Make journalists want to work with you
All the best PRs and media experts I've met share these three traits
Building media lists today means choosing between two strategies:
Using a media database, which casts a wide net but isn't particularly well targeted.
Manually creating one using Google News search, which is more accurate but incredibly time-consuming.
ListIQ enables you to create more targeted and relevant media lists in a fraction of the time.
Take any Google News Search and ListIQ pulls journalist information like job titles, email addresses, and even an “Activity Check” to flag inactive writers.
Then, export the list and get pitching!
They say it’s all about who you know, right? Well I’d disagree.
There is a big emphasis in the PR and media industry on having a good “contacts book” - a list of names of journalists or editors you can pitch to because you’ve got a strong existing relationship with them.
But, realistically, if you’re just starting out or you’re pitching to new publications or in a new field, you’re not going to have those pre-existing relationships. And even if you do, the industry is changing so quickly at the moment that you may find your existing contacts have changed responsibilities, roles or publications.
Don’t let that put you off.
Because I think, with a bit of effort, anyone can build relationships with journalists that make us want to work with you and write your stories - even if we’ve never spoken before.
I’ve been thinking about my best PR and expert spokesperson contacts: the ones who I’m always happy to hear from and who send me ideas which often end up as published stories.
And I realised they all have three things in common that make me A) want to work with them in the first place and B) keep me coming back to them.
So today, I thought I’d share what these brilliant people do so well - because if you want to catch a journalist’s attention in today’s frantic climate, you’d do well to copy their style:
They communicate openly
Considering we’re talking about the communications industry here, I find it astonishing how often journalists are contacted by people who aren’t keen on being communicative with us.
As a journalist, I love it when I am pitched by someone who:
✅ Is transparent about the pros and cons of the story. That includes being honest about the story’s weaknesses (e.g., making clear if the scientific research was funded by the brand, if the report has already been featured but this is a new figure, if the case study has had some previous press coverage, etc).
✅ Is honest about the level of exclusivity. As a freelance journalist, it’s vital I know if I’m genuinely being offered an exclusive or if any of the editors I might be pitching the story to have already seen the release. I always appreciate it when PRs share exactly who they’ve already pitched to directly, so I know how to tailor my approach when pitching to editors.
✅ Is open about any stumbling blocks. Case study backed out? Client getting cold feet about the angle? CEO adamant that the story must be released on the awareness day (even though you’ve already explained this could be a bad idea). The PRs who flag up problems ASAP, and are clear about what is going on behind the scenes, save everyone a huge amount of stress in the long run.
They are incredibly efficient
Journalists often work to very short deadlines that don’t really translate into the regular corporate world.
I once apologetically asked an academic expert if he could respond “as soon as possible as I’m on a very tight deadline”, and he said: “Of course, how about the end of next week?” - I’d meant I had a few hours to turn the story around, not several days.
All of the best PRs and experts I work with:
✅ Respond quickly and efficiently. I am always impressed when interview times are set up within minutes of me requesting to speak to a case study or expert, and when any queries around accuracy or data are checked and sorted within the hour.
✅ Understand the pressures of deadlines. My best contacts are always accommodating when I inevitably bombard them with questions on deadline, giving them very little time to respond (even if they then still have to wait weeks for the article to be published). Because they understand that any queries from the editor - however tangential or last-minute - must be resolved to get the article over the line to publication.
They cultivate reciprocal relationships
All the best relationships are reciprocal - and the best ones are long-term. The effort you put into building a relationship with a journalist might not pay off on the first story or the next, but it will do eventually.
It may be that the first time I am pitched an idea, I can only use one line in a wider article. Or sometimes the case study makes the final edit but the brand mention is cut out (it’s awkward but it happens).
But in my best PR relationships:
✅ We both appreciate that it’s a two-way street. If a PR has gone out of their way to be helpful to me, I will always go to the effort of reading their emails, keeping in touch and coming to them when the right opportunity arises.
Similarly, when I’ve helped a PR get great coverage, it’s always lovely when they offer me the full exclusive on the next story because they trust me - or help me out on something which doesn’t directly benefit them.
It always comes back around.
Ready to pitch to that journalist or editor you’ve always wanted to work with, but were too afraid to contact? You can do it! But check out these Get Featured guides first:
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