Targeting the Right Reporters

Pitching: How to Find Reporters & Become Their Go-To Source

Why This Matters

Pitching the wrong reporters wastes time and credibility. Success comes from reaching the right journalist with the right story.

Founder's Point of View

It may be tempting to blast your news to dozens of inboxes. But a single tailored pitch to a select few journalists who actually covers your niche is often far more effective than a mass email to 100 people. The right target ensures your story is read, not ignored — and sets the stage for long-term relationships with the reporters who matter most to your audience.

Overview

Strategic pitching starts with research. Reporters are specialists: they focus on beats, industries, or topics. To reach them:
- Build a targeted list of reporters who cover your subject area
- Review their recent articles to understand style and focus
- Track career moves — journalists frequently shift beats or outlets
- Organize contacts by beat, publication, and relevance to your business goals

Targeting the right people not only increases coverage odds but also builds credibility. Journalists notice when you’ve done your homework — and ignore you when you haven’t.

Key Actions to Take

- Build a list of reporters who cover your niche (use Google News, MuckRack, Twitter/X)
- Read their recent articles to understand tone and interests
- Organize them by beat, publication type, and priority
- Create a short bio for each with past coverage notes

Metrics

Pitch open and response rates by reporter list
Coverage conversion (stories secured vs pitches sent)
Repeat relationships (reporters covering you more than once)

Examples

A climate tech startup personalizes a pitch to a sustainability editor, referencing their recent article, and secures an interview
A fintech company builds a short list of three journalists covering early-stage funding, resulting in one in-depth profile instead of dozens of ignored pitches

Tools

Media contact databases: Cision, MuckRack (paid) + LinkedIn, Hunter.io (free)
Competitive research: Meltwater, Brandwatch (paid) + Google News searches (free)
Outreach tracking: HubSpot CRM, Streak (paid/free) + Google Sheets tracker (free)

Optional Assets

- Target Reporter Tracker spreadsheet
- 1-pager: “Who Covers What” by vertical or topic
- Outreach priority matrix (A, B, C tiers)

Pro Tips

Run a competitor media audit: list every journalist who covered your competitor in the last six months. Prioritize those contacts first—they’ve already proven interest in your space.

Don't Make These Mistakes

Targeting general reporters with niche news
Pitching without confirming the reporter’s current beat
Sending the same message to every journalist