![The template open in Strokes: the title “Pitch: [Outlet] — [story in five words]”, then a details table for Outlet, Reporter, Beat and Their recent story and the heading “Subject line”.](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Fhero-light.9f5aff9d.webp&w=3840&q=75)
![The template open in Strokes: the title “Pitch: [Outlet] — [story in five words]”, then a details table for Outlet, Reporter, Beat and Their recent story and the heading “Subject line”.](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Fhero-dark.6e2ac529.webp&w=3840&q=75)
When to use it
- Pitching a launch, a study or a story idea to a named reporter or editor
- Offering yourself or a client as an expert source for a story in progress
- Pitching a guest post or a podcast guest appearance
- Inviting journalists and TV crews to an event, a demo or a briefing
- Following up once, in the same thread, without starting over
A pitch email is a short, personal email to one journalist, editor or producer that proposes one story and says why it fits their audience. This template has the parts most pitches need: a subject line that names the story, a first line written to that person, the news in two sentences, why it matters to their readers, what you can offer, one clear ask and a signature. Below it are seven pitch email examples, from a product launch to a podcast guest pitch and a follow-up. In Muck Rack's State of Journalism 2025 survey, 69% of journalists said they prefer pitches under 200 words, so every example here stays under that.
How to use this template
- Choose one person and read their last five stories
Pitch a reporter, not an outlet. Read what they have published recently, note the angle they keep coming back to, and put the title of one story in the table at the top of the template. If you can't find a recent piece that connects to your news, you probably have the wrong reporter.
- Write the story in two sentences first
Before the greeting, fill in the section called “The news in two sentences”: who is doing what, when, and the one detail that makes it news. If it takes a paragraph, the story probably isn't settled yet.
- Fill in the parts in order, then cut
Work down the template, then cut to under 200 words. Delete adjectives, background and anything the reporter doesn't need to say yes. Photos, data and the release go in as links, not attachments.
- Send it to one person, in the email body
Paste the pitch into the body of the email, with your press release (if you have one) pasted below the signature. Send each email to one reporter, and note the date in the template.
- Follow up once, timed to the deadline
In the same Muck Rack survey, half of journalists said one follow-up is ideal, and 51% said it should come three to seven days after the pitch. That suits a news pitch with no fixed date. For an expert-source offer on a story due today, the reporter's deadline sets the clock, and a follow-up after it has passed is pointless. For a guest post, check the outlet's guidelines, which may say how long to wait. Either way, reply in the same thread with something new.
Pitch email format, part by part
| Part | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| PartSubject line | What it doesNames the story, not the sender | Example“Story idea: a $59 bike light that dims for oncoming riders” |
| PartGreeting | What it doesTheir name, spelled right | Example“Hi Priya,” |
| PartFirst line | What it doesShows you know their readers and their work | Example“Your readers who ride the river path after dark told you last month…” |
| PartThe news | What it doesWhat is happening, in two sentences | Example“Copperline's Halo 2 is a $59 front light…” |
| PartWhy their readers | What it doesConnects the news to their beat, with one piece of evidence they can check | Example“In a month of testing on that same path…” |
| PartWhat you offer | What it doesAccess, a product, data, photos | Example“A review unit this week and 15 minutes with the engineer.” |
| PartThe ask | What it doesOne question with a yes-or-no answer | Example“Would you like a unit to test?” |
| PartSignature | What it doesName, role, phone, one link | Example“Jess Odum, Copperline, (208) 555-0177” |
The structure is an inverted pyramid squeezed into an email: the most important thing first, so a reporter who reads two lines on a phone still knows what you are offering. A pitch is not a press release. The release is the formal announcement anyone can use; the pitch is the note on top that tells one person why it is worth their time. The press release examples show what goes underneath.
