Pitching to the press and getting media coverage is one of those things you know you should do, like flossing and wearing sunscreen every day, but actually doing it can feel overwhelming. Good news: pitching to the press isn’t as terrifying as it sounds. Journalists aren’t like villagers with pitch forks (unless they don’t like you!), but if you do want to get in their good books, it’s handy to know these three things:

• What you’re even supposed to write about
• Who might pretend to care if you bribe them with a good angle
  
• How to spot an opportunity before it dies of old age

Let’s break it down before you spiral, or give up and go back to doomscrolling.

First, is it actually news? Or is it just news to you?

Before you fire off your ‘exciting update’ about moving offices or a new stapler, stop. Just because something is interesting to you doesn’t mean the rest of the world (or the journalist you’re about to annoy) will care.

When deciding what to pitch, ask yourself:

• Is this relevant right now?
• Would a stranger give a damn?
• Does it connect to something bigger happening in the world?

If you’re a small business, local press and niche industry sites are your sweet spot. (CNN is not waiting breathlessly for your candle launch, sorry.) Big brands? You’ve got a shot at national. Everyone else? Stay in your lane.

How to make friends with journalists without being weird about it

Journalists get hundreds of pitches a day. They’re not ignoring you on purpose. They’re just busy doing the jobs of five people. Most media pitches are atrocious (true story). Be better.

Know who you’re pitching to.

1. Read what they actually write about
   
2. Be relevant. Don’t send your fitness app launch to a tech critic who only covers AI doomsday pieces.
   
3. Follow them, engage like a normal human (not a LinkedIn stalker)

When you pitch to the press

• Do make it about how you can help them. (They need it!)
• Don’t make it about your desperate need for attention. (They’ll know.)

Pro Tip | If you build a real relationship before you need something, you’ll look less like a media-hungry goblin later. Most media teams are running on caffeine, fumes and one overworked editorial assistant. Befriend them, not only do they become your inside man, but they’ll rise up the ranks and be the big boss one day. Bide your time and play the long game.

How to find media opportunities while avoiding a meltdown

Don’t just sit there manifesting coverage. Go find it.

1. Search #journorequest on social media (yes, Twitter is still useful for something).
2. Use media request services like HARO or ResponseSource.
3. Offer yourself up as a sacrifice source when journalists are actively looking for people like you.

You get Bonus Points if you can offer a spicy take that bucks the status quo. Journalists love a good ‘Expert slams industry nonsense’ headline. Clickbait gold. Winner.

Writing a press release that doesn’t make editors cry into their coffee

Here’s the deal:

• Keep it short. One page max.
• Nail the headline. If it doesn’t make sense immediately, it’s DOA (dead on arrival).
• Lead with the good stuff: who, what, when, where, why and how. First paragraph, no exceptions.
• Structure it like a news story, not dairy entry. (Editors will cull with sheer abandon from the final full stop to fit their word count – consider yourselves warned.)
• Include a strong, hi-res image unless you want your email to be immediately deleted. A great image might carry the whole story – it’s been known to happen.

Ugh, fine. If you absolutely must include extra info, because your story has, like, layers to it. (Yeh, we know, there’s always a bit of a back story.) Shove it into a ‘Notes to Editor’ section. Do it neatly. Quietly. And don’t expect them to read it. They probably won’t.

Make it stupidly easy to cover you

Have a media kit on your website. Don’t argue. Just do it.

It needs to include:

• Hi-res images
• Short, punchy bios
• Contact info
• Past press coverage to prove you’re not a total amateur

Journalists are lazy busy. If you make them work too hard to feature you, they WILL just feature someone else. Probably either someone annoying or your arch nemesis. Can you live with that?

Are you using email marketing yet? If not, why? Seriously, why?

You’re already stuck playing hide-and-seek with the algorithm. Might as well build something that can’t ghost you because Elon Musk changed his mind about ‘free speech’ again.

Email lets you actually talk to your audience instead of just posting into the void and hoping someone notices. You get to show up in their inbox, a place they still check daily, even if it is just to unsubscribe from things they inadvertently signed up for at 2am during a burst of pure, unbridled optimism.

FYI | Email can also make you money. Yeh, we figured you might sit up and listen to that.

Social media can’t sit with you

Your email list? That’s yours. Legally. Emotionally. Strategically.

Instagram? Facebook? TikTok? You’re basically squatting on their digital property. And your squatter’s rights are limited. They can kick you out whenever they feel like it, because you broke a rule, got hacked, or simply because their hamster wheel of a server coughed and died one day.

