The Subject Lines That Got Me Into Forbes, NYT, and GMA

By Zach Schleien

The difference between getting ignored and getting featured often comes down to 8 words. Here are the exact subject lines that landed me major press.

Journalists get hundreds of pitches a day. Most get deleted without being opened. The subject line is your only chance to earn a click.

Over 200+ media features - including Forbes, The New York Times, Good Morning America, BBC, TechCrunch, and CNN - I've tested hundreds of subject lines. Here's what actually works.

The Formula

Every subject line that worked for me followed one of three patterns:

1. Specific + Newsworthy

• "Pediatrics Chair Nearly Dies of COVID - Then Treats Kids With It"
• "Video Dating App Hits #1 on Product Hunt - 2M Dates Facilitated"

2. Curiosity Gap

• "How a Dating App Caught Its Own Scammers"
• "The Founder Who Got His Dad in the NYT"

3. Timely + Relevant

• "School Reopening: Pediatrics Expert Available for Comment"
• "Virtual Dating Surges 300% - Filteroff CEO Available"

What Doesn't Work

• "Exciting new startup!" - Every founder thinks their startup is exciting. This says nothing.
• "Press release: [Company] announces..." - Journalists hate press releases in subject lines.
• "Quick question" - Misleading and wastes their time.
• "Following up" - If your first email didn't work, "following up" won't either. Send a new angle.

The Real Subject Lines I Used

Here are actual subject lines from pitches that landed:

For the New York Times: "COVID Survivor + Chair of Pediatrics at Northwell Health - Op-Ed Pitch"

Why it worked: Specific credentials + timely topic + clear ask.

For Good Morning America: "Pediatrics Chair Who Survived COVID Now Treating Children With MIS-C"

Why it worked: Dramatic story arc + news hook + available expert.

For Forbes: "21-Year-Old Built a Platform Used by 10,000+ People - Forbes Feature Pitch"

Why it worked: Age creates intrigue + specific number + clear ask.

For TechCrunch: "Video Dating App Catches Catfish Using Live Video Verification"

Why it worked: Unique angle on a known problem + product differentiation.

The Follow-Up Strategy

Most of my biggest hits came from follow-ups, not first pitches. But the follow-up wasn't "just checking in." Each follow-up had a new angle:

1. First pitch: The core story
2. Follow-up 1 (3 days later): New data point or milestone
3. Follow-up 2 (1 week later): Tie to breaking news

When I pitched my dad's COVID story, the first pitch got the NYT op-ed. The follow-up - tying his expertise to the MIS-C outbreak in children - got Good Morning America.

Build Your Subject Line

Start with this template: [Specific Credential/Number] + [Newsworthy Hook] + [Clear Ask]

Examples:

• "Founder Who Sold Company at 28 - Available for Entrepreneurship Feature"
• "AI Tool Gets 500 Startups Press Coverage in 3 Months - Demo Available"
• "Ex-J&J Marketer Reveals Why Agencies Fail Founders"

The subject line is the pitch. If it doesn't make a journalist curious in 3 seconds, the rest doesn't matter.

Want to craft pitches that actually land? Try PressPitch AI - the tool I co-founded to help founders get press coverage with AI-powered outreach.