Why Hiring a PR Agency Is Wrong (And How to Get Featured in the New York Times)

By Zach Schleien

Stop wasting $15k/mo on PR agencies. Learn how Zach Schleien landed the New York Times and 200+ other features using cold outreach and proprietary data.

TL;DR

• Stop sending press releases, start sending stories that solve a journalist's specific problem or content gap.
• The New York Times cares about data, exclusive human-interest angles, and "firsts" rather than your product features.
• Success in top-tier PR comes from personalized outreach and timing, not hiring an expensive agency.

Most founders believe they need a $15,000-a-month PR firm and a glossy press kit to get a nod from the Grey Lady. They are wrong. I have been featured in the New York Times, and I did it while working a full-time job at J&J, without spending a single dollar on an agency. If you want to know how to get featured in the New York Times, you have to stop acting like a marketer and start acting like a source.

At Filteroff, I handled all our marketing and sales. When we hit milestones like facilitating 2 million video dates across 150 countries, I didn't blast a wire service. I looked for the specific reporters who were already writing about the "loneliness epidemic" or the shift in digital dating during the pandemic. I realized that the Times doesn't care about your company's existence, they care about what your company proves about the world.

Why is it so hard to understand how to get featured in the New York Times?

The barrier isn't your budget, it is your perspective. Most people approach the NYT with an "ask." They want the backlink, the prestige, or the traffic. But the NYT is the paper of record. Their editors are inundated with thousands of pitches every week. To break through, you need to offer them something they cannot get anywhere else: proprietary data, a controversial take on a trending topic, or an incredibly rare human story.

When I was building 18percent, a mental health community I started, I didn't just tell reporters we had 18,000 members. I told them why those members were turning to Slack for peer support instead of traditional therapy. I gave them the "why" behind the trend.

The Myth of the Press Release

If you are sending a standard press release to a NYT editor, you have already lost. They aren't looking for news that is being "released" to everyone. They want an exclusive. They want to be the ones to break the story. In my experience getting over 200 media features, including the BBC and Forbes, I have never used a traditional press release. I use a cold email to a journalist that feels like a conversation between two professionals.

The "Trend Overlay" Strategy

The New York Times loves a "trend" piece. This is where you take a broad societal shift and position yourself as the example of that shift.

• Are people quitting their jobs to become nomadic founders?
• Is there a new way people are using AI to solve loneliness?
• Is the "dating app burnout" causing a return to video-first interactions?

When I pitched Filteroff, I wasn't pitching an app. I was pitching the solution to the "swipe fatigue" that everyone was talking about. I gave them the data from our 2 million video dates to prove that people were ready for a change.

How do you find the right journalist at the New York Times?

The NYT is a massive organization. Pitching "The Editor" is a waste of time. You need to find the specific person whose beat aligns with your story. I spent hours reading the Business, Technology, and Styles sections to see who was writing about my space.

Use the "Section-First" Approach

Don't just aim for the front page. Look at specific desks:

• The Styles Section: Great for social trends, dating, and lifestyle innovations.
• The Business/Tech Section: For stories about market disruption or big funding (though they usually only cover massive rounds).
• The Well Column: Perfect for mental health or wellness-related stories.

Once you find a writer, read their last five articles. Mention something specific about their work in your pitch. If you are struggling with who to target, I've written about PR tools that actually work for founders which can help you build your list faster.

What makes a pitch "NYT-Quality"?

A pitch to the NYT needs to be high-signal. It needs to be professional, succinct, and packed with value. Here is my checklist for a pitch that actually gets a response:

1. The Lead: Start with a "hook" that is happening right now in the news.
2. The Data: Provide a statistic that isn't public yet.
3. The Human Element: Offer an interview with a user or customer whose life was changed.
4. The Friction: Don't be afraid to talk about what isn't working in your industry.

I used this exact framework when I was trying to figure out how to get press coverage for a startup without a PR agency. I realized that journalists are people too, and they are usually stressed and under a deadline. If you make their job easier by providing all the components of a story, they will love you.

How do you leverage "The First" or "The Only"?

The New York Times is obsessed with things that are unique. They don't want the "second-largest" dating app. They want the "first video-first dating app focused on speed dating."

In my own journey, I had to find these "firsts." Even when I was working at J&J, I was constantly looking for how my side projects were breaking new ground. When I got my dad featured in the New York Times, it wasn't about him being a great dad, it was about a specific, unique angle related to his life and the current cultural moment. You can read the full story on how I got my dad in the New York Times.

Steps to define your "Unique Angle":

• Look at your competitors. What are they not saying?
• Look at your data. What is a surprising behavior your users are exhibiting?
• Look at your founder story. Did you start this while working a 9-to-5 at a Fortune 500 company? (I did, and it made my story about "the hustle" more relatable).

How do you handle the follow-up?

Persistence is key, but "pestering" is a death sentence. If you haven't heard back in three to four days, send a respectful follow-up.

• Keep it under three sentences.
• Add one new piece of information or a new data point to "sweeten" the deal.
• If they still don't respond, move on to a different journalist or a different outlet.

I’ve had pitches that were ignored for weeks, only to have the journalist reach out when a related story landed on their desk. This is why deliverability and targeting are so important. At PressPitch AI, we focus on making sure your angles are sharp enough to stick in a reporter's mind even if they can't use them today.

Tips for a successful NYT interview

If you actually get the "Yes, I'm interested," don't celebrate yet. The interview is where most founders fail.

• Be a human, not a brochure: Don't give canned PR answers. Journalists want "color" - anecdotes, emotions, and specific details.
• Be available: If a NYT reporter asks for an interview at 4:30 PM on a Friday, you take it.
• Prepare your users: If you offered a user interview, make sure that person is ready to speak and knows generally what the story is about.

FAQ

Is it really possible to get into the NYT without a PR agency? Yes. I have never hired a PR agency and have been featured over 200 times. Journalists actually prefer hearing directly from the founder because it feels more authentic and less "packaged."

What is the best time to pitch a journalist at the New York Times? Tuesday through Thursday mornings are generally best. Avoid Mondays (catch-up day) and late Friday afternoons unless you have a breaking news story.

How long should my pitch email be? Under 200 words. If you can't explain why your story matters in three paragraphs, you don't have a clear enough angle yet.

Do I need a "press kit" before I reach out? No. High-res photos are helpful once they express interest, but you don't need a massive PDF to get their attention. A clear, text-based email is better.

The truth about how to get featured in the New York Times is that it requires more thinking and less "doing." Spend twice as much time researching the reporter as you do writing the email. If you can solve a problem for a journalist, you'll find yourself in the paper of record sooner than you think.

If you’re ready to stop guessing and start getting featured, check out PressPitch AI. We help founders find the right angles and the right targets to land the coverage they deserve.