Journos and PR pros reveal how to pitch a story to the media

To most people, the media is a thing of mystery. How is it that some brands and businesses are always in the news? Why are some people constantly quoted? Where do news outlets get their stories?

Many people wrongly assume huge sums of money are exchanged every time something appears in the press. Certainly, some content could be paid placement (it should be marked in small print as ‘Advertisement’ or ‘Sponsored Content’) but otherwise editorial is independent of advertising.

So how does it work?

News outlets and publishers get their stories from a multitude of places. Investigative reporters dig up stories. Editors brief their staff to chase a story when something breaks. And every day individuals and businesses, directly and via their PR agents, pitch ideas to the press.

In fact, 2020 research by US creative agency Fractl found 57% of top-tier publishers receive between 50 and 500 pitches per week.

I work with many talented PR practitioners so I asked some of them, along with several highly respected working journalists, to join with me in sharing one tip on how to successfully pitch a story to the media. If your brand or business has news to share, or something newsworthy to say, you’ll appreciate this practical advice.

Help freelancers help you

Nina Hendy, Freelance Business and Finance Journalist

Understand that freelance journalists are a completely different beast to in-house journalists, which can very much be to your advantage.

Freelancers are self-employed, and the time they spend wading through their inbox is time they could be spending earning money, so you’ve got to make it worthwhile.

Freelancers want to be offering unique, exclusive content to their editors. While it’s always handy to receive run of the mill press releases to keep us in the loop, actual story pitches need to be cleverly crafted.

Take a look at some of a freelancer’s previous work and understand who they write for and what they like to cover.

A pitch isn’t ‘look at me, you should write a story about me’. A pitch needs to be ‘have you noticed this new trend, it doesn’t seem to have been covered, here’s my thoughts as one of the people you’d interview for it, you should write a story on it’.

That sort of pitch takes time but will definitely fly.

Be realistic

Beverley Head, Freelance Writer and Consultant

Write the headline and first paragraph of the story you are hoping might appear, then ask yourself – is that realistic? Would this journalist write that? Would this publication/website/program really be keen to publish or broadcast that? If you honestly believe that ‘yes, they would’ – then go ahead and pitch. If not, it’s back to the drawing board while you manage your expectations about what makes a truly compelling story.

Make your media pitch publish-ready

Andrew Birmingham, Editor-in-Chief and Associate Publisher, Which-50

The more publish-ready a media release or pitch is, the more likely it is to get run. Releases that are full of jargon, adjectives, adverbs (or worse trademark symbols!), and which are full of the kind of technical details beloved by your product managers but by no one else, are just too much hard work. 

For any pitch, apply the old news rule of thumb: make the first sentence the first most important point, the second sentence the second most important point and the third sentence the third most important point, and you have done half their work for them.

Bullet points with key issues are also good. And if you can provide visual assets – such as a good image (and not a postage stamp head shot of an executive) all the better. If you are quoting a report, include a link to the report or/and an attachment.

Know the audience

Nicole Schulz, Group Practice Lead, Sefiani Communications Group

Having a deep understanding of the audience you are speaking to is critical. A common misstep for companies pitching a story to media is being too focused on themselves and what they want to tell people. Your focus must be on the audience first and what they would want to know.

The goal is to find that perfect intersection between what you want to say as a brand and what the audience may want to hear from you, to create an interesting media angle. The journalist or producer you are pitching to will need to quickly understand how the story is providing value to their audience and delivering something new.

You need to do your research on the media outlet and the specific journalist you are speaking to. Develop a strong understanding of the types of stories they cover and tailor your pitch specifically for them and their audience.

Avoid unintelligible jargon

Leo D’Angelo Fisher, Freelance Journalist

Businesses pitching a story make the mistake of thinking it’s only about them rather than considering the story from the perspective of the journalist and the journalist’s readers. They focus their pitch on positioning themselves as “global”, “leading”, “passionate”, “unique”, the “first” and the “only” before they even get to the story idea. And often there’s a lot of unintelligible jargon and buzz phrases that might sound impressive to them but only prompt journalists to press ‘delete’.

Journalists are only interested in what businesses have done or have to say that will be of interest to readers. A pitch should get to the point, be presented in plain English and be genuinely topical and informative. Before pitching a story idea, ask yourself, ‘What will readers get out of this story? Am I making a worthwhile contribution to this issue or topic? Is this a story I would want to read myself?’

Have something to say

Adrian Thirsk, Senior Consultant, P&L Corporate Communications

You would be surprised at how many firms believe they can magically appear in print just because they want to. Some think that being who they are or doing what they do is sufficient for a journalist to take an avid interest. It is not. The media want stories, yes, but not just any stories. A story needs to have appeal, relevance, importance to, or impact on, the widest possible readership or audience. Over the years of a career, a journalist hones what is referred to as a “news sense”. It is what allows them to judge the extent to which a potential story meets those criteria. The successful pitch to a journalist will tap into that need for a compelling angle or news hook. Hook your own key messages to that and you have given yourself the best chance of successful media coverage.

Perseverance pays

Paul McKeon, Group Account Director, Mave

I love media relations. No matter how good you are it, you must be comfortable accepting rejection. Even the entertainment reporter for Horse & Hound would receive a steady stream of releases and pitches each day. That any editor or journalist takes the time to reply with a ’thanks but no’ is a small miracle. You might be lucky to get a positive response to one in ten of your emails.

One of the pet hates of most reporters is PR people calling up to say, “did you get my press release?”. But that doesn’t mean you should assume it is job done once you’ve pressed send on your first approach.

The sheer number of emails journalists receive means that sometimes good opportunities get missed. I have a rule of three: I follow-up three times using three different methods. If I’ve not heard back after the third, I cut my losses and move on.

Add value with visual assets

Jacqueline (Jaci) Burns, Chief Marketing Officer, Market Expertise

Pre-COVID, news outlets world over were already tightening their belts in response to media fragmentation and diminishing ad revenue. The pandemic has accelerated and further amplified the cost cutting. Consequently, many news outlets and publishers run on tight budgets. Small, niche and industry publications tend to have particularly limited resources.

Everyone’s trying to do more with less.

When you make a pitch, let the editor or journalist know if you’re able to provide visuals to accompany the story. This might include high resolution headshots, location photos, illustrations, maps, infographics, charts, and even videos. Visuals not only aid comprehension and the retention of information, they also dramatically boost readership and engagement.