Journalists and media outlets review dozens of releases and media pitches every day. Because of this volume, even the most well-written PR release may soon find its way into the trash folder if it fails to stand out. 

As public relations experts, we’re always on the lookout for effective ways to pitch releases. We put ourselves in the minds of journalists, studying the best times of day or week to send a release and spending hours on getting our grammar just right.

However, the question remains: in this highly competitive market, are we doing enough?

In this blog post, we’ll discuss some insights from PR professionals on how to pitch a press release to journalists, tips on how to write a compelling press release email subject line, and how to respectfully follow up with media outlets. 

Read on for our ultimate guide to PR pitching. 

Crafting Your Media Pitch

First, let’s take a moment to understand the most vital information: what is a media pitch?

A media pitch is an email or a message you send to a journalist, along with a press release, detailing why you think your communication deserves to be published. 

Considering the fact that journalists are overwhelmed with PR pitches and emails, the next question becomes: how do we make ours compelling?

The best way to do this is to get straight to the point.

According to a 2021 survey, over 90% of journalists preferred emailed pitches to be fewer than 200 words, while 25% said they wanted them to be fewer than 100 words.

To make our point in such a few words, it’s worth borrowing from the business concept of an elevator pitch. Ask yourself: can I relay the information in my pitch in less than 60 seconds? Am I able to cover all points clearly and effectively?

If the answer is yes, your pitch is likely compelling.

The same principle applies to a press release subject line.

When emailing a press release pitch, ensure the subject can grab a journalist’s attention. Make it short and to the point, and avoid clickbait that doesn’t deliver - also, steer clear of making false claims and basic grammatical errors.

When submitting a press release to a journalist, follow these tips on how to write a media pitch:

  • Give it a clear subject line
  • Make sure it isn’t too long
  • Personalize it to the reporter and publication
  • Base it on current trends
  • Offer the journalist value

Preparing for Submitting Press Releases

A press release is considered one of the most valuable content marketing distribution tools on the market. However, it must be done right for it to be effective. 

While a media pitch should grab a journalist’s attention, the release itself should also do a decent job of backing up its claims.

When preparing a release for submission, ensure that you’ve considered the basics of press release writing, such as following a journalistic style and writing knockout headlines. Once that’s out of the way, you can focus on other factors that increase its appeal for journalists. 

  • Relevance: Figure out how your press release fits in the current news cycle. Is it linked to a trending topic? If not, could it be?
  • Location: Is your press release better suited for local content distribution or a global audience? Depending on the answer, look up tips on how to send out a press release to local media or how to appeal to a wider audience.
  • Prominence: Does your release feature quotes from well-known personalities? Including this in your pitch can encourage journalists to take notice.
  • Human interest: Releases that focus on storytelling and elicit emotion in the reader are naturally easier to pitch.  
  • Impact: How will an audience react to reading the release? Will it impact their lives? Those that do, lead to better pitches. 

This may seem like a lot of information to keep in mind - which is why many companies prefer to work with press release services. 

Working with a newswire opens you up to a vast network of journalists, news platforms, and websites, improving your chances of publication.

At the same time, it helps ensure your release is error-free, targets a specific audience, and incorporates eye-grabbing multimedia elements. These services also offer tips on how to publish a press release, SEO optimization, and tools to help you measure success.

How to Pitch Press Release to Journalists and Influencers

If you opt to pitch your release directly to journalists or influencers, there are some factors you should pay extra attention to:

Newsworthiness

Let’s understand this better through the example of a book announcement press release.

In this case, your newsworthiness could come from a quote from a well-known author, or through specific passages that can be tied to an event in the current news cycle. Alternatively, it could involve giving the journalist access to an exclusive snippet.

Highlighting these points increases the likelihood of a journalist considering your release. 

Relevance

Another factor to consider is relevance.

There is no point in pitching a press release for startups to an architectural digest, or the launch of a new night club to a tech-centric magazine. Pitch your release only to the most relevant journalists, media houses, or reporters’ blogs to see more success.

Relevance is key when we submit press releases to influencers, too. Be aware of who their followers are, and ask yourself how your release is relevant to this audience. 

Personalization

When sending press releases, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is not knowing enough about the journalist or influencer. 

Emailing all journalists in your contact list marked in the BCC is a critical mistake: it indicates that you know nothing about the publication, and are unsure where to send press releases. It makes you seem like an amateur.

Instead, the ideal pitch addresses a journalist or influencer by name, shows familiarity with their work, and doesn’t make any vague assertions.

When crafting your pitch, ask yourself: 

  • What is special about my press release? 
  • Who are the journalists/influencers it will appeal to? 
  • What values matter most to the specific journalist/influencer?
  • Have I considered the needs of the journalist/influencers’ audience?

Timing and Techniques to Send Out Press Releases

It is not enough to simply know how to send a press release; when to send a press release to media professionals is also crucial. Press releases are all about timing. 

Remember that the journalist or influencer you contact will need some time to prepare your story, so sending out press releases well in advance is crucial.

Figuring out when and how to contact a journalist is also key. Studies have indicated that Mondays and Tuesdays are the best days to contact press professionals; journalists also prefer to receive pitches earlier in the day, before their morning meetings, to plan their news cycle.

If you’re having difficulty contacting a journalist, consider using a professional press release distribution service as a cost-effective and reliable way to get your message out.

Following Up After Submission

A week after you have sent in a pitch with no response, follow up with the journalist and emphasize why you think your story is worth picking up. 

In your follow-up email, you could also add new information to trigger their interest. 

However, when doing so, remember that journalists are often overwhelmed by the amount of media pitching they are subjected to. Strike the right balance between being persistent and understanding. Follow up once, but if you are rejected, respect their decision.

In the case of a rejection, it may be worth asking the journalist what went wrong in order to craft more successful pitches in the future. Similarly, when journalists accept a pitch, keep track of what you did right and how much it improved your visibility. 

There are several tools to help you with this. Releases distributed through Canada Newswire, for instance, come with a complimentary Visibility Report that allows you to track essential metrics like media pick-ups and conversion rates. 

Conclusion

All in all, no matter how good your story is, it can be lost in the crowd if you are not familiar with how to submit a press release and craft a proper media pitch.

When you keep a pitch short, personalize it, and make it more relevant to journalists, you increase your chances of getting a story published.

Determining exactly what makes your release stand out, what audience you want to target, and how to email a press release is also crucial to success.

For more information on how to craft the perfect pitch or for answers to questions like what is a press kit, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Canada Newswire team!