A pitch is a short message that offers a journalist a story worth their time. It is not a request for free publicity. It is a trade. You bring something a writer's readers would value, and in return you may earn a mention or a quote.
Journalists receive more pitches than they can answer. The ones that get a reply tend to follow a similar shape, because that shape respects the reader's time. This guide sets out the structure and the reasoning behind each part.
What a pitch is and is not
A pitch is not a press release pasted into an email. It is not a long history of your company. It is not a favour you are asking for.
A pitch is a clear offer. It names who you are, why you are writing to this particular writer, and what they would get. If you cannot say in a sentence why the story suits that outlet, the pitch is not ready.
Do the groundwork first
Before you write a word, read the writer's recent work. Find the angle they cover and the subjects they return to. A pitch that shows you have read them stands apart from one that could have been sent to anybody.
Check that the story is genuinely theirs to tell. A business reporter and a culture writer will see the same event in different ways. Match the pitch to the beat. This step takes an hour and saves several wasted emails.
It also helps to know what the writer has already published, so you do not offer a story they covered last month. A quiet search through their archive is part of the work, not an optional extra.
The email structure
A working pitch has five parts. Subject line, opening, the reason it matters now, the offer, and a clean close. Each part does a small job.
The subject line and the opening
The subject line should read like a headline, not a marketing banner. Say what the story is in plain words. If a number or a specific detail sits at the heart of it, put that forward. Skip greetings that swallow the first screen.
The opening line names the writer's interest and your reason for contacting them. One sentence is enough. It shows the note is meant for them and not for a list.
The reason it matters now and the offer
Give the timeliness in one or two lines. A new report, a change in rules, or a shift your data shows can give a writer a reason to act today rather than never. Do not invent urgency. A false hook is easy to check and costs trust.
Then make the offer. Say what you can provide: an interview, data, images, access, or expert comment. Be specific. A writer wants to know what the story would contain and what they would need to do. Keep the whole email short enough to read on a phone.
Finish with a plain close. Give your name, role, and one contact route. Offer to send more if useful. Do not attach large files unasked.
Timing and format
Send the pitch when the writer is likely to read it, usually early in the working day and not late on a Friday. Avoid the moment they are closing a big story. Plain text in the body of the email works better than a designed template, because it reads well on any device and looks like a person sent it. Put any link on its own line and check that it opens. If you attach a file, keep it small and name it clearly.
Following up without nagging
Wait a few days, then send one short follow-up. Add something new if you can, such as a fresh angle or a useful link. One reminder is reasonable. Several are not. If there is no reply after the follow-up, move on and keep the relationship for next time.
Common mistakes
The same errors sink most pitches. They are too long, so the point is lost. They are sent to the wrong beat, so the fit is wrong. They bury the story under a biography, so the writer never reaches the offer. They promise things that cannot be delivered. They follow up too often. Each of these costs the writer time, and time is the one thing a journalist will not spare twice.
None of these is hard to fix. Most come from writing the pitch for yourself rather than for the person who will decide whether it ever appears.
A good pitch is honest, short, and specific. It treats the writer as a professional and the reader as the person who matters.
Practical checklist
- [ ] Read the writer's recent work and match the pitch to their beat.
- [ ] Write a subject line that reads like a headline.
- [ ] Open by naming why you are contacting this writer.
- [ ] State in two lines why the story matters now.
- [ ] Offer something concrete such as data, access, or comment.
- [ ] Keep the whole email short enough to read on a phone.
- [ ] Close with your name, role, and one contact route.
- [ ] Send at most one follow-up, then move on.
Contributing to BGTC Voice
A clear pitch builds a working relationship with the press over time. If you have landed coverage by explaining a story well, the structure behind it is worth passing on. BGTC Voice welcomes short accounts that show the reasoning and the outcome, without overclaiming the result.