The email and the release do different jobs
A press release is a formal, self-contained document written so it can be published or syndicated with no editing. A pitch email is a personal note to one reporter arguing that this story belongs on their beat. Using the release as the email, or the email as the release, fails in both directions.
The practical shape: three sentences of pitch, your signature, then the full release pasted as plain text below it. The reporter reads three sentences, decides, and scrolls only if the answer was yes. Nothing above the signature is about you.
If you have not written the release yet, start with the press release distribution, then come back for the email.
The pitch email
Replace everything in [BRACKETS]. Keep it under 150 words above the signature; this version is 118.
- To:
- [REPORTER EMAIL: one reporter, never a cc list]
- Subject:
- [THE NEWS OR THE NUMBER IN EIGHT WORDS, no “press release”, no adjectives]
Hi [FIRST NAME],
[THE NEWS IN ONE SENTENCE, WITH THE NUMBER. For example: “[Company] has raised [amount] led by [investor] to [specific use]” or “We analysed [sample] and found [finding].”]
[WHY IT IS FOR THEM, CITING THEIR OWN WORK: “You covered [topic] on [date]: this is the [sector/region] version of the same pattern, and the numbers are ours.”]
[WHAT YOU CAN PROVIDE: “I can send the underlying data, put you on a call with [NAMED PERSON WHO HAS AGREED], and provide [PHOTOGRAPHS/DOCUMENTS] today.”] Full release below. Happy to answer anything by phone.
[YOUR FIRST NAME]
[FULL NAME], [TITLE]
[COMPANY] · [URL]
[MOBILE NUMBER, with country code]
Below the signature
[PASTE THE FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE AS PLAIN TEXT: headline, dateline, body, quote, boilerplate, media contact, ###. No attachment, no images, URLs written out in full.]
Five subject line formulas
Around 40 characters are visible in a phone preview pane, so the decisive information goes first. Each pattern below exists because it puts a fact where a reporter can see it without opening anything.
[Company] raises [amount] from [investor]
Funding is the one announcement that needs no framing. Amount and named lead investor, nothing else.
Example: Northwind raises $4M from Index to automate pharmacy restocking
Data: [finding] across [sample]
Signals an exclusive number rather than an announcement. The most effective opener for a company with no news.
Example: Data: 61% of UK pharmacies now order stock after 9pm (4,200 orders analysed)
[City/Region] [sector] story: [what happened]
Tells a regional desk immediately that the story is in their territory, which is what their job requires.
Example: Leeds manufacturing story: 40 hires as a supplier reshores from Shenzhen
Source available: [topic]: [credential]
For offering yourself as an expert rather than pitching a story. Makes the reporter's filing decision one line long.
Example: Source available: pharmacy supply chains: 12 years as a dispensing pharmacist
Re: your [date] piece on [topic]
Only when it is true and you have actually read it. The highest open rate of any pattern, and the fastest way to lose a contact if faked.
Example: Re: your Oct 14 piece on independent pharmacy closures
Line by line
Subject line
Eight words, no adjectives, the news or the number.
Written for a phone preview pane, where roughly 40 characters are visible. "Press release:" at the start wastes the only space that matters, and "exciting news" guarantees it is not read.
First sentence
The story, with the number, before any introduction of yourself.
No "I hope this finds you well", no "my name is". A reporter decides in one line whether to keep reading; spend it on the news, and let the signature introduce you.
Second sentence
Why it belongs on their beat, specifically.
Reference something they actually covered, by date or title. This is the sentence that proves the email is not a blast, and the only one most reporters use to judge that.
Third sentence
What you can hand over.
Data, an interview, a named customer who will talk on the record, photographs. Be concrete about what exists and when you can send it.
The release
Pasted below the signature as plain text.
Never an attachment: many newsrooms strip them, some block .docx entirely, and an attachment adds a step a reporter on deadline will not take.
Signature
Name, title, company, mobile number, URL.
The mobile number is not optional. Reporters confirm facts by phone an hour before filing, and an unreachable source gets cut from the story.
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Get Featured TodayThe follow-up, once
Three business days later, in the same thread, with something new in it. Two sentences. There is no second follow-up.
