The world of media relations is constantly evolving. It’s not just about pushing information through a one-way tunnel, but about pulling your audience in—in order to create engagement, conversations, and build meaningful relationships. Media efforts should not only increase visibility and consumer awareness, but also enhance the organization’s credibility and drive brand value. With fewer media journalists and reporters than PR professionals, it is vital for communicators to tell their stories in savvier and more strategic ways.   

This past spring, I had the pleasure of attending the Master the Media Webinar with Peter Shankman. Various media and PR pros were invited as guest speakers to give their takes on the best pitching strategies. Guests included PIX11 News general assignment reporter James Ford, TV anchor/reporter/producer and PR specialist Cindi Avila, and Emmy award-winning producer Mike Avila.

Here are six of the key takeaways I gathered:

1. Pitch The Right Contacts. Do Your Research!

The single most important aspect of pitching the media is pitching the right contacts. Reporters have different areas of coverage, so depending on your pitch, one reporter may be better suited to write about the topic than another. Do your research and ensure you are reaching out to the right reporters. It does not matter how well-written or informative your pitch is if it’s not being read by the right eyes. Reporters will not run a story if it’s not in their wheelhouse, so only send pitches that are appropriate for them. 

If reporters are not replying to your pitches, feel free to send a follow-up note – ideally only once, but no more than twice. By then, whether the reporter is interested or not becomes very clear.

2. Don’t Underestimate The Power Of The Subject Line

The first line of text that reporters always read in a pitch is the subject line. In order to grab their attention and ensure the pitch is opened, try to distill your entire pitch into as few words as possible. It’s important to let the reporter know what the pitch is going to be about straight away. 

The subject line should be short, concise, and straight to the point. Longer subject lines often cannot be seen without clicking on them. Additionally, if you are sending a pitch in response to an article previously written by the media contact you are reaching out to, be sure to center your subject line on that, as the contact is much more likely to reply.

3. Format The Pitch Correctly

When it comes to writing the actual pitch, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, the pitch should read as if the story has already been written. “Story” is the key word here. Write your pitch like a story, not an advertisement. Second, make sure to tell your story all within the first paragraph. You can include further details, background information, links and quotes in the following body paragraph, but convey your story’s main points up front. Finally, just like with your subject line, try to keep your pitch short and concise. Only include the most vital details. Reporters receive hundreds of pitches a day, and it’s important to be mindful of that. Reporters don’t have time to read essay-like pitches that are pages long.

4. Include Expert Advice And Quotes

The pitches that the media most often reads and replies to are usually ones that contain advice or quotes from leading industry experts. If you are pitching a client with knowledge or expertise in the area the reporter covers, make sure to include a quote from them, which the reporter can then use for future written pieces.

5. Be Courteous And Cultivate Media Relationships

When dealing with the media, being courteous and respectful goes a long way. Rudeness is the biggest turnoff for any reporter, and it will most likely lead to them not wanting to work together anymore. Instead, focus on building strong, mutually beneficial relationships. Reporters are much more likely to not only read your pitch, but actually reply to it, if they know who you are and you have a previous working relationship. If you’ve worked with the reporter before, make sure to remind them in your pitch. Cultivate these media relationships and pretty soon, you will have the media reaching out to you!

6. Remember, Speed Isn’t Everything… But It Certainly Helps

The speed at which you send your pitches out isn’t always vital, but it definitely helps in certain situations. “Newsjacking” is a practice exercised by many professionals in the PR industry. Essentially, this means responding to current events, trending news, and breaking stories and injecting your own thoughts and ideas. It is during these instances that speed will play a significant role. Reporters will most likely be running their own stories on the matter and looking to include different quotes and perspectives. The sooner you can get your quote/pitch over to the reporter, the better chance you have of being included in their story. Otherwise, if you reply too late, you run the risk of the reporter publishing the story before your input can be included.