You can't please all journalists...
...but you can make the right ones happy
If you work in PR, you’ve probably seen plenty of advice that looks like this:
“Journalists don’t like pictures attached to the email, they want you to send a link to an external cloud folder.”
“Journalists don’t trust links to external cloud folders, make sure you include pictures attached to the email.”
“Journalists want to speak to your expert on the phone, make sure they’re available to chat.”
“Journalists don’t have time to speak to your expert on the phone, make sure you have a bank of comments ready to send them quickly.”
“Journalists are most active on Tuesday mornings, that’s the ideal time to send a pitch.”
“Journalists are busiest on Tuesday mornings, that’s the worst time to send a pitch.”
The truth is that all of this advice can be either right or wrong depending on the journalist you are working with.
I always find it baffling when anyone says: “This is what journalists want” - as if we are all exactly the same type of person, writing the same types of stories for the same publications, working the same shifts, and operating in identical ways. It’s as strange as assuming: “All scientists think this”, or “All builders eat this for lunch”.
You will never please everyone, all of the time - the key is to figure out what’s right for the journalist you’re targeting (more on this below).
As someone who literally writes a newsletter sharing advice about pitching to journalists (you’re reading it, hi!), I always try to include caveats that there are exceptions to every rule - and make clear that the tips I share are based on my experiences as a freelance journalist, who both receives multiple PR pitches and pitches stories to editors on a daily basis. Although I’m sure there have been times when I’ve been guilty of generalising too…
What journalists want and how they would like you to pitch depends on a multitude of different factors, including the publication they’re writing for, the type of journalism they do and the hours they work.
So, with every journalist having a different idea of what their perfect pitch looks like, how can you tailor your pitches to ensure you make the journalists you’re targeting happy?
Here are some tips, based on my experiences of pitching stories to multiple different editors:
Be flexible
I’d argue that the best thing anyone pitching to journalists can be is: flexible. There is no single format or pitching method that always works for everyone, so be prepared to adapt.
Many journalists want you to email concise pitches tailored to their publication. But some like to be pitched ideas and then question you about them over the phone. Some journalists are under pressure to produce copy extremely quickly and want you to email them expert comments as soon as possible. Others much prefer your expert to speak to them over the phone, even if that’s at a later date.
The key is to be adaptable and be ready to say “yes” to whatever that particular journalist needs in that moment. If they need speed, respond to any queries as quickly as you can. If they need to make sure the data is good enough quality, make sure you can answer any questions they have and/or share a full dataset with them on request.
One of the best pieces of advice I received as a trainee journalist was: “Editors only want you to solve their problems, they don’t care about yours.”
It’s a mantra I’ve lived by ever since. It means, for example, if an interviewee is proving tricky to get hold of, I don’t tell the editor I can’t get the quotes they need, I find a replacement interviewee. My editor doesn’t want to hear about my problems with the interviewee, they just want the finished piece to include good quotes.
The best PR professionals I work with are the ones who get this, and who are ready to adapt to help facilitate whatever is needed in the moment.
If it’s not working, try something else
This might sound obvious, but if you’re repeatedly doing the same thing and not getting traction with a specific journalist, you need to change strategy. Because it’s likely something about the way you’re pitching isn’t working for this journalist.
For example, journalists working in breaking news, or who have to produce a lot of content every day, often respond well to being sent press releases for immediate release first thing in the morning. But, personally, I’ll never write a news story from this kind of release, because these are usually written up in-house by staff reporters, not commissioned out to freelancers like me.
So, if the journalist you really want to target isn’t biting on your pitches, then it’s likely because this sort of release and/or timing doesn’t work for them, the type of journalism they do or the way they work.
If there’s a specific journalist or publication you’d love to cover your pitch, then try switching to a different style of pitch (offer an exclusive instead of sending general releases, for example) or pitching strategy (try a different lead time, or a different pitch style, like sending a short paragraph with an idea, rather than a full release).
For me, the perfect pitch is an exclusive sent at least two weeks ahead of the embargo date - but everyone has different criteria. With some trial and error, you can figure out what works best for the journalists you’re targeting.
Ask what they want
I appreciate it’s not always easy to meet or have a casual chat with journalists today, but if you do manage to get a journalist away from their desks for a coffee or lunch, or grab five minutes with them at a conference, then seize the opportunity to find out what kind of stories they’re looking for and what type of pitch works best for them.
It’s only through grabbing five minutes here and there with some of my editors that I’ve gathered titbits of information that really help with my pitching strategy for that publication: “I use Friday afternoons to go through the week’s pitches”; “I leave early on a Thursday to do the school run”; “I get 1,000 emails every day so please always follow-up if I don’t reply in 48 hours”; “We’ve had far too many negative pitches recently, we’re really looking for uplifting stories”…
You can use this information to make sure you’re sending them the kind of stories they want, when they want them.
And of course, you can also use the Get Featured Press Deadlines Guide for more general timing rules used by the newsdesks at every major UK news publication!
Ready to try a new pitching strategy? Use these Get Featured guides for inspiration:
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