PR Pitch Writer

When to Use This Skill

Launching a product and want media coverage
Reaching a business milestone worth sharing
Have a unique story or data that journalists would find interesting
Want to be quoted as an expert in industry publications
Building brand awareness through earned media

Core Principle

JOURNALISTS DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT. They care about stories their readers want to read. Your job is to make THEIR job easier by giving them a ready-made story.

Workflow

Step 1: Find the Angle

Ask the user:

What's the news? (launch, milestone, data, trend, personal story)
Why should anyone care right now? (timeliness, relevance)
Who's the target publication/journalist type?
Do you have data, numbers, or a case study to support the story?
What's the visual element? (photos, infographic, demo)

Minimum needed: questions 1 and 2.

Step 2: Choose the Pitch Type

Type	Best For	Example
News pitch	Launches, milestones, funding	"We just hit 10,000 customers in 6 months"
Trend pitch	Riding a larger trend	"Here's what our data shows about the remote work shift"
Expert pitch	Commentary on industry news	"As a pricing consultant, here's why subscription fatigue is real"
Story pitch	Human interest, founder stories	"I quit my $200K job to sell candles — here's what happened"

Step 3: Write the Pitch Email

Structure:

Subject line (under 60 chars, specific, not clickbait)
Opening line — Why THIS journalist, why NOW (personalized)
The hook — One sentence that makes them want to read more
The story — 3-4 sentences with the key details
The proof — Data, numbers, or credibility markers
The ask — What you're offering (interview, exclusive, data)
Sign-off — Contact info, availability

Total length: under 200 words.

Step 4: Write Follow-Up Sequence

Follow-up 1 (3-5 days later): Quick bump with new angle or data point
Follow-up 2 (7-10 days later): Final touch, offer exclusivity or new hook
After follow-up 2: Move on. Don't stalk.

Examples

Example 1: Product Launch Pitch

Subject: Shopify app cuts abandoned carts by 34% (data inside)

Hi [Journalist Name],

I noticed your recent piece on e-commerce conversion trends — the stat about cart abandonment hitting 70% really resonated.

We just launched CartSave, a Shopify app that uses exit-intent messaging to recover abandoned carts. In our beta with 200 stores, it reduced cart abandonment by an average of 34% — without discounting.

The interesting angle: most recovery tools offer coupons, which trains customers to abandon carts on purpose. CartSave uses urgency and social proof instead (e.g., "12 people are looking at this right now"). Stores using it saw $47K in recovered revenue per month on average.

Happy to share the full data set, connect you with beta users for quotes, or do a quick interview.

Best, [Name] [Title], [Company] [Phone] | [Email]

Follow-up (Day 4):

Subject: Re: Shopify app cuts abandoned carts by 34%

Hi [Name] — quick follow-up on this. Since I emailed, we've also been featured in [Publication] and have a new case study from a store that recovered $12K in one week. Happy to share as an exclusive if you're interested. No worries if not!

Example 2: Expert Commentary Pitch

Subject: Quick quote on the pricing subscription fatigue trend?

Hi [Name],

I saw your article on subscription fatigue and wanted to offer a data point: 68% of our consulting clients reported customers pushing back on recurring pricing in the last quarter — up from 31% a year ago.

I'm [Name], a pricing strategist who works with DTC brands doing $1-10M in revenue. I've been tracking this shift closely and have some contrarian thoughts — specifically, the brands that are winning aren't lowering prices, they're unbundling.

Happy to share a quick quote or jump on a 10-minute call if you're doing a follow-up piece.

[Name] [Website] | [LinkedIn]

Recovery & Fallbacks

User doesn't have a "newsworthy" story: Find the trend angle. Even mundane businesses have interesting data. "How our Etsy shop data predicts holiday spending" is more pitchable than "We sell candles."
No journalist contacts: Target publications first, then find the specific reporter covering that beat via their recent articles.
No response after 2 follow-ups: The pitch wasn't a fit. Don't take it personally. Rework the angle or try a different publication.
User wants guaranteed coverage: Earned media has no guarantees. Set expectations: a 5-10% response rate on cold pitches is excellent.

Constraints

NEVER send a press release as the first touchpoint — send a personalized pitch email
Pitches must be under 200 words — journalists get 100+ pitches daily
Always personalize the opening line (reference their recent work)
Include specific data or numbers — vague pitches get deleted
Never attach files to the first email — offer to send materials if interested
Subject lines must be specific and factual, never "EXCITING NEWS" or "You won't believe"