News story
- What it looks like an article about a launch or a funding round
- What you bring a dated fact and a spokesperson
How to get press coverage
To get press coverage, find one story that matters to readers outside your company, choose reporters who covered something close recently, and send each a short personal pitch with a fact or data point.
Follow up once.
In Muck Rack's 2026 survey, 86% of journalists said some of their stories start from pitches, so the door is open to anyone with a real story.
Illustration
What does press coverage mean
Press coverage is anything a journalist chose to publish about your company, from a long feature to a single quote on a podcast.
It is earned media. Nobody paid for the placement, which is why readers trust it more than an ad.
Each type asks for a different kind of story.
Feature
- What it looks like a longer piece on a trend, with several companies
- What you bring a person with a view and an example
Expert quote
- What it looks like two or three lines in someone else's story
- What you bring fast, specific comment on the reporter's topic
Data story
- What it looks like an article built on your numbers
- What you bring a survey or dataset with a clear method
Broadcast
- What it looks like a TV or radio segment
- What you bring a place to film and a person who talks well
Podcast
- What it looks like a long interview with a host
- What you bring a founder with stories, not slogans
A funding round is a news story. A founder with a strong opinion on energy prices is an expert quote or a podcast guest.
How to get press coverage in five steps
Most failed campaigns skip step one and start at step three, with a pitch that has no story in it.
The numbers behind each step, from length to follow up, are in how to pitch journalists.
Find a story worth covering
A number, a first, a trend you can prove or a customer with a story. A launch alone is rarely news.
Build a short media list
Ten right names beat five hundred wrong ones. See building a media list.
Pitch in a few short paragraphs
The news in the first line, the proof in the second.
Answer journalist requests
Request services such as Qwoted send out reporters' calls for sources. See HARO alternatives.
Follow up once, then report
Count what ran, not how many times it was copied.
What makes a story newsworthy
Reporters decide in seconds. Check your story against five questions an editor asks. A story that passes four is worth a pitch.
One that passes only two usually lacks a real number or a customer willing to be named.
- Is it new. It happened this week, or it will happen on a date you can name.
- Is it specific. It has a number and a named person, not a claim.
- Does it matter to readers. Someone outside your company gains or loses something.
- Can it be checked. A document or a dataset stands behind it.
- Is there a person. Someone can talk today, on the record, in plain words.
What to pitch at each funding stage
Startups have fewer facts and less time, so the story has to match the stage. The full stage-by-stage plan is on PR for startups.
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Before a round
- Pitch the founder and the problem to trade newsletters and podcasts.
At a funding round
- Give the business desk the amount and the lead investor, plus one traction number, under embargo a few days ahead.
After a round
- Now the story is what the money changed. A customer outcome or original product data keeps reporters coming back.
At every stage
- A founder who answers fast and on the record becomes a source reporters return to.
Pitching the newsroom in your own town
Local reporters need a local angle. New jobs work, and so does a street their readers know.
Invite them to see something in person at a set hour, because a small desk will take a story that is ready to film.
Business journals and regional radio are the easiest first coverage for most small companies, and our guide to PR for small business covers that desk in more depth.
Fill every bracket below and cut anything you cannot fill.
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How to get on the news
A TV newsroom has a planning desk that builds tomorrow's running order.
Email the assignment desk one or two days before the event and call on the morning itself.
Radio needs the same, minus pictures, plus a phone number that answers. The desk needs three things.
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Pictures
- A place to film, with people doing something in it. No pictures, no TV story.
A person on camera
- One spokesperson who speaks in plain sentences and is free when the crew can come.
A time
- Morning events have the best chance of making the evening news.
How do I get the news to cover my story
Make it easy to say yes. Put the strongest fact in the first line and name someone who can talk today.
Most of what reporters receive is off topic, so a relevant pitch stands out by default. Start the relationship before you need it.
- 72%say fewer than a quarter of those pitches are relevantCision State of the Media 2026
- 84%say an introduction email, even with no story to pitch, is the best way to startCision State of the Media 2026
How to contact an investigative reporter
Investigative journalists are not a PR channel. They look for evidence of wrongdoing or public harm, and they protect sources carefully.
