Which term refers to a companys interactions with reporters and editors from print publications and broadcast outlets?

As a public relations professional, there’s no better feeling than seeing your company or client featured in a news story.

This is why pitching is a critical skill for public relations professionals.

What is a PR pitch?

A PR pitch is a short personalized message that outlines the value of a story and explains why it should be published. It is usually 150 words long but can reach up to 400 words. PR pitches should be short, engaging and timely for the topic.

There's a certain rush that comes when a story you pitched graces the pages of a magazine, appears online or lands a coveted TV spot. You’ve earned a media placement that will impact your company’s reputation, awareness of your brand — and even better — the bottom line.

But pitching isn’t easy. With fewer journalists (there are nearly 6 PR pros for every one journalist), faster news cycles and an unprecedented amount of media outlets, communicators need to get savvier and more strategic about how they tell stories.

No matter how you define PR, media relations remains a core part of the profession. If you’re responsible for pitching the media and building relationships with journalists on behalf of your clients or organization, this guide is for you.

Just a couple of decades ago, we didn’t have as many choices for how to produce, consume and distribute news: the public could subscribe to a print publication or choose between a few news stations each night.

For reference, here’s how Muck Rack currently defines a journalist for verification on the platform:

• Be a professional journalist: This means you are a full-time journalist, producer or freelancer (with current bylines) employed by a verified, recognized media outlet.
• Be a freelancer: A freelancer must be working primarily as a  journalist to be included. This doesn’t include self-published work or writing for outlets that lack Muck Rack’s journalistic standards. 
• Be a photo, video and multimedia journalist: Any full-time photo, video or multimedia journalist, including radio/television producers, who is employed by or freelancing for verified, recognized media outlets.

But what about influencers?

It’s not always so simple to define what makes someone a journalist — the lines are becoming increasingly blurred as new media platforms emerge. 

The rise of the modern media landscape has brought about a new target for many public relations professionals: the influencer. As its name would imply, an influencer is an individual who has the power, or impact, over the purchasing decisions of a group of people who follow him or her.

Although the definition of influencer has changed in recent years, it isn’t a new idea. In the past, celebrities of any craft — such as famous musicians or athletes — have earned a living as influencers through their paid endorsement of various products.

But the boom in social media use over the last decade has led to a rise in a new type of influencer: the digital influencer.

Unlike the traditional celebrity influencer of yore, digital influencers have earned their fame (and money) directly through the endorsement of products and services to their online audiences, rather than first catapulting into the spotlight through some other medium.

This shift has made it much more difficult to truly identify the right influencer for a particular campaign, because measuring influencer impact is different for everyone. Plus, there isn’t just one type of influencer in 2022 — consider that brands now have the option to work with mega, macro, micro and nano influencers, as well. 

Although there are clear and definitive differences between journalists and influencers, both can be effective in helping to tell your company or client’s story.

It’s up to you as a PR professional to determine what your goals and objectives are, and target your media relations strategy accordingly.

"I get roughly 300 emails a day. Most of the time, I read a subject line and that's it. There's just simply too many emails every day from publicists to be replying to each one. I can probably count on one hand the amount of general PR pitches I've responded to over the past few years. What they all have in common is they were targeted at BuzzFeed and me specifically. The publicist knew who I was, what kind of stories I write and was able to speak to this and why their pitch fit in line with that. They also know what BuzzFeed News is (hint: it's not the same as BuzzFeed!) and why their story was of interest to our readers. It's all obvious stuff, but you have to tailor your pitch like you would a cover letter for a job application."

—David Mack, deputy director for breaking news at BuzzFeed News

No matter how much both the journalism and PR industries change, these two industries need one another, will continue to work together, and rely on one another for many decades to come.

We PR pros have to be smarter, savvier and more strategic. Ready to do that? Read on.

Curious about the best time to send a pitch?

Based on responses from the survey, the best time to pitch journalists in 2021 is between 5 a.m. and 12 p.m. EST.

Below is a breakdown of when reporters prefer to receive email pitches.

• 34% of journalists prefer to be pitched between 5 a.m. to 9 a.m.
• 34% of journalists prefer to be pitched between 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• 10% of journalists prefer to be pitched between 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
• 6% of journalists prefer to be pitched between 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. 
• 5% of journalists prefer to be pitched between 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. 
• 12% of journalists prefer to be pitched between 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. 

But remember, every niche and every reporter operates a little differently. 

In order to effectively engage with members of the media, you need to know who they are and what they prefer when it comes to pitching. 

Which term refers to a company's interactions with reporters and editors?

What is it called when public relations pros encourage the news media to cover stories involving their organization?

Which term refers to the specific blend of promotion tools that the company uses to persuasively communicate customer value and build customer relationships?

Which term refers to the voluntary actions taken by a firm to address the economic and environmental impact of its operations on key stakeholders?