A pitch is a short, personalized message sent to a journalist to propose a story idea. Unlike a press release, which follows a formal structure and is distributed widely, a pitch is conversational, tailored to a specific journalist and focused on why the story matters to their audience.
A good pitch is three to five sentences long, opens with a hook, explains why the journalist specifically should care, and ends with a clear next step (interview, demo, embargoed access).
Anatomy of a strong pitch
- Subject line: a specific, concrete teaser (not "Press release" or "Story idea")
- Opening: one sentence that shows you read their recent work
- Hook: what the news is, in one sentence, with a stat or angle
- Why them: why this story fits their beat
- Ask: interview, exclusive, embargo, demo
Related terms
- Press Release - A formal written statement distributed to media outlets to announce something newsworthy about a company or organization.
- Media Relations - The practice of building and maintaining relationships with journalists and media professionals.
- Embargo - An agreement between a company and a journalist that the journalist will not publish a story before a specified date and time.
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