What pitching will look like in 2026
My predictions for the year ahead (it's not as gloomy as you'd think)
What will happen to the media industry and to PR/journalist relations in the next 12 months?*
It makes me laugh when I see people confidently predicting what the future holds for media and PR because the truth is: no one really knows.
The industry has gone through more changes and upheaval in the past 18 months than I’ve seen at any other time in my 15-year career. And my more experienced colleagues also agree that this is an unprecedented time of change.
I’m not going to claim I know precisely how things are going to pan out in the near future either, but in this Get Featured newsletter I’ll be sharing the biggest changes i’ve seen recently and why I think they mean we need to adapt how we pitch to news publications going forward.
*Yes, sorry, I know February is a bit late for a “new year” post but it’s taken me this long to emerge from the post-Christmas haze…
One thing we all know is that the joint forces of social media and AI are pushing us into working in ways which I never imagined five years ago.
This often gets painted as A Bad Thing. In some ways it might be, but mainly it’s just different. From the introduction of the wireless and television, to the launch of computers and the internet, the media industry has always adapted in the face of new technology.
OK, today’s new technology is being launched and updated more rapidly than we’ve ever seen - but the human need to share stories and find out information about the world around us prevails.
One way or another, news media will find a way to survive. At least that’s what I’m pinning my hopes on..
But what’s actually changed - and why does that matter when you’re pitching in the next 12 months?
Last month, I shared my thoughts on the big changes in the media industry and how they’re affecting how we pitch in my webinar Media Pitching in 2026: What You Need to Know (see the bottom of this post for info on how to catch up if you missed the session).
So today, I’m sharing some of the key points we covered in that discussion. So here are the three biggest shifts the media industry has seen in the last year - and how they’re changing the rules of pitching:
1. The tsunami of AI press releases
I’d never normally claim to say any trend is universal to all journalists, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this is something that affects all of us: there is loads of AI-written slop coming into our inboxes.
ChatGPT (and the others) can churn out a decent-looking press release in seconds. Mass mailing lists can send these to thousands of journalists in seconds. The inevitable result is an influx of this stuff.
And this matters if you’re trying to send your own pitch because:
The volume of emails journalists receive each day has increased, making it harder to get their time and attention.
There have been multiple cases of fakery reported: fake PRs, fake freelance journalists, fake press releases, fake pitches and fake stories all tricking their way into mainstream publications (see the fantastic reporting on this by Rob Waugh for Press Gazette). Unfortunately, the knock-on effect has been increased scepticism and reduced trust in all pitches.
So what can you do about it?
Be as human as possible. It feels ridiculous to say this, but in 2026, simply “being a real person” seems to be a USP.
Sure, ChatGPT can generate a pitch email which looks pretty good. But when journalists are getting dozens, if not hundreds of these a day, they all look extremely similar. You can make your pitch stand out simply by not using AI to write or format it. When I look through my inbox, the emails which have been written by hand (i.e. not by AI, you don’t have to literally written in pen) and tailored to me stand out a mile.
I’m not anti-AI and I know it can be useful for many things - but standing out from the crowd is not one of them.
Use AI to help you analyse your data or fine-tune your mailing list, but when you’re sending an intro email and your pitch or release, writing it yourself and letting your personality come through will help demonstrate you are real - and that your pitch is worth paying attention to.
2. Big changes in newsrooms
In the past few years, most major traditional news publications in the UK have undergone changes to both their structure and focus. These include:
A shift from prioritising the print edition and newspaper front page to focusing on the online edition(s) and the top stories online (often including at least some merging of print and online editorial teams).
A new focus on creating editorial content which attracts and retains subscribers - including global audiences, not just the traditional UK readers.
Introducing new types of content and exploring new channels, including social media videos, radio, podcasts and newsletters.
A shift from having two separate daily and Sunday editorial teams to one merged team operating seven days a week (this is happening at most, but not all, publications - The Sunday Times remains largely separate, for example).
Mass redundancies and mergers meaning fewer journalists to do the same volume of work (if not more, because of all the extra types of content they’re now expected to create).
These changes are largely aimed at bringing news brands to new audiences and keeping existing readers engaged (whether or not they will help news publishers generate enough income to survive is a story for another day…).
But these changes have also shifted what editors are looking for in pitches - and how best to get their attention.
What can you do about it?
While it remains true that ultimately editors just want great stories, it also helps if you can demonstrate how your pitch will help them tick all these extra boxes.
With inboxes busier than ever and journalists incredibly short of time, you want to show within a few seconds of reading that your pitch will be perfect for the current focus of their publication.
That could include:
Writing a headline in the house style of the target publication’s online coverage (and putting this as the subject line)- Emulating the publication’s style is like waving a big flag saying “look how well this idea works for this publication!”
Making clear what you can add over and above the story itself, including where it would work for social channels - Is there a visual element which could be filmed for socials? Does your expert or case study have a big social media following they could promote the article to? Do you have a dataset which could be made into an interactive table or graphic to keep readers on the page? Add bullet points into your pitch to list any “extras”.
Offering a punchy exclusive which is likely to draw readers in and encourage them to subscribe to the publication. - While this isn’t going to be possible with every story pitch, keeping in mind this is what editors are ideally looking for can help you focus on ensuring your pitch is as good as it can be before pressing “send”.
3. The rise of indy journalism
From local newsletters like the Manchester Mill winning the big press awards to Amol Rajan announcing on TikTok that he’s leaving the BBC to join the “creator economy”, there’s no denying independent journalism has moved from niche to mainstream in the past 12 months - and I personally think it’s only going to become more significant over the coming year.
This is both an opportunity and a problem if you’re used to pitching to traditional news outlets.
On the one hand, a proliferation of small publications = lots of potential new outlets to pitch to and more opportunities to cover. On the other, the fracturing of the traditional news publisher model may make it much harder to reach large audiences with one story. And dealing with lots of small brands instead of a few big ones does typically = more work…
What can you do about it?
The big news publishers haven’t gone anywhere yet, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t explore other options.
Keep track of what key journalists in your niche are up to on socials and on platforms like Substack - and go ahead and pitch to them if you see an opportunity.
As a freelance journalist, I never expected one of my income streams would involve writing for other journalists’ newsletters or appearing on their podcasts and social channels, but it’s something I’ve started doing in the last year and plan to do more of in the year ahead.
There are plenty of opportunities for PR pitches too - especially if you’re promoting experts and campaigning ideas as these could help journalists come up with content ideas for regular newsletters or guest slots on social channels.
And finally, here’s my pitching plan for this year
As I said at the beginning, I don’t believe anyone who claims they know what the future holds for the media industry. But I am going to make some changes to how I pitch, taking into account everything above.
That includes:
Actively searching for new editors and outlets to pitch to, including non-traditional media channels.
Focusing on offering quality exclusives to help editors tick that “creating value for subscribers” box.
Using short bullet points in my pitches to make clear where I can add extras.
Avoiding the temptation to use AI to write a pitch intro or headline for me and trusting that my own voice is what editors want to hear.
What are your plans for this year? Have you changed anything about the way you’re pitching recently to increase your chances of getting a “yes”? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Did you miss my Media Pitching in 2026 webinar?
If you didn’t get a chance to buy a ticket for last month’s webinar and would like to watch it back, the good news is: you still can!
The recording is available for the ticket price of £25 or £20 for paid subscribers. If you’re interested in accessing it, please email me with WEBINAR in the subject line and I’ll be in touch.
(I’m working on creating a fancy button where you can click to pay and download any of my webinars but it’s not ready yet, so bear with me…)
Here are some of my favourite Get Featured guides from the past year which you might have missed:
