The Ultimate Guide To Pitch For Media: How to Get Featured

November 20, 2024

Getting press coverage for your small to mid-sized business or your personal brand can seem impossible. You’re probably bombarded with articles about the “right” way to do it: write an amazing press release, learn how to create a pitch for media, or get featured on podcasts. But without a dedicated PR team, reaching those goals can seem daunting.

Trying to cut through the noise and grab a journalist’s attention can seem next to impossible without knowing the correct approach for effective media pitching. This article covers how to create a great PR pitch for media to start generating buzz.

Why Is Media Coverage Important?

Positive media coverage is free marketing. It’s a great way to quickly raise awareness for your company and establish your brand as an authority.

Landing a spot in a renowned magazine like WIRED could put you on the map with potential investors and increase consumer confidence. Press mentions can also boost sales and increase website traffic.

Crafting a Killer PR Pitch For Media

Think of media pitching as trying to grab someone’s attention in a crowded room – you need to stand out. While you can try sending your PR pitch to everyone in the room at once (or a general “info@” email), you’d have more success approaching individuals with something specific and relevant.

Here are a few crucial things to consider to boost your success with your media pitch email (hint, it doesn’t involve cookie-cutter email templates):

Is Your Story Newsworthy?

This is probably the most overlooked part of pitching stories to media outlets. Before contacting your chosen news outlet and trying to book your interview or get your product featured, ask yourself: is this actually newsworthy?

Are you providing journalists with fresh news that impacts people? Does your pitch email to journalist contacts offer a story relevant to their beat? Is the story newsworthy enough to pitch journalists in the first place?

Here are a few criteria that factor in:

Is this a brand new story? What makes this relevant right now?
What emotions will this evoke in readers?
Will this have a measurable impact?
How relevant is this to the publication you’re sending it to?

Find the Right Contact

Finding the right journalist to send your pitch to is absolutely essential. A media pitch sent to someone covering tech for a health and beauty story, for instance, is likely going straight in the trash.

Take some time to identify relevant journalists for your topic, product, or industry. If you don’t know who that is, consider sending your email pitch to a specific department within a publication rather than an individual. And instead of taking a scattergun approach, make a point of contacting one person at a time.

Write a Snappy Subject Line

You only get one chance to make a first impression with your pitch letter. Journalists get bombarded with tons of pitches, so much so that a whopping 28.64% receive over 26 per day. This is another reason to carefully choose who to send your story to.

To boost your open rates, you’ll need an attention-grabbing pitch subject line. There are differing opinions on how to best achieve this. While shorter subject lines often get touted as best practice (due to the limitations of mobile devices), research from Marketing Sherpa found otherwise.

Most readers open their email on desktops first, so longer subject lines between 61-70 characters long had the highest open rate. Incorporate important keywords in your subject line, along with something enticing to pique interest. Consider who will be reading it and when.

Grab Their Attention

This goes beyond your subject line and extends into your introductory paragraph. Just like with a good book or a gripping film, if your introduction doesn’t grab their attention within the first few seconds, you’ve lost.

Skip flowery language and lengthy introductions – a seasoned journalist has seen it all before and doesn’t need the fluff. Focus on the facts: who, what, where, when, and why. These five pillars should be crystal clear from the very start.

Offer an Angle

This can be difficult because when you’re passionate about a product, service, or founder story, it can be hard to detach and take an objective approach. This is where stepping into the shoes of a journalist is crucial.

For example, if your company developed an app that reduces anxiety, then rather than solely approaching this from the technological angle you could also try approaching journalists specializing in health and wellbeing. You instantly boost the likelihood that one of those journalists will find an angle they can work with.

Write to Connect With Their Audience

When writing content for a PR pitch, you are not necessarily writing directly to your target audience. Although you want your news to reach your audience eventually, first it needs to appeal to a journalist.

You’re effectively trying to grab the interest of a gatekeeper – give them something worthy of getting them excited enough about to bring your news to their readership. There are a couple of key ways to achieve this: by being prepared, supplying ready-to-go resources, and telling journalists why you picked them.

Offer links to high-quality studies and expert quotes. Provide valid reasons as to why this specific story would benefit their readers – you’ve made a journalist’s job a whole lot easier (and journalists love that). Add links to your media kit or press release where appropriate.

It’s All in the Close

Sum up your PR pitch with an engaging summary (but be sure to change up the language) along with any calls to action, such as providing contact details and the opportunity to set up a call.

A polite and concise sign-off thanking your media contact for their time is always appreciated. Include any details about your background or credentials.

FAQs About Pitch For Media

How do I pitch a product to media?

Focus on the product’s uniqueness, its benefits for their audience, and newsworthy angles like innovative technology or its impact on a trending issue. Craft a compelling story, offer an exclusive, provide high-quality visuals, and target journalists in relevant niches.

How do you pitch an article to the media?

Tailor your pitch to the journalist’s interests, highlighting the article’s relevance to their beat and audience. Demonstrate the article’s newsworthiness, uniqueness, and timeliness.

Provide a concise and captivating summary of the key points. Don’t be afraid to include links to data and high-profile contributors or quotes.

How do you pitch a media release?

Treat a media or press release like you would a news story, and aim to write it in a similar fashion. Provide an attention-grabbing headline and summary outlining the key news, followed by supporting information. Avoid flowery language or marketing jargon. If possible, include supporting quotes from leadership or external experts. Be sure to pitch to relevant media contacts for the best results.

How do you pitch broadcast media?

When pitching to television, radio, or online broadcasting consider using video and images. Strong visuals work really well for outlets such as these.

And while most points raised in this article remain relevant you’ll need to make a point of focusing on stories or pitches that can be conveyed easily. Think strong emotions, gripping headlines, or shocking new discoveries.

What are some media pitch examples?

If you are looking for specific examples of what and how to pitch, be sure to read our other articles. We include sample press releases, content calendars, and media pitch examples.

Conclusion

Creating a great pitch for media coverage effectively and making an impact are intertwined. Balancing your goals with what your chosen journalist is looking for can take time. But keeping things simple, newsworthy, and respectful of their time are sure-fire ways to make you stand out amongst the countless other pitches cluttering a journalist’s inbox every day.