If the only place you’re talking to your people is social media, you’re one bad password day away from shouting into the abyss. Again.

Also, let’s be real: the algorithm isn’t your friend. It’s a petty tyrant that shows your posts to approximately 0.0002% of your followers unless you cough up cold hard cash for ads. And even then, good luck with that.

Meanwhile, your emails? No algorithm. No boosted posts. No existential crisis every time your reach drops by 76% for who knows why.

Email is slightly less soul-crushing than social media

Take that for the win.

Email marketing is like a slow cooker. You’re not making viral moments; you’re marinating relationships.

You send stuff. They open it. Sometimes. You remind them you exist. Eventually, they might even buy something.

You can use it for all kinds of stuff:

• “We’re still here” emails | Basically saying: Hey. We still exist. That is all.
• “Wanna buy this?” emails | Not in a forceful, twist your arm way. More gently waving a product in front of your face. Tantalisingly.
• “That thing you bought” emails | Checking in to make sure it works, didn’t explode or disappoint you.
• “We’re back” emails | Usually containing a weird mix of guilt, bribery and nostalgia, like when your elusive friend suddenly replies to your message six months later.

The secret is | Don’t treat email like a one-night stand. It’s a long-term, slow-burn strategy. It’s about building trust and loyalty, not bread-crumbing and love-bombing inboxes with 20%-off codes until they file a restraining order.

Educate. Entertain. Exist quietly in their inbox until one day, they think, “Hey, I do need that weird thing they sell after all.”

Final Pep Talk. Just send the email.

Let’s be real. If you’re not already using email marketing, you’re basically wandering around the digital wasteland without a backpack, snacks or any idea where you’re going.

Email won’t save your business overnight. It won’t make you ‘go viral’. (Do you really want to?)

But it will build something solid, something yours, in a world that keeps moving the goalposts every time you blink.

So, send the emails.

Strategic-ishly.

Reluctantly.

Barely.

(Just like everything else.)

Here’s the deal: if you’re not already shamelessly pushing yourself as an expert in your field, it’s time. Like, now now.

Here’s the what, how and why so you can start being “seen” without forcing your way through another “build your personal brand” course.

What is a thought leader (and why should you care)?

A thought leader is basically a know-it-all people actually want to listen to. It’s when you share smart stuff consistently enough that people start thing of you as:

The Person Who Knows Things

Customers, clients, and fellow caffeine addicts might even trust you. Which is pretty big these days.

How to be one, without feeling all Ugh about it.

1. Actually care (a little)

The bare minimum requirement is giving half a damn about what you do. Passion helps. Authenticity helps more. No one’s looking for another corporate zombie posting AI-written LinkedIn posts about “synergy”. Be a real human. Ideally one that isn’t actively lying.

2. Post things. Regularly. As Yourself.

No, not from your faceless logo account that feels like it was made by a bored intern. You. The messy, over-caffeinated, mid-burnout version. Articles. Videos. Podcasts. Aggressively unfiltered LinkedIn rants. Whatever you can tolerate making without spiralling. The key is consistency, and no, one a quarter, does not count as “consistent”.

3. Say things that are actually interesting.

You need to be…what’s the word…useful. Or at least mildly thought-provoking. Shockingly, “Just saw this!” with a link to an article doesn’t count. Share insights, call out the BS in your industry or say the thing everyone’s thinking but no one’s brave enough to post because they’re scared of losing followers.

Places to start: LinkedIn (I know), Substack, Medium, guest articles in actual industry publications. (If you write something good enough, people will literally ask you to talk about it. Wild.)

Why bother becoming a thought leader?

(After all, no one really hands out gold stars anymore.)

1. People might actually pay you.

Being seen as an expert means customers are more likely to trust you, give you money, and tell other people you exist.

Trust = credibility

Credibility = less time screaming into the void about what you do.

2. You’ll get awesome opportunities you didn’t ask for.

Once people think you know stuff, you might get asked to speak at events, get quoted in articles, or collaborate with others. Also, this is stating the obvious but people who already like you are way easier to sell to. Didn’t you know?

Final pep talk

Look, if you’re trying to make this year less miserable for your business, start talking about what you know. And here’s the spicy truth: having an opinion, even a controversial one, will make you memorable. Just don’t be a d*ck. There’s a thin line, try not to cross it.

Welcome to the new you. Still tired. Just slightly more strategic about it.