Pitch email examples
Seven examples in three groups, because the three kinds of pitch ask for different things and run on different clocks. All the people, organizations and outlets are invented, and each email is under 200 words.
| Kind of pitch | What the reporter or editor decides | Timing depends on |
|---|---|---|
| Kind of pitchMedia pitch | What the reporter or editor decidesWhether your news is a story for their readers | Timing depends onThe news date and the outlet's lead time |
| Kind of pitchExpert-source offer | What the reporter or editor decidesWhether you can help with a story already underway | Timing depends onTheir deadline, often the same day |
| Kind of pitchGuest-post or guest pitch | What the reporter or editor decidesWhether your idea or guest fits their pages or show | Timing depends onTheir schedule and submission guidelines |
Media pitch examples
News you want a reporter to cover: a launch, an event, and the one follow-up to the launch pitch.
Product launch pitch to a tech reporter
Subject: Story idea: a $59 bike light that dims for oncoming riders
Hi Priya,
Your readers who ride the river path after dark told you last month what bothers them most: other cyclists' lights in their eyes. Here's a light built for that problem, shipping May 18.
Copperline's Halo 2 is a $59 front light that senses oncoming headlights and dims its beam within half a second, then brightens again when the path is clear. There's no app and nothing to pair. It's designed in Boise and sold in about 140 shops in the U.S. and Canada.
In a month of testing on that same path, it dimmed for 412 of 420 oncoming lights. The ride log and photos are at copperline.example/press.
I can get a review unit to you this week, and Ana Ferraz, our head of engineering, can show you how the sensor works in 15 minutes. The release is below.
Would you like a unit to test?
Jess Odum
Communications Lead, Copperline
(208) 555-0177
Why it works. The first two lines are about Priya's readers and the complaint she already reported, so the light arrives as an answer to her story rather than a pitch for Copperline. The news, the price and the date come next. The ride log is evidence she can check or quote, which an adjective like “innovative” isn't. The offer is concrete (a unit, an engineer, photos), and the ask is a question she can answer with one word.
Event invitation pitch
Subject: Photo op Sat., Oct. 9: children's parade at 10 a.m., authors on a riverboat at 6:30 p.m.
Hello,
The Ferry Street Book Fair returns to Riverfront Park in Peoria on Saturday, Oct. 9, with 85 authors and, new this year, an evening of readings aboard the Mary Delle riverboat. Two moments for cameras:
- 10 a.m.: about 200 children parade across the park dressed as book characters
- 6:30 p.m.: authors and readers board the Mary Delle at the foot of Main Street
I'm available for interviews from 9:30 a.m., along with two of the authors. Press passes are at the information tent, and there is parking for news vans on Water Street.
On the day, call or text me at (309) 555-0136. The full release is below.
Karen Liu
Director, Ferry Street Book Fair
Why it works. Assignment desks often decide what to cover by time and picture, so the subject line gives both. The email works as a short media advisory: what, where, when, who can be interviewed, and a phone number that will be answered on the day. A shared desk inbox is one of the few places where “Hello” is the right greeting.
Follow-up email
Subject: Re: Story idea: a $59 bike light that dims for oncoming riders
Hi Priya,
One update in case it's useful: a commuter club of about 60 Boise cyclists has been testing early Halo 2 units for two weeks, and three of them would talk to you about the river path you wrote about. The review unit is still yours if you want it.
No worries if it isn't a fit this time.
Jess
Why it works. It replies in the original thread, so the first pitch sits right below it, and it adds something new instead of asking whether the email arrived. It keeps the offer open, gives an easy way to say no, and is the only follow-up Jess sends.
Expert source pitch example
Here you aren't offering news. You're answering a reporter who needs someone to quote, so the clock is theirs and the pitch is short.
Subject: Source for your sales tax story: CPA who files for 300 online sellers
Hi Marcus,
You posted this morning that you're looking for accountants who work with small online sellers for a story on sales tax. That's most of my practice: I file for about 300 sellers on online marketplaces, most of them one- or two-person shops.
Three things I could speak to:
- the filing mistakes I see most in a seller's first year
- what changes when a shop starts shipping to many states
- what a seller can do in one afternoon to get organized
I can talk on the record, with my name and firm, today until 5 p.m. Central or tomorrow morning. My number is below, or I'm happy to answer by email if that's faster.
