Media Pitch Letter
Offers a journalist a story, not a press release.
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Dear Sir / Madam,
I think there is a story here for you: [the story in one or two sentences]
Why it matters to your readers: [the reason someone outside the company would care]
What I can give you: [access, figures, photographs, interviews].
If it is not for you, I will not chase it. If it is, tell me what you need and by when and I will get it to you.
What is a Media Pitch Letter?
A media pitch is a short, targeted message offering a journalist a story they might want, written for the beat they actually cover. It matters because reporters receive far more approaches than they can read, and decide within a line or two whether to continue. A pitch that opens by explaining who your company is, rather than what the story is, has already used up the attention it was given and gets no coverage from it.
Public relations agencies, in-house communications teams, founders without a PR budget, authors, charities and academics all pitch. The occasions are consistent: a launch, a funding round, an appointment, a piece of original data, a local angle on a national story, or a fast reactive comment when something breaks in your sector. Trade press, local newspapers, podcasts, newsletter writers and broadcast producers are all pitched the same way, though the lead time varies wildly — a monthly magazine works months ahead, a daily desk works within hours.
Where you are paying for coverage, or providing something of value in exchange, disclosure rules apply and they differ. The FTC endorsement guides cover this in the United States, the CAP code and CMA guidance in the UK, ASCI guidelines in India, and the AANA codes in Australia. Editorial coverage obtained through payment without disclosure is treated as advertising in most of these regimes. Separately, claims about health, medicines, food or financial products are regulated at source — check the relevant body, such as the MHRA, FDA, TGA or FSSAI, before putting a claim in front of a reporter.
A pitch is not a press release, and pasting one into an email is the most common way to lose a reader at the second paragraph. It buys nothing: no coverage is owed, and offering access does not make a story favourable. It gives you no right to see the article before publication, no copy approval, and no control over the headline. Nor does an embargo bind anyone who never agreed to it — an embargo is a professional convention, not an enforceable restriction.
What to put in a Media Pitch Letter
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Business name | For example: Barton Supply Co. |
| Your address | For example: Unit 7, Barton Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
| Journalist | For example: Ms. Claire Whitfield |
| Publication or programme | For example: Columbus Evening News — business desk |
| The story | For example: A merchant that reorganised its warehouse around orders of four panels rather than four… |
| Why it matters to their readers | For example: Around 900 small builders in Central Ohio lose a day a week waiting on materials. This is… |
| What you can offer | For example: Site visit and photographs, an interview with the managing director, and figures from… |
| Signatory name optional | For example: K. Srinivasa Rao |
| Signatory designation optional | For example: Honorary Secretary |
| Issued to (full name) | For example: James Whitfield |
| Their address | For example: 588 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
How to write a Media Pitch Letter
Read the reporter's last three pieces
Before writing, check what this specific journalist has published recently, what angle they take, and whether they have covered your subject already. A pitch that references their piece from last week and offers the next development in it is answering a question they are already interested in. A pitch sent to whoever appears first in a media database is the reason most pitches are deleted unopened.
Put the story in the subject line
The subject line is the pitch. ‘Bakery chain switching all 40 sites to overnight delivery after depot fire’ tells an editor what the story is. ‘Exciting news from our client’ tells them nothing and costs them a click to find out. Write the subject as if it were the headline of the piece you are hoping they will write, then make sure the email underneath supports it.
Say why now, in one sentence
Journalists work to news pegs. Give the reason this is a story this week rather than any other week: the opening date, the ruling, the figures published this morning, the season starting. If there is no peg, say what the angle is instead — a trend they can localise, a counterintuitive finding, a person worth profiling. Without either, you are asking for a favour rather than offering material.
Offer what only you can supply
State plainly what you can provide: an interview with a named person and their title, original data with the method attached, a customer who will speak on the record, photography, filming access, or a site visit. Access and evidence are what turn interest into a commission. Say when each is available, and only offer what you have already confirmed with the people involved.
Close with availability and one follow-up
End with a direct mobile number, the window in which your spokesperson is genuinely free, and a note that you will follow up once. Then follow up once. Repeated chasing on a story a reporter has passed over damages the relationship you will need for the next one, and reporters remember which names in their inbox are worth opening.
Common mistakes
- Pasting a full press release into the body of the pitch, which buries the news under boilerplate and gets abandoned partway through the second paragraph.
- Sending the same email to a large undisclosed list, which is obvious to every recipient and marks the sender as someone not worth reading.
- Opening with the company's founding story instead of the news, which spends the only attention you were given on background nobody asked for.
- Offering the story as an exclusive to several outlets at once, which will be discovered and will cost you the contact permanently.
- Promising an interview with an executive who has not agreed to it, leaving you to withdraw the offer after a reporter has already pitched it to their editor.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write a media pitch?
Pick one journalist whose recent work fits, put the story in the subject line, open with the news and the reason it is timely, add the access or evidence you can supply, and close with a direct contact and availability. Keep it to a few short paragraphs. The test is whether a reporter could see the shape of a publishable piece without opening an attachment.
How long should a media pitch be?
Short enough to read on a phone without scrolling much — a subject line, three or four short paragraphs, and a signature with a direct number. Detail belongs in an attached release or a link, not in the body. If your pitch needs a thousand words to make the story clear, the story is probably not yet clear enough to pitch.
What is the difference between a media pitch and a press release?
A pitch is a personal message to one journalist proposing why a story suits them; a press release is a formal, quotable statement written for general distribution. The pitch persuades, the release supplies. Sending only a release leaves the reporter to work out the angle themselves; sending only a pitch leaves them without quotable material if they say yes. Most approaches carry both, with the release attached or linked.
Is it okay to follow up on a pitch?
One follow-up after a few days is normal and often welcome, particularly if you can add something — a new data point, confirmed availability, or a deadline. A second and third chase on the same pitch is not. If a reporter has passed, accept it and keep the relationship intact; the next story will be an easier sell to someone who does not associate your name with pestering.
What time should I send a pitch to a journalist?
Send when the desk is planning rather than filing, which for most daily outlets means early in the morning. Avoid the hours immediately before deadline and avoid Friday afternoons. Monthly and trade publications work weeks or months ahead, so timing matters less than lead time — check the publication's own media pack for its editorial schedule and pitch to that instead of guessing.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.