1. The “Short and Sweet” Media Pitch Example

• Name: Sujan Patel  

• Title: Contributing Writer

• Has Written For: Forbes, Inc., and Entrepreneur Magazine

Sujan Patel has received thousands of pitches while working as a contributing writer for publications like Forbes and Entrepreneur. Below, he gives an example of one of his favorite pitches and his reasons for choosing it. 

What's Good About This PR Pitch, According to Sujan?

"Here's an example of a pitch I was pretty impressed with. It included enough information to pique my interest but was short and sweet enough to retain my attention. It also included a clear call to action."

2. The “Old Story, New Angle” PR Pitch Example

• Name: Olivia Morely

• Title: Senior Advertising Reporter

• Has Written For: AdWeek

Olivia Morely receives so many pitches from PR pros that her automated email response navigates them to a complete guide of her pitching preferences. It is incredibly helpful in revealing what journalists need from a pitch. You can read it here. For an example of her favorite pitch, read on… 

What's Good About This PR Pitch, According to Olivia?

"Taylor read a recent story I'd done, but pitched me on a totally different angle! This pitch's length is perfect. One paragraph summarizing the gist of the article made it easy to absorb."

3. The “Proved They Did Their Homework” Media Pitch Example

• Name: Kendall Bakeer

• Title: Contributing Writer

• Media Outlet: The Hustle

Kendall Bakeer was so fed up with receiving spam-like pitches that he wrote an open letter to PR professionals telling them precisely what he expects to see from a pitch. Here’s an example of a good pitch in his eyes:

What's Good About This PR Pitch, According to Kendall?

 "Not only did this person read something I wrote (it's a pretty sweet article), but he/she also took the time to go into detail about it. This builds a relationship right off the bat, making it more likely that I continue reading and then email back (the rest of this email was a pretty standard pitch). It takes about five minutes to read a post, people. And it all but guaranteed this person a response."

4. The “Reactive Research” PR Pitch Example

• PR Pro: Kelsey Libert

• Brand/Agency: Fractl

When New York City Public Schools banned ChatGPT in late 2022, Kelsey Libert's team at PR agency Fractl saw an opportunity to newsjack the story. In her BuzzSumo article, "PR Links and Earned Media CAN Lead To Organic Traffic. Here’s How…", Kelsey reveals how Fractl quickly surveyed educators and students to understand their thoughts and concerns about this major education policy shift and pitched it to media outlets covering education, parenting, technology, and politics.

The results were impressive:

• Coverage in prominent publications like:

  The Wall Street Journal

  Business Insider

  USA Today

  EdWeek

  SF Chronicle

  Independent

  Yahoo!

  TechSpot

  Entrepreneur

  Futurism

  The Guardian

  Silicon Republic

• Links from over 300 sites across two campaign executions

By acting fast and offering valuable, data-led perspectives, Fractl positioned its client as a thought leader in the ChatGPT and education policy debate. Here’s the pitch that won them coverage:  

What’s Good About This PR Pitch?

The pitch does an excellent job of zeroing in on a hot topic: the national debate around ChatGPT's impact on education policy. By highlighting a timely issue, Fractl ensured the content was relevant and valuable to journalists.

It Includes Solid Data

The pitch doesn't just make claims; it supports the narrative with quantitative research. From 112,740% growth in ChatGPT search interest to detailed survey results, there's a strong data-driven foundation.

The Campaign Idea Was Strong

The pitch idea and execution were solid from the outset, so the email copy wrote itself. The opener needed only to set out the context of the trend, and the remaining paragraphs to include the research findings and quotes.

It Adds Color with Different Perspectives

Beyond the numbers, the pitch includes candid quotes. This humanizes the story, provides a richer, multi-faceted view of the issue, and gives journalists another angle or article style to work with. If they couldn’t see a place for statistics in their next article, maybe they’d want to use the contributors as part of a human-interest story.

It Leaves Room for Further Exploration

The final question about "exclusive research" is a smart move. It’s a clear CTA that piques the journalist's curiosity and leaves the door open for expanding the story with additional context and analysis.

