Real outreach. Real receipts.
Media Pitch Examples: What I Sent While Earning 80+ Press Features
I earned more than 80 media features for my own business without hiring a PR firm.
The emails I sent were usually short, sweet and to the point. But the emails were never the whole story.
The coverage came from having a real story, finding the right journalist, offering useful information, generally including a strong, relevant photo, responding quickly and continuing to build the relationship after the first email.
If you came here looking for a sample email pitch to an editor, you will find one. You will also see the preparation that made a short email useful.
The goal is not to write the perfect pitch. The goal is to become easy to work with.
See the press featuresWhat a media pitch actually is
A media pitch is a short, relevant message that gives a journalist a reason to consider your story.
It is not your entire life story. It is not a long sales email. And it is not a press release pasted into an inbox without context.
My pitch emails were generally brief. I included the useful information from the press release directly in the body so the journalist did not have to open another document to understand the story. I generally included a strong, relevant photo and made sure the facts, usable quotes and contact information were easy to find.
The email opened the door. The preparation behind it made the story usable.
The Receipts Method™
A relationship-first approach
My Press Playbook and the Receipts Method™ are relationship-first.
Direct.
Find the right person, understand the work they do and contact them with a legitimate reason.
Grateful.
Respect their time, be helpful and show appreciation whether or not one email leads to coverage.
Persistent.
Keep showing up with a reason, a timely angle, useful update or story that fits their audience.
I was not trying to get one press hit and disappear. I wanted to become someone journalists felt comfortable working with again.
One of the most important things I learned was that if I did the work on the front end and made the journalist's job as easy as possible, I became someone they wanted to work with again.
Illustrative reconstruction
A short media pitch email can look like this
This is not an exact historical email. It is an illustrative example based on the way I actually worked and the materials I used.
Subject: Story idea: [timely, specific angle]
Hi [Journalist's first name],
I enjoyed your recent story about [specific story or subject]. I thought this might be useful for your readers because [one-sentence timely reason].
[Business name] is [two or three sentences with the clear story, accurate facts and strongest relevant detail].
I included the key information and a usable quote below, along with a high-resolution photo. I am happy to answer questions or provide anything else you need.
Thank you for your time,
[Name]
[Phone] · [Email] · [Website]
The email is intentionally short. It gives the journalist a clear reason for the contact, shows that I know their work and makes the next step simple.
The material below the email does the heavier lifting. It gives them the facts, photo, quote and contact information they may need without creating unnecessary extra work.
Real receipt · Press release
Historical example: a partnership story
One real story I shared came from Becky's Blissful Bakery's partnership with Purple Door Ice Cream.
The source material was a press release, not a pitch email. The short, personal email introduced the story. The press release organized the useful details a journalist could work from.
The partnership gave the story a reason to exist beyond "here is my product." It connected two businesses and created a specific story with people, products and a clear angle.
What made the material useful
- A real partnership, not a manufactured announcement
- A clear reason the story mattered
- Accurate facts in one place
- A strong, relevant image
- Contact information for follow-up
- Information organized for quick understanding
The lesson is not to copy this particular story. It is to look for what is genuinely happening in your business that may be useful, timely or interesting to someone else's audience.
Real receipt · Media advisory
Historical example: a media advisory
The University of Phoenix issued a media advisory announcing me as its Milwaukee commencement speaker.
A media advisory is not a pitch email or a press release. It is a concise notice that gives the media the essential details of an upcoming event.
This example also documented a real point in my business journey. There was a specific event, a timely reason for coverage and clear information the media could use.
Original document
University of Phoenix Milwaukee Commencement Media Advisory
Open the advisoryWhat this example shows
- The format should match the story
- Timeliness gives the media a reason to pay attention now
- Clear facts make an event easier to evaluate and cover
- Your experience can support the story without turning the material into a biography
Why most pitch emails get ignored
A pitch can be beautifully written and still go nowhere if the groundwork is missing.
Before I contacted a journalist, I wanted to be able to answer five questions:
- 1.Is there a story here that is bigger than my product?
- 2.Why does this story matter now?
- 3.Is this outlet genuinely relevant?
- 4.Do I have a personal reason for contacting this specific journalist?
- 5.Can I give them the facts, photo and contact information they may need in one simple place?
If those answers were weak, making the email longer would not fix the problem.
A generic message sent to the wrong person is still a generic message. A product announcement without a larger story is still an advertisement. A timely, well-prepared story sent to the right person has a much better reason to be opened.
What happens after you hit send
Sending the email is one moment in a much longer relationship.
Journalists are busy. A story may not fit today. The timing may be wrong. They may need a different image, another fact or a faster answer than you expected.
I tried to be helpful, responsive and prepared. I showed gratitude. I followed up when I had a reason. And I continued paying attention to the journalist's work instead of treating the relationship like a transaction.
That is part of the Receipts Method™ too.
The 80+ features did not come from a magical template. They came from strong stories, preparation, timing, partnerships, persistence and making it easy for journalists to work with me.
Start free
Prepare before you pitch
The free Get Your First Press Hit Checklist walks you through the foundation I used before outreach.
- Find a story that is not simply about your product
- Give the story a timely reason to matter now
- Research outlets that are genuinely relevant
- Find a personal hook for the specific journalist
- Prepare a simple one-page story asset with the facts, photo and contact information they may need
If you are getting ready to send your first pitch, start here.
The complete system
When you want the full playbook
The free checklist helps you prepare. The Press Playbook System™ shows you how I put the full process into practice.
It includes the complete Receipts Method™, six email templates, the press-list system, the full follow-up process, the press-release system, the 90-day implementation process and the long-term relationship strategy behind my results.
It is not a promise of instant coverage. It is the practical system I built from doing this work for my own business, with the receipts behind it.
Questions
Media pitch questions, answered
How long should a media pitch email be?
Mine were generally short, sweet and to the point. The journalist still needs enough information to understand the story, but the email does not need to be long or complicated. I put the useful facts directly in the message and made supporting materials easy to access.
Is a media pitch the same as a press release?
No. A pitch is the short, personal message that introduces a relevant story to a journalist. A press release organizes the fuller story, facts, quotes and contact information. A media advisory is different again. It gives the essential details of an upcoming event.
What should I include in a pitch to a journalist?
Include a specific reason you are contacting that journalist, a clear and timely story angle, the most useful facts, a strong relevant photo, usable contact information and an easy next step. Do not make the journalist work to understand why the story matters.
How do I get a journalist to respond to my pitch?
There is no email template that can guarantee a response. Start with a legitimate story, research the right person, make a genuine connection and make their job easy. Be responsive, grateful and persistent when you have a real reason to follow up.