Dana Kowalczyk, CPA
Partner, Kowalczyk & Bell
(608) 555-0191
Why it works. It answers a specific request within hours, which is when source pitches are useful. Her credentials take one sentence, the three angles let the reporter choose, and she says when she's free and that she'll speak on the record, the two things a reporter on deadline has to know. Pitch only what you can speak to with authority; a reporter who catches a stretch may not call again.
Guest post, article and podcast pitches
These offer the outlet something to publish or air: a post you will write, an article you will report, or a guest for a show. There is rarely a news peg, so the fit with what the outlet already runs does the work.
Guest post pitch to an editor
Subject: Guest post pitch: what 200 rejected queries taught me about first lines
Hi Tom,
I've read The Draft Room for two years, and your March issue on openings is still pinned above my desk. I'd like to write a guest post that picks up where it left off.
For two years I read submissions for a literary agency in Chicago, and I kept a spreadsheet of the first line of every query I passed on, about 200 of them. The post would sort them into the five patterns that made me stop reading, plus the one that made me ask for pages, each with an anonymized example and a rewrite.
It would run about 1,500 words, follow your guidelines and include no links to anything I sell. Two recent pieces: [link] and [link].
Would it fit the spring schedule?
Rosa Delgado
Why it works. It builds on a specific issue of the publication, which shows the writer reads it. The idea rests on material only she has, a spreadsheet from her time reading the slush pile. Stating the length and promising no self-promotion answers an editor's two usual worries about guest posts before they come up.
Freelance article pitch
Subject: Pitch: The last cobbler on Elm Street (front of book, about 600 words)
Hi Dana,
Gus Petrakis has repaired shoes on Elm Street in Bayford since 1979, and on June 30 he closes the shop. After that, no one in town will resole a shoe. He still has about 40 pairs nobody came back for, some of them for more than a decade.
I'd like to write a 600-word piece for City Pages about his last month, built around the unclaimed shoes and the people I can find who left them. He has agreed to let me spend the final week in the shop.
I'm a freelance reporter in Bayford. Recent clips: [link] and [link].
Thanks for considering it,
Lena Morris
Why it works. It is a story, not a topic: a person, a date and a detail nobody else has. Access is already agreed, and the format and length match a short section. For the full anatomy of an article pitch, with an annotated feature pitch and a follow-up, see how to pitch an article to an editor.
Podcast guest pitch
Subject: Guest idea for Main Street Money: the bakery that cut its waste by a third
Hi Jen,
Your episode with the hardware store owner on pricing was the most useful 40 minutes I've heard on small business this year, so here's a guest I think your listeners would like as much.
Sara Lind runs Rye & Barley, a four-person bakery in Fargo. This spring she cut its waste from about 90 loaves a week to 60 without baking less, using a spreadsheet and a 2 p.m. price drop. On the show she could walk through:
- the numbers she tracked, and the one that surprised her
- what she tried first that didn't work
- how she talked a supplier into smaller deliveries
She has done local radio, records from a quiet office with a good microphone and is free most weekday afternoons in June. A short clip of a recent interview: [link].
Would she fit an episode this summer?
Hana Brooks
Brooks Communications, for Rye & Barley
Why it works. Naming a real episode shows the producer this isn't a mass email. The talking points let them picture the episode, and the line about audio and availability answers the practical questions most shows ask. A clip lets them hear the guest before saying yes.
