Earned Media Process — Step 03
Pitch & Outreach
The pitch is where most PR programs fail. Mass email blasts to generic media lists generate spam complaints, not coverage. We write personalized pitches tailored to each journalist's beat, audience, and recent coverage — and send them one at a time.
Personalization at scale
What a Pitch That Gets Opened Actually Looks Like
A journalist's inbox receives 200–500 pitches per day. The ones that get opened share three characteristics: they are addressed to the journalist by name, they reference something the journalist recently wrote, and they lead with the story — not with the company.
The ones that get deleted share three different characteristics: they start with 'I hope this email finds you well,' they describe the company before describing the story, and they are clearly the same email sent to 500 journalists simultaneously.
Our pitch writing process starts with a deep read of each journalist's recent work. We identify the specific angles, sources, and story structures they favor — and write pitches that feel like a natural extension of their existing coverage, not an interruption of it.
Anatomy of a pitch that gets opened
Subject line
Lead with the story angle, not the company name. Under 50 characters. No exclamation points.
Opening line
Reference something the journalist recently wrote. Show you actually read their work.
The story
One paragraph. What is the story? Why does it matter to their audience? What is the hook?
The expert
One sentence. Who is your spokesperson and why are they uniquely qualified to speak on this?
The ask
Specific and low-friction. "Would you be interested in a 20-minute call?" Not "Please cover our company."
Total length
Under 200 words. If you cannot explain the story in 200 words, the story is not clear enough yet.
Pitch performance data
Why Personalized Pitches Outperform Mass Outreach by 8:1
The data on PR pitch performance is unambiguous: personalized pitches that reference the journalist's recent work and lead with the story generate response rates 8–12x higher than generic mass-blast pitches. The investment in research and personalization is not optional — it is the entire strategy.
Pitch response rate by personalization level
Response rate = journalist replies to pitch (positive or requesting more information). LA PPC Pros earned media program data and industry benchmarks.
The Follow-Up Strategy That Doubles Response Rates Without Annoying Journalists
Most PR pitches are sent once and never followed up. This is a mistake — not because journalists need to be pestered, but because their inboxes are genuinely overwhelming and a single pitch can easily get buried. A well-timed, value-adding follow-up is not annoying; it is a professional courtesy that reminds the journalist the story is available.
The key word is "value-adding." A follow-up that says "just checking in to see if you had a chance to read my pitch" adds no value and signals that you have nothing new to offer. A follow-up that says "I wanted to add one more data point that might be relevant to your coverage of [topic]" adds value and gives the journalist a reason to re-engage.
Our follow-up protocol is: one follow-up, sent 5–7 business days after the initial pitch, with a new piece of information or a timely news hook that makes the story more relevant. If there is no response after the follow-up, we move on — we do not send a third email, and we do not call.
Newsjacking: How to Get Placed in Stories That Are Already Being Written
The fastest path to earned media coverage is not creating a new story — it is inserting your expert into a story that is already being written. Newsjacking is the practice of monitoring breaking news and trending topics in your industry and reaching out to journalists who are actively covering those stories to offer your expert as a source.
The window for newsjacking is narrow — typically 24–48 hours after a story breaks. After that, the journalist has already found their sources and the story is written. Speed is the entire strategy. We monitor industry news daily and have a rapid-response pitch process that can get a personalized pitch to a journalist within 2–4 hours of a relevant story breaking.
Outreach program deliverables
- 20–40 personalized pitches per month (not mass blasts)
- One follow-up per pitch, 5–7 days after initial send
- Newsjacking alerts and rapid-response pitches
- HARO (Help a Reporter Out) monitoring and responses
- Monthly outreach report: sent, opened, responded, placed
- Journalist relationship tracking and warm contact cultivation
Get your pitches opened
Personalized Outreach That Journalists Actually Respond To
We write and send personalized pitches to journalists and podcast hosts — tailored to their beat, their audience, and their recent coverage. No mass blasts. No generic templates.