Applies to any media or PR outreach to a journalist for coverage. Produces a short pitch anchored to the reporter's recent work, weighted toward their readers, and closed on a specific give and one clear ask.

Most cold pitches to reporters fail the same three ways: they lead with the company, they are not anchored to anything the reporter actually wrote, and they open with "happy to be a source" and give no reason to reply. This skill fixes all three, then routes the draft through a review gate before it sends.

The four pitch types

Pick the type before drafting - each has a different structure and length, detailed in references/pitch-types.md.

First contact - get on the reporter's radar before there is news. No pitch, no ask beyond "useful to be a resource".
News pitch - a specific announcement worth their readers' attention.
Byline pitch - a contributed article from an exec, backed by a real existing point of view.
Reactive pitch - a story just broke on the beat and there is a fast, specific expert take to offer. Speed is the whole point.

media-pr-outreach

The four pitch types

The play