How do I get journalists to reply to my pitch?

The short answer

Make the subject line the story, keep the email under 120 words, and attach nothing. Lead with what is new and why now. Journalists open on the subject line and decide within the first sentence, so anything spent introducing your company before the angle is wasted.

The email that works

Subject line: the headline they could run. First sentence: the finding or the news. Second: the evidence. Third: what you can provide, a quote, the dataset, an interview. Then a link and your name.

No attachments, no logos, no paragraph about your brand’s mission. If they want background they will ask.

Timing beats volume

Reactive pitches sent within two hours of a news event outperform everything else. Set alerts for the topics you can credibly comment on and be quick.

For planned stories, mid-morning midweek is the least bad time. Avoid Fridays and avoid anything embargoed unless they agreed to it first.

Why you are being ignored

Usually one of four things: the story is about you rather than their readers, it is not new, there is no evidence behind the claim, or you sent it to someone who does not cover your beat. Check all four before blaming the journalist.

Quick answers

Should I follow up?

Once, after three working days, with new information rather than a nudge. A second angle beats a second reminder.

Do embargoes help?

Only with journalists who have agreed to one. Sending an unrequested embargo to a cold contact reads as presumptuous.

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