5. The “Emotional Exclusive” Media Pitch Example

• Name: Tom Mazzarelli

• Title: Executive Producer

• Media Outlet: The TODAY Show

While the following pitch was supplied by an employed correspondent of TODAY rather than a PR professional, it succinctly demonstrates the key tenets of a successful TV pitch, as outlined by the executive producers and editors at NBCU Academy, in conversation with “The Art of the Pitch.” They are as follows:

The Fundamentals of a Good TV Pitch:

• Have a clear peg or time frame for when the story should be covered.

• Identify the key characters or people who will drive the story and make it compelling.

• Ensure the pitch is original, exclusive, and relevant to the specific news outlet and its audience.

Preparation and pitching style:

• Do thorough research and reporting before pitching to have a well-developed story.

• Decide whether to pitch in writing, in-person, or a combination, based on the news outlet's preferences.

• Be persistent but not overbearing when pitching ideas, and be prepared for some rejections.

• Collaborate with colleagues to refine the pitch and get feedback before presenting it.

Budgeting and logistics:

• Be upfront about any significant budget requirements, as this can impact the decision-making process.

• Have a contingency plan if key characters or elements of the pitch change after it has been accepted.

What’s Good About This PR Pitch, According to Exec Producer Tom Mazzarelli?

“It’s funny because this came from an original pitch, which [we] passed on, and then the correspondent came back and said ‘Well I’m also working on this’, so kudos [to him] for sticking with it. We bought it immediately, and part of [the reason] was there was a picture of the premature twins in a NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care) unit in Ukraine. You saw the visual and you could just connect to it. The correspondent was relatively new, this is one of the first pictures we’d gotten from him. We said, ‘Yes, if the parents will talk, we’ll happily take it.’ He ended up getting the parents, who are in the States, on Zoom, and we turned the piece around for the next day. That’s the pace of our show, because [it’s about] what’s going on, but that differs depending on the platform.” The pitch above was bought by the TODAY show immediately because it had: 

• A clear and timely news peg: the ability to quickly turn around the story for the next day's broadcast and the fact that it tied into the broader news story of the war in Ukraine were key factors in the decision to greenlight this pitch.  

• Strong key characters: The parents were willing and able to provide firsthand accounts of their experiences. 

• An exclusive story: The pitch offered a different type of “war” story in the form of an untold personal experience. 

• A strong emotional hook: The pitch fully hits the brief in terms of its audience. The TODAY show viewers are intrigued by human interest stories, and the visuals of the premature twin babies evoke a strong emotional response. The phrasing of the sentence “Just imagine you’re a continent away from your newborns who are in an active warzone…” within the pitch drives that point home.  

• Relevance to the audience: Even though the correspondent was new, their pitch demonstrated a keen understanding of what the TODAY show audience would find compelling.

6. Product Launch Pitch Example

Subject Line: "New AI Tool Reduces Small Business Churn by 40%"

Hi [Journalist’s Name],

I recently read your article on small business marketing trends and loved your insights on customer retention challenges. Since you cover innovative business solutions, I wanted to introduce you to [Company Name], which just launched an AI-powered tool that helps businesses reduce customer churn by 40%.

A recent study found that small businesses lose billions annually due to customer turnover. Our tool automates personalized engagement, helping brands retain customers more effectively. We’ve already partnered with [Notable Company] to improve their retention rates.

Would you be interested in speaking with our CEO for an exclusive look at how this tool is shaping the future of customer loyalty? Looking forward to your thoughts.

Best, 
[Your Name] 
[Your Position] 
[Your Company] 
[Your Contact Information]

7. Expert Interview Pitch Example

Subject Line: "Interview Opportunity: AI Expert on the Future of Automation"

Hi [Journalist’s Name],

I came across your recent article on automation in the workplace and found it insightful. Given your focus on AI-driven business trends, I wanted to offer you an exclusive interview with [Expert Name], a leading AI strategist who has worked with [Major Companies].

[Expert Name] can provide valuable insights into how AI will reshape industries in the next five years, from job automation to customer service innovations. With AI adoption expected to grow by 60% in the next three years, this topic is more relevant than ever.

Would you be interested in setting up a 20-minute interview? Happy to coordinate at your convenience.

Best, 
[Your Name] 
[Your Contact Information]

8. Event Media Pitch

Subject Line: "Invitation: [Event Name] on [Date]"

Hi [Journalist’s Name],

I wanted to personally invite you to [Event Name], happening on [Date] at [Location]. This event will feature [Notable Speakers] and cover [Key Topics].

