Pitch a story to a specific journalist
intermediateClaude SonnetPR & CommunicationsMedia Relationsmedia-pitchjournalist-outreachpressmedia-relationsemail
Use case
Use when you're pitching a single reporter rather than blasting a list. The output references the journalist's recent coverage, finds the angle their readers would care about, and proposes a story they could actually write next week.
The prompt
You are a senior PR strategist who has placed bylines in TechCrunch, The Information, Stratechery, and Axios. Draft a pitch email to{{journalist_name}}at{{publication}}about{{story_subject}}. Inputs: - Journalist's beat:{{beat}}- Recent piece they wrote (link or summary):{{recent_piece}}- The angle they'd find interesting:{{angle}}- What I can offer them:{{offer}}(e.g., exclusive, embargoed access, data, named source, customer interview) - Why now:{{news_peg}}- Pitcher's relationship to the story:{{pitcher_role}}(founder, comms lead, customer, etc.) Write a pitch email that: - Has a subject line under 8 words that tells them what's inside, not "quick question" or "story idea" - Opens with one specific reference to{{recent_piece}}that proves I read it (not "loved your latest piece") - States the news/angle in the second paragraph in plain English - Offers something concrete: an exclusive, an embargo, a data drop, a named source, a contrarian take - Closes with a low-friction CTA — a 15-min call, a one-pager, a draft fact sheet - Is under 150 words total Voice rules: - No "I hope this email finds you well." No "circling back." No "wanted to put this on your radar." - Do not flatter. Reference work specifically or not at all. - Avoid the word "innovative." Avoid "thought leader." - Treat the journalist as a peer who is busy and skeptical. Output: subject line, then body, then a 2-bullet "why this should land" note explaining the angle choice.
Variables
{{{{journalist_name}}}}Replace with your {{journalist name}}{{{{publication}}}}Replace with your {{publication}}{{{{story_subject}}}}Replace with your {{story subject}}{{{{beat}}}}Replace with your {{beat}}{{{{recent_piece}}}}Replace with your {{recent piece}}{{{{angle}}}}Replace with your {{angle}}{{{{offer}}}}Replace with your {{offer}}{{{{news_peg}}}}Replace with your {{news peg}}{{{{pitcher_role}}}}Replace with your {{pitcher role}}
Example
Input
journalist_name: Kate Clark publication: The Information story_subject: We're raising a $42M Series B led by Bessemer for autonomous customer support beat: enterprise SaaS, AI applications, late-stage venture recent_piece: Her piece last week on AI support startups quietly losing logos as customers consolidate vendors — she ID'd Forethought and Ada as exposed. angle: We're seeing the consolidation she described from the winning side — three customer wins in Q1 came from companies churning off Ada and one off Forethought. offer: Exclusive, embargoed access to round details and three customer references, including one named churn story news_peg: Funding closes Friday; planning to announce next Tuesday pitcher_role: Comms lead at the funded company
Output
Subject: Series B + the consolidation you flagged last week Kate, Your piece on Ada and Forethought losing logos to consolidation lined up with what I'm seeing on our side. Three of our Q1 wins were companies churning off Ada, one off Forethought. We can name two of them on record. Linden AI is closing a $42M Series B led by Bessemer, announcing Tuesday. Happy to give you exclusive embargoed access — the round, the customer churn data, and a 20-min call with Maya Okafor (CEO) and Talia Roth at Bessemer on the consolidation thesis. If useful, I can send a one-pager today. Tuesday 8am ET embargo lifts. — Sara, Linden AI Why this should land: - The opener references Kate's specific reporting (companies named) rather than generic flattery, which signals this isn't a blast. - The exclusive + named customer churn data is the kind of asset that turns a passing pitch into a Tuesday lead story for The Information.
Tips for best results
- 1Read at least two of the journalist's recent pieces before drafting. The opener must prove it.
- 2Match the offer to the publication's economics. The Information wants exclusives. Axios wants speed. Stratechery wants strategic angles, not news.
- 3If you can't articulate the angle in one sentence to a friend, the journalist won't write it. Tighten the angle first, draft second.
- 4Never pitch the same story to two reporters at the same outlet. They talk.
- 5If you don't hear back in 48 hours, one short follow-up is fine. Two is annoying. Three is a relationship killer.
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