5 pitching secrets from an ex-journalist

There’s an important—and, ideally, symbiotic—relationship between reporters and PR pros.

Good story ideas are valuable, but the presentation is crucial, and what public relations practitioner doesn’t crave coverage?

During my time as a journalist, I learned what good and bad pitches look like—and that most journalists simply don’t answer emails from PR pros.

I still don’t know the secret to getting a reporter to politely reject a pitch (rather than ignoring it), but there are key elements that help prompt a journalist to say “yes” to a story idea—or at least ask for more information. Here are five essentials:

1. Be informative, but concise. Make sure your pitch isn’t too long or too short. Journalists don’t want to scroll through half a dozen paragraphs to know what you’re pitching, but they also don’t want to be left wondering what you’re trying to get across. Include in your pitch: who your client is, their area of expertise, and why they’re a good fit for the publication. If reporters have to do research just to find out what the company does, they’ll be less inclined to want to write about it.