We’d love for you to attend and cover the event. I can provide a media pass and set up interviews with [Notable Attendees]. Let me know if you’re interested, and I’d be happy to arrange everything for you.

Best, 
[Your Name]

9. The Relevant Share Email

With this type of email, you share content related to the journalist's recently published work. To make this work, make sure your shared content is:

• Highly relevant to their previous work

• From a reputable source

• Obscure enough that they might not have read it themselves

• An interesting or controversial take on the topic also works well.

Here’s the template: 

Refer to their recently published article. Avoid overusing curiosity gaps and power words. A simple subject line like this appears less spammy and is more likely to be read.

Email Body  

This email feels like a fan sharing something relevant, not a marketer trying to push his agenda. Here are all the interesting personalized components that I highlighted above:

• The easiest way to get a journalist to drop his guard is to mention someone they know and trust.

• This might not always be possible, but if you have a mutual contact, refer to them right away.  

• This should be obvious enough; include a link to their published article.  

• This next one is a little trickier. You want to share relevant content, but you also don’t want it to sound like you’re pushing my work. Select a reputable source and ensure that the shared content offers a relevant and interesting perspective.  

• Close with a simple question. You won’t always get a response, but it does the job of registering your name on their radar.  

For example, here’s a message I sent to Fred Wilson about his post on marketing. If you’ve exchanged messages with a journalist in the past, you can be much more casual in your email. For example, here’s a message I sent to Darrell Etherington of TechCrunch:  

• A few days later, Darrell shared the article on TechCrunch:  

• I’ll show you the payoff from these conversations in the next section.

• Sharing relevant content is excellent, but to truly hit the mark, try the following relationship-building email.

10. The “Results” Email

Follow an influencer’s advice and share the fantastic results with them.

Influencers love it because of it:

• It helps their brand if they can publicly share how their advice helped someone else.

• It makes them feel good that their advice generated results.

The key to scaling this email is:

• Share generic results (“increased SEO traffic” as opposed to “got 98 backlinks”)

• Email every influencer whose advice I’ve followed.

Here’s a Template

Subject line: 

Again, we’re keeping things simple. Show genuine appreciation instead of resorting to complex wordplay. Use generic results if you’re targeting a category of journalists or influencers (say, “fitness bloggers”). If you have specific results from following a particular influencer’s advice, use that in the subject line when mailing this influencer (“lost 20 lbs with your diet!”).

Email body: 

Here are a few things to personalize, such as:

• Change this to the age of the blog (or how long you’ve been reading it). 

• Don’t use the exact headline of the article (that makes you sound like a spammer)

• Instead, paraphrase the headline (“5 Secrets to Creating an About Page” -> “creating a great about page”).

• Share your results. This example has a generic result (“reduced stress levels”), but exact results if I have them work better.

• Don’t push a share. Instead, subtly ask them to share if they’re “so inclined.”

• If you’re using this purely for relationship building, skip the CTA at the end

11. The Related Story Email

The idea behind this email is to reference the journalist’s recent story and then use it to promote my product pitch. Add some personalized comments to make the email sound more authentic and genuine. 

Here’s a Template

Subject line:

Keep things simple by simply referring to their recent work. This keeps their guard low and compels them to at least open the email.

Email body:

This type of email works best when targeting professional journalists (as opposed to influencers), who are accustomed to receiving email pitches. The first paragraph is entirely personalized. The second paragraph has little personalization. Because of this, you can use the same company pitch on more than one journalist; you just have to personalize the “recent accomplishment” to fit the right recipient. This is an important step that you’ll want to double and triple-check!

Smart Comment + Business Pitch Framework

Make sure that your comment or question is probing, authentic, and intelligent. A generic “great article!” comment just comes across as spammy. I have a one-sentence pitch for my business. If not, use this Mad Libs format: “My business {name of business} creates {name of product} to help {target market} solve {target problem} with {secret sauce}.” The recent accomplishment doesn’t have to be related to the article in question, but it will help.

Refined Pitch, Real Results

Expand on the recent accomplishment here. I'll tie it to the article in question. 
Notice that the email doesn’t close with a big request. It merely asks the journalist if they want to know more. This avoids the problem of long emails (which journalists hate) by breaking down the pitch and the actual content into two separate emails. Send the content only if the journalist gives me the go-ahead. 

