How To Contact Reporters: Nine Key Things to Be Aware Of

As a writer for Forbes, A Sweat Life, Reader’s Digest, and many other publications over the years, I get pitches every day. That’s part of the reason why I co-created Pitch Please, which is an online public relations course. How to contact reporters isn’t as hard as you may think it is, as long as you keep a few guidelines in mind. After all, if you are going to send someone a pitch about your business or product, you want to make the best use of your time and make sure they’ll actually open your email and read it. Here are nine key things to be aware of.

Side note: The information in this post is perfect for business owners and influencers looking to dip their toe in the water of public relations. If you're ready to skip to the good stuff, click here to learn more about our online public relations course, Pitch, Please!

They don’t care if you have a publicist

I get pitches from both publicists and entrepreneurs every day. I’ve received amazing pitches from entrepreneurs and complete duds from seasoned publicists alike. It does not matter to me or my colleagues who writes the email, only the content of that email. So if you’re feeling worried about reaching out to the media on your own, you shouldn’t be. You need to take the plunge and just go for it!

It’s better to keep your pitch short

Less is more when it comes to pitches. I don’t want to read your life story or have a report of your quarterly earnings for the past five years. I want to know a little bit about who you are, what your business is, any achievements such as awards, accolades or that you gave a TED Talk, and what you want me to cover. Aim for approximately 500 words. 

Reporters may get 100 pitches or more every day

Anyone who writes for a major publication, like Vogue, Inc or Bustle has an overflowing inbox. So, there is a good chance they may not be able to get to your pitch, or even see your email came through. It has nothing to do with the pitch itself or even the brand or product— there are simply 24 hours in each day. 

Writers aren’t paid to respond to emails

I wish I could respond to every email I receive, but that’s impossible. I’m not paid to answer emails. I’m paid to write articles and turn in assignments. While dealing with emails is part of what I do, the amount of time devoted to it can take away from other endeavors. This isn’t to discourage you, but even if someone sends me a great pitch and follows up, there are times when I’m simply unable to respond.

A good subject line is important

You need to make your subject line stand out. Aim to write something interesting that will make reporters want to know more and actually open the email. Don’t be vague and write something like PITCH or PITCH: This is the next hot brand. Be specific and make it exciting. After all, writers want things to pique their interest and potentially discover the next big thing. It makes their jobs more fun and fulfilling.

Here are some examples of interesting subject lines:

Move Over Hyaluronic Acid, This Is Next Hot Skincare Ingredient

This Trainer Found The Secret To Keeping Her Clients Motivated 

The Coach Top Billionaires Are Hiring Shares Her Best Secrets

They aren’t personally rejecting you

Rejection never feels good. And whether your emails go unanswered or a reporter doesn’t reply with a resounding “yes,” that doesn’t mean you should take any of this personally. It may have nothing to do with you. 

They also may not be writing articles related to your business at the moment. Here’s a big secret that most people don’t know about writers: They don’t always get to choose what they write. Much of the time, journalists are assigned articles by their editors. 

So, let’s say you’ve created a productivity planner and you decide to reach out to a writer who recently posted a productivity planner roundup. That sounds like a smart idea. What you might not know is that her editor may have assigned her that roundup and she isn’t planning to write a similar article any time soon. So, the reason why she may not have media placement for your product has nothing to do with you or her. It’s just that her editor is having her cover another topic at this time.

“No” can also mean “not right now”

I can’t tell you how often I’ve ignored pitches for months or even years only to say yes at a later date. For example, as someone who writes about interior design, I receive pitches about sofas every single week. I will often make notes of sofas that are unique or that I find interesting in one way or another because although I’m not writing about them now, I’m likely to in the future. So keep following up and try not to become discouraged if a writer rejects your idea or doesn’t respond. You might not get media coverage right away, but things can always change and they often do. Have a little faith in the process!

This aspect of PR is covered in depth in our online public relations course, Pitch, Please! 

Timing is very important

Except for print media, most reporters for online publications aren’t thinking about Christmas in July or Valentine's Day in November. Pitching too early won’t do you any favors if you have a seasonal product. There’s a fine line.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t try and pitch in advance. For example, it’s perfectly fine to reach out with tips for filing taxes in mid-January. Do you own an outdoor furniture company? Get ahead of the game and start pitching in late March or early April. Writers may end up asking you to follow up at a later date. That’s a good sign that you will be getting placement in a publication.

Avoid typos at all costs 

If you are going to make the effort to pitch, please make sure your spelling and grammar are correct. Mistakes like that are very amateur. Since you will likely be using the same or a similar pitch template for multiple reporters you are reaching out to, take the time to proofread your work. Grammarly, which is free, can also be a big help. I highly recommend downloading it as either a browser extension or a standalone app. It truly improves your writing like nothing else can.  

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