Media pitch examples: 6 pitches you can copy and why they work

By Zach Schleien

Six media pitch examples you can copy, from news tie-ins and data pitches to exclusives and podcast guest spots, plus the five parts every pitch needs.

A media pitch is a short email to one reporter that offers them a story that fits what they already cover. The six media pitch examples below cover the situations you'll run into most often: tying into the news, sharing data, pulling off a stunt, offering yourself as an expert, offering an exclusive, and pitching a podcast.

I've earned 200+ media placements across 25+ countries, including 18 TV appearances and 52 major publications, and I've never hired a PR agency. Over three years I wrote 100+ master pitches. Every example below follows the same structure I use. I broke down the exact approach in How to Write a PR Pitch That Actually Gets a Reply.

Each example is made up for a fictional company unless I say otherwise. Fill in the brackets with your own details and numbers.

TL;DR

• A media pitch is a short email to one reporter offering a story that fits their beat. It isn't a press release.
• Every good pitch has a subject line that states the story, a first line that gets to it, a reason it matters now, two or three pieces of proof, and an easy ask.
• Write one master pitch, change the name and outlet for each reporter, and send it to every reporter who covers that beat.

What every media pitch example has in common

A reporter decides quickly whether to keep reading, so every line in a pitch has a job. Each example uses these five parts.

1. A subject line that states the story. It should tell the reporter what they'd be writing. "Interview opportunity" tells them nothing.
2. A first line that gets to the story. Don't open with who you are or how much you like their work.
3. A reason it matters now. This is your angle. It's why a reporter should write about this today instead of next month.
4. Two or three pieces of proof. A number, a result, or a name people know.
5. An easy ask. One sentence I've used that got me booked on live TV is "Would you like to interview the founder?" It tells the reporter exactly what they get and what happens next.

Example 1: The news tie-in pitch

Use this when a big story is already all over the news and your company is a small, fresh part of it.

Subject: Roommates are fighting over the heating bill, and an app is settling it Hi [first name], I read your story on rising winter heating costs. There's another side to it: roommates are using our app to split the heating bill based on who's actually home. SplitHeat is a small app based in [city]. Since the first cold week, [number] new roommate groups have signed up, and [a few] of them are happy to talk to a reporter. Would you like to interview the founder? [Your name] [Phone number]

Why it works: The reporter is already writing about heating costs, so you aren't asking them to care about something new.

This type of pitch sat behind Filteroff's 2020 press surge. When COVID hit, I pitched one angle hard and wide: singles stuck at home were video dating on Filteroff to find love in lockdown. I pitched essentially every journalist covering the pandemic, not just dating and tech reporters, and we got the BBC and then the New York Times within weeks. Another real pitch from my archive: when gas prices spiked, the angle became high gas prices mean fewer first dates. I wrote more about pitching around a news story in How to Find a Good Morning America Email Contact and Get Featured.

Example 2: The data pitch

Use this when you have a number nobody else has. It can come from your own product, sales, or customer data.

Subject: The week new gym members quit, based on [number] workout logs Hi [first name], Your story on New Year's fitness goals made me think you'd want this. RepTrack, our workout tracking app, looked at [number] people who joined a gym in January. The biggest drop-off came in week [number]. The people who made it past that week had one thing in common: [the pattern you found, in one sentence]. This comes from our own app, so nobody else has it. I can send you the full breakdown today. Would you like to interview the founder?

Why it works: The number is the story. The reporter gets something new to report, and you get named as the source.

At Filteroff, our average session length was 200 seconds against Tinder's 110, nearly double. That's the kind of number a reporter can build a whole story around.

Example 3: The stunt pitch

Use this when something weird and true happened at your company. Reporters like stories their readers will want to send to a friend.

Here's a pitch built on a real Filteroff story. I wrote this example for this post, so it isn't the original email.

Subject: We moved dating app scammers into a fake dating pool full of other scammers Hi [first name], At Filteroff, our video speed dating app, we built an AI system that detects scammers and bots. Then we quietly placed them in a separate fake dating pool filled with other scammers and AI bots running fake profiles. They've been talking to each other. We've been publishing the funniest conversations, in series called "Nurse & Teacher," "Male or Female?" and "Bot Anger." Would you like to interview the founder?

Why it works: You don't have to explain why it's interesting. The reporter can picture the headline from the subject line alone. TechCrunch and Gizmodo both covered the real story.

Example 4: The expert source pitch

Use this when news breaks in your field and you can explain it. You're offering to help a reporter on deadline, and your company is just the reason you know the topic.

Subject: What shoppers should do after the [retailer] data breach Hi [first name], I saw you're covering the [retailer] data breach. If you need someone to explain what shoppers should do next in plain English, I can help today. I run ShopGuard, a security company that protects customer data for small online stores. I can walk your readers through three steps they can take right now, and I'm free for a call or on camera this afternoon. Would you like to set up a quick interview?

Why it works: A reporter covering breaking news needs a source fast. You make the yes easy by giving them a clear topic, the reason you know it, and a time you're free. Subject matter expertise is one of the proven angle types in my own press system. For more pitch types to work from, see 17 Pitch Frameworks That Land Press.

Example 5: The exclusive pitch

Use this when you have real news, like a launch, a funding round, or a big partnership, and one reporter is the clear best fit.

Subject: Exclusive for you: [Company] launches [product] on [date] Hi [first name], I'd like to offer you the exclusive on our launch. [Company] is [one sentence on what it is and why it matters now]. You'd have it first. We won't pitch anyone else until your story runs, and I can get you the founder, [a customer who will talk], and the numbers by [day]. Would you like it?

Why it works: First dibs is real value to a reporter. One of Filteroff's biggest press hits was an exclusive given to Business Insider.

Your press universe is every reporter who covers your niche, which can span 100 outlets and up to about 20 reporters at a single outlet. You offer first dibs to the single best-fit reporter on that list, then go wide after the story runs.

Example 6: The podcast guest pitch

Use this when you want to be a guest on a show. A host wants to know if you'll make a good episode for their listeners, so show them the episode.

Subject: Guest idea for [show name]: [a topic their listeners care about] Hi [host's first name], I liked your episode with [recent guest] on [topic]. I think your listeners would like a follow-up on [your topic]. I'm [name], founder of [company]. On the show, I can tell the story of [one specific moment or result]. Three things I could cover: - [Topic one] - [Topic two] - [Topic three] Would you like to have me on?

Why it works: It proves you listen to the show and hands the host an episode that's ready to book.

One client's done-for-you podcast campaign generated interest from about 50 podcasts in 3 months and got him on about 15 shows. Two of those shows had 500+ ratings on Apple Podcasts, and he used the interview clips for social media.

How to send your media pitch

A good pitch sent to the wrong person does nothing. The unit is always the reporter and their beat, never the outlet.

I write one master pitch per campaign, which takes 1 to 2 hours. Then I change only the journalist's name and publication and send it to 200 to 1,000 journalists who actually cover that beat.

Volume works when the angle is real. In 2020 my dad wrote his own story about surviving COVID. I sent roughly 70 pitches to every New York Times writer covering that beat. One of them forwarded it to the op-ed editor, and the op-ed ran on April 9, 2020.

Compare that to my Top Romp days, before I knew how to pitch, when I sent roughly 20 to 40 generic press releases to company contact pages and got zero replies.

And you're probably not too early for press. The Washington Post featured my mental health community, 18percent, when it had about 150 members. The BBC featured Filteroff when we had around 500 users and a team of two.

If you'd rather not do this by hand, PressPitch AI finds journalists who cover your beat, writes personalized pitches, sends the emails, and tracks opens.