Subject: Re: [ORIGINAL SUBJECT LINE]
Hi [FIRST NAME],
[THE NEW THING: “Since Tuesday, [DEVELOPMENT], the figure is now [NUMBER]” or “[NAMED PERSON] has agreed to be interviewed if useful.”]
Happy to send the data either way, and I will leave it there if it is not for you.
[YOUR FIRST NAME]
The last sentence matters more than it looks. It tells the reporter that no answer ends the exchange, which is exactly why some of them answer.
Sending rules
One reporter at a time
Individual emails, each referencing that reporter's own work. A visible cc list or an obvious mail-merge blast gets deleted by everyone on it, and some will say so publicly.
Send Tuesday to Thursday, early
Monday inboxes are a backlog and Friday afternoons are a write-off. Aim to arrive before the morning news meeting in the reporter's own timezone, which means checking what that timezone is.
Plain text, no tracking, no images
Tracking pixels, image-heavy HTML and link shorteners all raise spam scores and some newsrooms filter on them. Plain text with full URLs lands and reads the same everywhere.
Follow up once, after three business days
One short follow-up adding something new. A second follow-up is the point at which a non-answer becomes a blocked sender.
Honour embargoes exactly
If you offer an embargo, state the date, time and timezone, and never give the same story to two outlets as an exclusive. Breaking that is the one mistake a reporter does not forget.
Keep a list of who covered what
Three answered pitches a quarter builds a contact list worth more than any purchased media database, because every name on it has already used something you sent.
What gets you filtered
1. "Press release:" as the first words of the subject
It tells the reporter the email is a mass send before they read the news. Lead with the story; the format is obvious from the body.
2. Attachments on a cold pitch
Stripped by many newsrooms, blocked by some, and ignored by reporters on deadline. Paste the release as text and link to a press kit for assets.
3. Pitching the wrong beat
Sending a B2B software story to a consumer tech reporter is not forwarded internally. It is deleted. One minute of byline research prevents it.
4. Writing about yourself first
Three sentences of company background before the news means the news is below the fold on a phone. The company belongs in the signature and the boilerplate.
5. No phone number
Reporters verify by phone. An email-only contact is treated as unverifiable, and unverifiable details get cut rather than chased.
6. Following up four times
Silence is an answer. Persistence past one follow-up converts a neutral non-response into an actively negative impression that affects your next story too.
Pitch email FAQ
Should I attach the press release or paste it in the email?
Paste it, every time. Many newsrooms strip attachments from unknown senders, some block Word documents outright, and a reporter working to a deadline will not download a file to find out whether a story is worth their time. Put a three-sentence pitch at the top, the full release as plain text below your signature, and a link to a press kit for images and assets. Send an editable file only when someone has asked for one.
What is a good subject line for a press release email?
Eight words or fewer, carrying either the news or the number, with no adjectives and no "press release" prefix. On a phone only about 40 characters are visible, so the decisive information has to come first: "Northwind raises $4M from Index" works; "Exciting news from Northwind about our funding journey" does not. If you have a data finding rather than an announcement, lead with the finding and the sample size. That is the subject line reporters open most reliably.
How many journalists should I email?
Five to fifteen, chosen by reading their recent bylines, each emailed individually with a line about their own work. That beats a list of 500 by a wide margin, because the only thing that gets a cold pitch read is evidence that it was not a blast. If you cannot find five reporters who have covered something adjacent to your story in the last six months, the realistic conclusion is that the story needs a different angle rather than a longer list.
When should I send a pitch email?
Tuesday to Thursday, arriving before the morning news meeting in the reporter's timezone, so early morning local time, which means checking where they are based. Avoid Monday, when inboxes are a weekend backlog, and Friday afternoon, when nothing gets assigned. For an event, work backwards from the outlet's deadline instead: six weeks for monthlies and listings, two to three weeks for weeklies, the week of for news desks.
How long should I wait before following up?
Three business days, once, with something new in it: an extra data point, a customer who has agreed to be interviewed, or a development since you wrote. Two sentences, quoting your original subject line so it threads. After that one follow-up, stop: silence is a decision, and continued chasing converts a neutral non-response into a sender the reporter filters.
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