Pitching journalists: what founders get wrong

Founders tend to pitch the way they sell: enthusiasm first, product second, news somewhere near the bottom. Journalists read the opposite way. They scan for what is new, why it matters now and whether it belongs on their beat. If those answers are not visible in the first two lines, the email is usually gone.

Mistake one: leading with the company

A pitch that opens with a founding story, a mission statement or a list of awards asks the reader to do the work of finding the news. Reverse it. Start with the development itself, such as a launch, a market entry, a hire or a finding, then give one sentence on why it matters to the reporter's readers. The company background can follow in a short paragraph or a linked fact sheet.

Mistake two: pitching everyone

A long distribution list feels efficient and performs badly. Reporters cover specific beats, and they notice when a pitch has clearly been sent to dozens of people. A smaller list of journalists who have written about your space, each addressed by name with a line on why the story fits their coverage, will usually outperform a mass send.

Mistake three: making the story hard to cover

Reporters work to deadlines. A good idea that needs three emails to confirm an interview, find a usable photo and check a basic fact often loses to a slightly weaker idea that arrives ready to go. Before you pitch, prepare a spokesperson who is available, clear images, a short fact sheet and anything else a reporter would need to file quickly.

Mistake four: the follow-up that adds nothing

"Just checking you saw this" is the most common follow-up and the least useful. If you follow up, do it once and bring something new: a customer willing to speak, a fresh angle tied to something in the news, or an offer of an exclusive. If there is still no reply, move on and keep the relationship for the next story.

What a good pitch looks like

Good pitches are short. A subject line that states the news plainly, two or three sentences on what is happening and why it matters, a clear offer of what the reporter can have, and a way to reach you quickly. It is not glamorous, and that is the point. The less effort it takes a journalist to understand your story, the more likely they are to tell it.