{"id":13741,"date":"2025-10-27T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=13741"},"modified":"2025-10-14T16:30:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T20:30:17","slug":"pitching-with-purpose-making-it-into-the-priority-inbox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2025\/10\/27\/pitching-with-purpose-making-it-into-the-priority-inbox\/","title":{"rendered":"Pitching With Purpose: Making it Into the Priority Inbox"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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As a journalist studying public relations, I frequently feel like I\u2019m living a double life; some days I find myself submitting a four-page press release for class before heading to the newsroom to dissect another press release for a breaking news story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oftentimes, public relations professionals and journalists don\u2019t understand how crucial a symbiotic relationship can be\u2e3aand this disconnect can happen on both sides of the aisle. To help you prepare for your PR-journalist relations, here are some tips I\u2019ve learned from my PR classes, as well as personal advice as the Editor-in-Chief of my college newspaper.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think Like a Journalist.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the news lately? These are busy times for the journalist major you\u2019re sitting next to in lecture. The future journalist you\u2019ll be desperately emailing to pick up your pitch is bound to be busy, too. According to Muck Rack\u2019s 2025 State of Journalism study, 55% of journalists report receiving more than 5 PR pitches per day<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My advice is to make sure you don\u2019t get banished to their block list? Prepare, personalize and proofread all your communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t just send a pitch to every journalist on your media list \u2014 consider the size of the story\u2019s built-in audience, and distribute accordingly. Do your research on who the journalist is: wonder how their day has been, what their relationship with their audience looks like and even consider perusing their social media to get a sense of their personality.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve gathered enough data on how to approach this journalist, start brainstorming how to get their attention via personalization and attention to detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re pitching a new luxury lotion product, maybe don\u2019t reach out to the journalist who primarily covers underground music scenes. According to Muck Rack, 86% of journalists will disregard a pitch if it\u2019s irrelevant to their coverage area, so personalize that pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, proofread your pitch to ensure it\u2019s clear, concise and free of any spelling or grammatical errors. Don\u2019t bury the news in the second paragraph \u2014get to the point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned before, journalists are busy and will often find any reason to move on from your pitch to the next. This includes seeing any blatant spelling errors within the subject line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that your pitch isn\u2019t in their trash bin (congrats!), let\u2019s get into some specifics on how to stand out to journalists as a PR professional by crafting an irresistible pitch.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Perfect Pitch.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many tips and tricks to crafting a so-called \u201cperfect pitch,\u201d but there are a few key elements that most journalists will consider as ideal, and lead to the highest percentage of follow-through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from approaching the journalist in a straightforward and personalized manner, you also want to make their job as easy as possible. This can look like breaking your pitch up into easily digestible paragraphs, using bullet points and omitting unnecessary background information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some tips I\u2019ve learned that have helped me sharpen my pitch:<\/p>\n\n\n\n