How to Pitch a Story to a Journalist
18 Aug 2025, Deya Bhattacharya
18 Aug 2025, Deya Bhattacharya
With the growing complexity of the media landscape and increasingly tighter timelines for getting news ready, journalists have less time than ever to sift through the hundreds of pitches they get every week. Chances are, if yours doesn’t hook them within the first few lines, it’ll go straight to the recycle bin — and even high-quality pitches can have a hard time standing out amidst a sea of equally good pitches.
The most reliable way to secure a journalist’s interest? Show that you value their time and expertise. Go beyond the generic press release and craft a pitch that showcases the value you offer to your audience while adhering to the journalist’s editorial and topical preferences. Here’s how to make it work.
Simply reading the journalist’s public profile or top three articles isn’t enough. Do your homework on the kinds of stories they cover, the platforms they feature stories on, the types of sources they quote, and any patterns of preference they might have. This allows you to personalise your pitch by mentioning something they recently covered and explaining how your story builds upon it or connects to it.
In a flooded journalistic inbox, dull or tacky subject lines are a death sentence. Craft your subject line to be professional, short, and eye-catching. Good options include quoting a noteworthy statistic or posing a thought-provoking question. Things to avoid include exclamation marks, sales-y copy, or words like “urgent” or “breaking”.
Journalists aren’t looking to sell your company or your product. They’re interested in reporting on relevant industry patterns, addressing audience problems, or being the first to share new insights. Your pitch, therefore, should centre the value-add that your story offers, such as a shift in consumer behaviour or a development that solves a longstanding problem. Your brand should appear as the source of this value-add, rather than the hero of the story.
As mentioned above, journalists simply do not have the time for a below-par pitch. Make yours stand out by keeping it crisp and easy to scan for all relevant information. Highlight important facts and figures, place quotes in quote boxes, and use bullet points to break up your text as needed. If you’re offering exclusive information, such as input from a coveted expert or brand-new research data, mention this early on as a selling point.
Different categories of journalists follow different timelines. For instance, business reporters tend to prefer feature pitches earlier in the week while prioritising breaking news on Fridays. The industry you’re in matters too. Technology journalists are more likely to accept general stories in between major industry events (when their schedule is lighter), while HR/productivity journalists are likely to accept different pitches based on the time of the year (e.g. compensation-related posts around monthly pay day or work-life balance posts near holiday season).
Journalists are accustomed to brands simply reaching out when they want coverage — stand out by showing up as a brand that values relationships. Share interesting information as a way to contribute rather than a transactional offering, and go the extra mile by offering inputs for stories you’re not involved in yourself or connections to experts that the journalist might want to talk to. Over time, this can reap rich rewards in terms of a relationship based on trust rather than just the pursuit of promotion.
It’s perfectly acceptable to follow up with the journalist, but make sure you wait at least a week before doing so. Phrase it politely, include your original pitch for easy reference, and add any new inputs that might make your story more relevant. If the journalist doesn’t get back after two follow-ups, accept it as a pass and move on. Avoid pushy follow-ups, as this can damage your chances of getting featured later.
If your pitch gets accepted and your story gets covered, send the journalist a thank-you note within 24 hours. Be sure to share the feature story on your own channels and credit the journalist by name, tagging them where appropriate. This gesture shows that you value the work they have put into your story, and leaves the door open for future collaborations.
Perhaps the most important point to remember — building journalist relationships takes time. Invest in offering valuable, relevant stories that solve a need rather than pushing an agenda, and treat journalists with the respect and appreciation that you would want for your own brand.
This is precisely the approach we take at Star Squared PR, and we’re proud to have built excellent relationships with leading journalists all over India. So when you work with us, you can expect meaningful coverage that positions your brand as the go-to expert. Reach out to our team today to know more.