12. The Infographic Email

Here’s an email for pushing out an infographic to the press.

Subject line:  

Refer to:

• Their article topic

• The content type (in this case, an infographic)

• Clear and precise works better than obscure and convoluted.  

Email body:  

Except for the second paragraph and the article title, there is little personalization here. This is because securing press coverage for infographics is a volume game. If you start personalizing every email, you’ll never hit scale.

Instead:

• Refer to their article title, then add a line or two on what I like about it. This makes the email feel more personalized.

• Inform them about my infographic. Instead of sending a link, ask them if they want to know more.

• If the target responds affirmatively, send them a link to the infographic. You can also offer to write a custom introduction to make publishing easier.

This two-step process works better than writing a long single email. Additionally, I can mass-mail the first email and only bother with personalization for targets who respond positively. 

13. The “Exclusive Research” Email

Exclusive research and data are a great way to secure press coverage. Not only do journalists love it, but it’s also challenging to do, which keeps spammers at bay.

Here’s a template for sending out these types of emails:

Subject line: 

This subject line uses the magic word “data,” which piques the reader’s curiosity. It also uses the word “juicy” to show that I have something interesting to share. The “interested?” interrogative makes the subject punchier. This works perfectly with the controversial topic of the research, what journalist wouldn’t be interested in data about racial bias in dating?

Email body:

This might seem rather long, but when I’m trying to get journalists interested in original research, I need to have plenty of depth. I would like to outline my credentials, highlight my most significant findings, and describe my methodology. This email, despite its length, only has a single personalized paragraph. The rest of the email can be used as is. This personalized paragraph references the journalist’s recent work. I can then use this reference to plug my research. This paragraph gives a brief overview of “who” conducted the study.

Lead with Credibility, Hook with Controversy

OKCupid is a recognizable brand name, but if I’m promoting an unknown brand, I might have to highlight its credentials (like: “original research on driverless cars from former Google exec”). Lay out the juiciest details from the research. The more controversial, the better. The CTA asks a rhetorical question and then plugs the report. I can divide this into two separate emails as well (like in the template above).

14. The Story Pitch Email

I found a top journalist publicly discussing a topic on Twitter. How do I respond to such an open request?

Easy:

• Have a story worth telling

• Use this pitch

Subject line:  

Again, we’re going with a personalized, conversational subject line. My only concern is to ensure that it’s related to the topic the journalist asked about.

Email body: 

This email is based on a specific find on Twitter (or any other public channel). As such, it is tailored to only one recipient. I can’t really scale it.

To use this:

• Refer to their question on Twitter in the first line. This grabs their attention and tells them that I have something relevant to share.

• Share my story. For this to work, I need to share a) what I did and b) my results. Be as succinct as possible. Be sure to include the juiciest details (here, “sleeping in a car” and “$100k lifeline”) to capture their interest.

• Ask those nearby if they would like to know more. If they bite, I’ll share the rest of the story.

15. The Related Story Email, Part 2

Here’s another way to leverage a related story to plug my product.

Subject line: 

Unlike the subject lines I’ve shared earlier, this one is much more provocative. The reference to the journalist’s recent work is oblique, but the compelling story angle makes up for it. What journalist wouldn’t be interested in a replacement for all food? If I have a groundbreaking product, try adopting this approach. Make a sensational claim in the subject line, then back it up in the email body.

Email body: 

This email follows a familiar pattern:

• Mention the journalist’s recent work

• Relate it to my product.

You’ll notice that the only part I need to personalize is the first paragraph. The rest of the email can be sent as-is to any number of contacts. 

Let’s dissect this a bit:

• Use the first paragraph to offer comments on the journalist’s recent work. I don’t have to have groundbreaking insight; I just need to be personalized enough not to appear like a mass spammer.

• This is your main product pitch.

• My product’s primary benefits. Change these based on the publication’s target audience. For example, I might focus on the time-saving benefits of Soylent when pitching to a magazine for entrepreneurs. For a magazine read by housewives, I might push the health benefits and cost savings instead.

• (Optional) Pitch an angle that the journalist can explore. Adjust it to suit the journalist or publication’s focus. If my target journalist has written extensively about life hacking, for instance, I can pitch that angle here.

• Close by asking if the journalist wants to know more. If they reply affirmatively, send over the rest of my content.  

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