How I Got My Dad in the New York Times (And on GMA, CNN, and FOX)

By Zach Schleien

My dad got COVID, survived, and I turned his story into a NYT op-ed, the front page of Reddit, and national TV. Here's the PR playbook.

A cold email to opinion@nytimes.com would have gone nowhere. Instead, I used a targeted outreach strategy that got my dad published in the New York Times, on the front page of Reddit, and booked on Good Morning America, CNN, and FOX News.

Here's exactly how it happened - and the PR playbook any founder can replicate.

The Story Behind the Story

March 7th - I visit my dad in Westchester to go shopping at the Westchester Mall. During the car ride, he had an occasional cough. Neither of us knew he was falling ill with COVID-19.

March 9th - My dad develops fever and chills. The next day, he tests positive. Over the following days, he tells his friends he'll be golfing in a couple of weeks - then the malaise takes over. He can barely eat or leave the couch.

March 21st - Twelve days in, his oxygen levels drop. He's hospitalized, but fortunately avoids a ventilator.

March 27th - He's discharged after a week. I go back to Westchester to care for him. He's lost 20 pounds and is severely fatigued. We socially distance, wear masks in close proximity, and spend hours streaming Peaky Blinders together.

But we also start talking about how to share his story with the world. He writes a powerful piece about his experience. What made it unique: he's the Chair of Pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center of Northwell Health - a leading physician who fell severely ill with the very virus his hospital was fighting.

The PR Strategy That Worked

I knew submitting to opinion@nytimes.com cold would get buried. So I tried a different approach:

1. I emailed NYT writers who covered coronavirus directly - not the generic inbox
2. I carefully crafted the subject line and pitch - making the angle clear: top pediatric physician nearly dies from COVID
3. One writer made an introduction to the op-ed editor on our behalf
4. A few days later: YES. My dad and I were screaming.

The Domino Effect

April 9th - The piece goes live in The New York Times. The response is overwhelming - tweets, emails, calls. People from around the world share their own COVID stories, telling my dad his piece gave them hope.

From there, I booked FOX News, Good Morning America, Don Lemon on CNN, CBS, and WABC.

The Reddit Moment - The day my dad came home from the hospital, I had him pose with his oxygen tank, arms in the air, celebrating. He said no to Facebook, so I posted it on Reddit. Within minutes: hundreds of upvotes. My brother calls: "Dad's on the front page of Reddit." I told my dad it's like a NYT op-ed but the entire internet can see it. He didn't get it until colleagues called saying their kids saw him on the front page.

April 19th - We did a Reddit AMA. Questions flew in; I typed while my dad dictated answers.

Riding the News Cycle

May 13th - As COVID spreads to children, my dad's hospital admits the most kids with the virus and the post-infectious disease MIS-C. I pitched the same outlets with a new angle: the pediatrics expert treating children. It worked - GMA again, plus Newsday and USA Today.

September 10th - The school reopening debate heats up. My dad's department is tied into local school systems, so I pitch again. We land The Washington Post within a week.

The Takeaway

Every hit built on the last one. The strategy was simple:

• Find the human angle that makes your story unique
• Target individual journalists, not generic inboxes
• Ride the news cycle - when the narrative shifts, pitch a new angle
• Stack your credibility - each feature makes the next one easier

Looking back, this was a long and difficult period. But we found the silver linings. Living with my dad for 3 months during the pandemic gave us a chance to bond at a deeper level than ever before.

Need help getting press for your company? I use these same strategies with founders every day. Book a free strategy call and let's get you featured.