Should you be pitching by phone?

Why I've changed my mind about the best way to pitch in 2025

I started my journalism career by cold-calling newspaper offices and pitching myself for work experience - so I know this approach can work. And I appreciate there’s a long-standing culture in the PR industry of calling journalists/editors, because making that human connection can make all the difference...

So, if you’d asked me to answer the question: “Should I call to pitch a story to a national news publication?” a few years ago, then this post would have been about all the scenarios where it was a good idea to call a journalist with a pitch.

But things have changed - a lot.

The telephone was an important part of pitching for decades - but it isn’t any more. Now it’s 2025 and I can’t be more categoric about this:

Don’t call journalists with a pitch.

This is probably the single thing which causes the most controversy whenever I run my media training sessions and webinars. But when I say don’t pitch by phone, I say this as someone who both receives and sends pitches on a regular basis. Many of the editors I pitch to I’ve known for years - and some are personal friends. But I still won’t call them up unannounced with a pitch.

So why not? Here are the three key reasons why I’ve changed my mind on phone pitching…

My desk on the Daily Mail newsdesk in 2013, complete with desk phone (RIP)