Pitching your startup to journalists is a challenging but essential skill for founders. In a recent session for LongJump companies, Kristen Sonday, founder of Paladin, and Katherine Davis, a journalist at Crain’s, shared valuable insights on navigating the ever-evolving media landscape. Here are our top takeaways to help you secure press coverage for your startup effectively and thoughtfully.
- Identify the appropriate media outlets and adapt accordingly: There’s national media (New York Times, TechCrunch), local media (Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago), and niche media (The Law Journal). For a local news pitch, it’s all about your impact in that area: how do you work with the community and what is your impact on the broader economy? For national media, what are you providing at scale and how are you contributing to your industry at large? Your press goals and story should be aligned with the narratives each publication wants to tell.
- Make your story compelling: Journalists are evaluated on the traffic and subscriptions their stories drive, and you can help them succeed by making your story stand out. Combine a narrative that highlights your unique solution with a hook that’s time-sensitive. Display the human element and the personal experiences in your startup’s journey. Focus on big numbers– whether it’s hiring 100 people, securing a $2M raise, or hitting $10M in revenue.
- Your pitch should pack a punch: Journalists can receive hundreds of pitches per week; make their lives easier by getting to the point. You should put your news and why it matters in the subject line or the first sentence of your email. Once a journalist is interested, already having media assets (press releases, images, etc.) ready can help keep the process moving. Smaller publications, specifically, may not have a photographer on staff, so providing pictures of your team, product, and even your office can go a long way in helping your story run.
- Find the right journalists and build relationships: The bigger the publication, the harder it will be to get your foot in the door with a cold email. Make a concerted effort to engage with journalists before you need your story told by interacting with them at events, offering yourself up as a source if you have specific expertise, and engaging on social media. Simply re-sharing a journalist’s post and tagging them plus mentioning what you found interesting can catch their eye.
Once you start pitching, if your first outreach doesn't result in a story it can still be helpful in developing the relationship and it’s worth asking for feedback on what a specific journalist may be looking for in stories down the line. - It’s okay (and encouraged!) to follow up on a pitch: Since journalists are receiving dozens of pitches a day, things do fall through the cracks. Following up with a simple, “Hey, did you get this and what do you think?” can bump your story back to a reporter’s attention. Keep follow-ups polite and limit to two unanswered emails.
- Prepare for media interviews: Your live conversations with journalists will be short, so be sure to know and rehearse your talking points ahead of time to maximize the impact of what you say. Keep things simple and avoid industry language and jargon, especially if the outlet has a more general audience.
Business journalists will absolutely ask about your numbers (revenue, headcount, etc.), so know them inside and out (bonus: have them written in front of you, just in case you blank!). If you’re not willing to share all of your numbers, that’s okay, just know in advance what you want to share. It is common for journalists to end up writing in a story that a company declined to disclose a certain statistic - don’t be afraid of that language in your article, but be aware that the more you’re willing to share, the more a journalist will be interested in your story because it allows for a fuller picture. - Know your media strategy: If media is a core part of your marketing strategy, you should be frequently reaching out and interacting with journalists. If media is not a core channel for you, centering outreach around big milestones should be where you focus your efforts, rather than ongoing, time-consuming efforts. Don’t forget that you can remain a warm contact for journalists if you don’t have something particularly newsworthy to share by keeping an eye on current events and reaching out should you have valuable insights to add to ongoing stories.
Pitching your startup to the press requires strategic thinking and persistence. By understanding your target media, crafting compelling stories, building relationships, and being well-prepared, you can increase your chances of securing press coverage that boosts your startup's visibility and success.
Special thanks to Katherine Davis for her time spent with our founders. You can learn more about Katherine and check out her stories on Crain’s Chicago.