle].
[1-2 sentences summarizing their take]
[Name] is [credentials that make them credible on this topic].
Available for a quick call or can provide a written quote today.
Let me know if helpful.
[Name]
Template 4: Trend Story
Subject: Trend story: [emerging trend] reshaping [industry]
Hi [Name],
I've noticed you've been covering [related topic area]. There's an
emerging trend worth a deeper look:
[Trend description in 2 sentences]. [Supporting evidence: data,
company examples, market shifts].
We can provide: [unique data/access], connect you with [industry
experts/customers], and share our perspective as [relevant
credential].
Would this work as a [feature/column/segment]?
[Name]
Template 5: Customer Story
Subject: [Customer name] achieved [result] using [approach] — case study
Hi [Name],
[Customer name, with title/company] [achieved specific result]
by [doing what differently]. They're willing to go on the record.
The story: [2-3 sentences on the narrative arc — challenge,
approach, result].
This connects to [broader trend your readers care about].
Should I connect you with [customer name] for a call?
[Name]
Relationship Building Beyond Pitches
The 80/20 Rule
80% of journalist interactions should be helpful, not pitching.
- Share their articles on social media with thoughtful commentary.
- Respond to their requests for sources (HARO, X/Twitter asks).
- Connect them with experts, even when it doesn't benefit you directly.
- Comment on their work with genuine insight.
- Meet in person at industry events when possible.
Long-Term Relationship Tactics
- Send a "no ask" email once a quarter: industry insight, data, or a heads-up on a trend.
- Remember their preferences (communication style, story interests, deadlines).
- Be honest about what is and isn't newsworthy. Journalists respect PR people who don't waste their time.
- When they cover you, send a genuine thank you. Share the article widely.
- If they write something critical, respond professionally. Never burn bridges.
Media List Management
Building and Maintaining
- Start with 50-100 relevant journalists across tiers.
- Update quarterly: remove those who've changed beats, add new relevant journalists.
- Track every interaction (pitch sent, response, coverage, relationship status).
- Note personal details: preferences, beat changes, publication moves.
Tools
- Spreadsheet: Fine for small teams and <100 contacts.
- Muck Rack: Industry standard for journalist database, monitoring, and relationship tracking.
- Cision: Large database, better for enterprise PR teams.
- Prowly: Good mid-market option with CRM features.
- Just Reach Out: Lightweight, affordable, good for startups.
Tracking and Measuring PR Results
Quantitative Metrics
| Metric | How to Measure |
|---|
| Pitch-to-Coverage Ratio | Placements / Pitches sent. Target: 10-20% |
| Media Impressions | Estimated audience reach of coverage |
| Domain Authority of Placements | Higher DA = more valuable coverage |
| Referral Traffic | Website visits from press coverage (UTM tracked) |
| Share of Voice | Your coverage vs. competitor coverage |
| Backlinks Earned | SEO value from press coverage |
Qualitative Assessment
- Message pull-through: Did the journalist use your key messages and positioning?
- Tone: Positive, neutral, or negative coverage?
- Placement quality: Headline mention, feature story, or brief mention?
- Quote inclusion: Did they use your spokesperson quote?
What NOT to Measure
- AVE (Advertising Value Equivalency): Discredited metric. Do not use. It calculates "what this coverage would have cost as an ad" — but earned media and ads are fundamentally different.
Quality Gate
Before sending a pitch:
