Pitching
Process of proposing story ideas to journalists and media outlets to secure coverage.
Definition
Pitching is the art of proposing newsworthy story angles to journalists with the goal of securing media coverage. A good pitch explains why the story matters to the outlet's audience, provides the journalist with value (exclusive information, expert sources, data), and respects their time with concise, compelling communication.
Effective pitches are personalized to the specific journalist and publication, demonstrate familiarity with their recent work, and align the proposed story with their beat and audience interests. Pitches can be sent via email, phone, or social media, with email being most common. The pitch should include a clear subject line, concise explanation of the story angle, supporting data or credibility markers, and a specific call to action.
Why It Matters
Pitching is how brands earn media coverage and control their narrative. Unlike paid advertising, earned media carries third-party credibility—readers trust journalists more than brand messages. A successful pitch can generate millions in advertising equivalent value while building brand authority.
For PR professionals, pitching is both art and science. Success requires understanding what makes a story newsworthy (timeliness, impact, conflict, human interest), knowing which journalists cover what beats, and timing pitches to align with news cycles. Generic mass pitches get deleted instantly, while personalized, relevant pitches open doors to powerful media relationships.
Pitching also serves as two-way value exchange. Journalists need story ideas and expert sources—good PR professionals provide both. Building a reputation as a reliable source of quality story leads creates ongoing opportunities for coverage long after individual pitches. The best PR-journalist relationships feel less like selling and more like collaboration.
Examples in Practice
A cybersecurity startup pitches TechCrunch about new malware threats targeting remote workers. The pitch includes exclusive research data, offers their CEO as an expert source, and aligns with recent articles the reporter wrote about cybersecurity. TechCrunch covers the story, generating 50,000 visits to the company's website and 200 demo requests.
A nonprofit pitching a story about their housing program initially gets no response. They refine the pitch with a human-interest angle—a single mother who went from homeless to homeowner—and connect it to local affordability trends. The local newspaper runs a front-page feature that drives $45,000 in donations.
A B2B SaaS company mass-emails a generic pitch to 200 journalists. Zero responses. They try again with a targeted approach—identifying 10 journalists who cover their industry, personalizing each pitch with references to their recent articles, and offering exclusive early access to their product. This results in 3 features in industry publications that generate qualified leads.