Subject line examples
The subject line is often all a reporter sees before deciding whether to open. Name the story in under ten words or so, and leave out your company's name unless it is the news.
| Pitch | Subject line |
|---|---|
| PitchProduct launch | Subject lineStory idea: a $59 bike light that dims for oncoming riders |
| PitchEmbargoed news | Subject lineEmbargoed until May 4, 9 a.m. ET: a bike light that dims itself |
| PitchExclusive offer | Subject lineExclusive for you until Tuesday? A $12M round for a sales tax startup |
| PitchExpert source | Subject lineSource for your sales tax story: CPA who files for 300 online sellers |
| PitchReacting to news | Subject lineOn today's ruling: a labor economist free to talk until 5 p.m. ET |
| PitchNew data | Subject lineNew survey: what 500 job posts for content writers ask for |
| PitchLocal angle | Subject lineSpokane seniors to get 1,500 restaurant meals a week from March 15 |
| PitchGuest post | Subject lineGuest post pitch: what 200 rejected queries taught me about first lines |
| PitchPodcast guest | Subject lineGuest idea for Main Street Money: the bakery that cut its waste by a third |
| PitchFreelance feature | Subject linePitch: The last cobbler on Elm Street (600 words) |
| PitchEvent | Subject linePhoto op Sat., Oct. 9: a children's parade and a riverboat of authors |
| PitchBook | Subject lineReview copy? A diner's 52 years of recipes, out Oct. 5 |
| PitchFollow-up | Subject lineRe: [the original subject line, in the same thread] |
| PitchCorrection | Subject lineCorrection to our Jan. 30 release: $4.2 million, not $42 million |
An exclusive means one reporter gets the story before anyone else, so offer it to one person at a time, with a deadline for an answer. An embargo is an agreement to hold the news until a set time; state the date, time and time zone, and send embargoed details only to reporters who have agreed to them.
Pitch email length and timing
The best evidence on what reporters want comes from surveys of reporters. In Muck Rack's State of Journalism 2025 survey, 69% of journalists said they prefer pitches under 200 words, half said one follow-up is ideal and 51% said it should come three to seven days after the first email. In Cision's 2025 State of the Media report, a survey of more than 3,000 journalists in 19 markets, 86% said they would immediately reject a pitch that didn't fit their beat or audience, and 85% said the best way to start a relationship is to introduce yourself by email, even without a story to pitch.
Reporters on a panel about Muck Rack's findings added the details behind the numbers. Michael Sainato, a labor reporter at The Guardian, called a wrong name or an error in the subject line or the first sentences an immediate turnoff. Emilia David of VentureBeat said a follow-up within three hours annoys her, and both said they don't want pitches by phone.
There is no reliable best hour to send. What matters more is lead time. Daily and online outlets can move in hours, while monthly magazines plan issues months ahead, so a holiday pitch to a monthly goes out in summer. Send news pitches when the news is ready and before the reporter's deadline, not at the end of the week when the story can't run.
Mistakes that get pitches deleted
- One email to a hundred reporters. A To: line full of addresses, or a mail merge that greets someone by the wrong name, can end the conversation before it starts.
- The wrong beat. A product pitch to a reporter who covers policy, or a story the outlet ran last month.
- The story in paragraph three. Two paragraphs about the company before the news. Many reporters decide in the first lines.
- Attachments from a stranger. Paste the text and link to the photos and the release instead.
- “Just checking in.” A follow-up with nothing new is a reminder that you have nothing new.
- Calling to ask if the email arrived. It did.
- One “exclusive” offered to three outlets. Reporters talk to each other.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a pitch email be?
Short. In Muck Rack's State of Journalism 2025 survey, 69% of journalists said they prefer pitches under 200 words. That is enough for a subject line, a personal first line, the news in two sentences, why it fits the reporter's readers, what you can offer and one ask.
How do you start a pitch email to a journalist?
Use their first name, spelled correctly, then a line that shows you know their readers or their work, such as a recent story and what you noticed in it. Put the news in the next sentence. Skip openers like “I hope this finds you well,” because the first lines are often the only ones read before a reporter decides.
How many times should you follow up on a pitch?
Once, in most cases. In Muck Rack's 2025 survey, half of journalists said one follow-up is ideal, and 51% said it should come three to seven days after the pitch. On a story due the same day, the reporter's deadline decides instead. Reply in the same thread, add something new such as a person to interview or a fresh number, and leave an easy way to say no.