If you hold that kind of information, use the secure tip page the outlet publishes and send documents, not opinions. A company announcement sent to an investigative desk will not be read.
Your first 90 days of pitching
Coverage builds slowly and then compounds. The week-by-week template, with hours per task, is in PR without an agency. In short.
Weeks 1 to 4
Pick two stories and build a press page. Each story gets its own media list, and a story that needs a release can start from a free press release draft.
Weeks 5 to 8
Pitch the stronger story and answer requests daily.
Weeks 9 to 12
Pitch the second story and count original articles and quotes.
Common mistakes that kill coverage
No story.A product update or a new website is not news for anyone outside the company.Mass sending.One text sent to hundreds of reporters trains all of them to ignore your name.AI-written pitches.Most journalists object to them, and they are picked far less often. The numbers are in Qwoted vs Featured.Paying for a wire and calling it coverage.Syndicated copies of a release are not articles a reporter wrote.No one available.The reporter says yes and the founder is on a flight for a week.Chasing.Three follow ups in a week end the relationship.
Step by step
Press coverage guides
GuideHow to pitch journalistsWhat reporters open, with a real pitch example.
Read the guide
GuideHow to write a press releaseSeven parts, one page and a startup example.
Read the guide
GuideHARO alternatives in 2026What replaced HARO and how to get picked.
Read the guide
GuideFree PR without an agencyA five step plan that costs time, not money.
Read the guide
Next step
When to bring in people
If you pitch every week and still hear nothing, or you have a round or launch you cannot miss, a PR expert saves months.
What a month of pitching looks like with us
One story a month
We pick the one fact that makes your company worth a reporter's time this month.
Right desk, right day
Each story goes to reporters who covered the topic in the last quarter, and to nobody else.
Count what ran
Every month you see the articles and quotes a reporter actually wrote. Syndicated copies and ad value stay out of the count.
How a bakery made the evening news
A local bakery chain gets on the evening news, illustrative
- Situation
- A fictional bakery chain with four shops in one city was opening a fifth and had sent a generic press release to 60 addresses with no reply.
- What we do
- The story was reframed around 14 new local jobs and a free breakfast for night shift nurses from the nearby hospital. One pitch went to the city business reporter. Another went to the TV planning desk and named the hour of the first breakfast.
- Outcome
- The TV desk sent a camera crew for a two-minute evening segment and the business reporter wrote a short piece on the new jobs. Both named the street and the owner.
Illustrative example, not a client result
Copy and send
Story worksheet and local pitch
Story finder worksheet
Story in one sentence. [Who] did [what] for [whom], and it matters because [reason]. The fact nobody else has. [a number or a first] Who cares outside the company. [which readers, in plain words] Why now. [the date or the news it ties to] Proof a reporter can check. [a document, or a customer who will talk] Person ready to talk. [name and a phone that answers] Pictures. [what a camera could film] Desks to pitch. [the two or three desks, by name]
Local news pitch
Subject line. [Town] [company] adds [number] jobs with [event] on [date] Hi [first name], You covered [their recent local story] on [date]. On [date] we [local news in one sentence]. [One local fact, such as the number of new jobs.] [Person] can meet you on site at [time], and [what a camera or photographer can see]. [Your name] [Role, company, phone]
Anastasiia Bratkova
Chief Brand, Marketing & Communications Officer, RSE
Signs every pitch
Questions
What founders ask before their first pitch
How do I get media coverage?
Find one story that matters to readers outside your company, send a short personal pitch to the reporters who covered something close in the last three months, and follow up once with something new.
How do I ask for media coverage?
Email one reporter who covers your topic. Name their recent story, give the news in one line with one fact, and offer a person they can interview. Ask once and follow up once with something new.
How to get local press coverage?
Give the local desk a fact that only matters in your town and a person they can meet or film. Local newsrooms are small, so a ready story saves them time.
Does it cost money to do a press release?
Writing one costs only time. Sending it through a paid newswire costs money, but earned coverage itself is free. Most coverage comes from direct pitches, not from the wire.
Are press releases worth it?
As a record of facts and a page reporters can quote, yes. As a way to get coverage on their own, rarely. Pair each release with personal pitches.
How do I contact an investigative reporter?
Use the secure contact channel the outlet publishes for tips, send documents rather than claims, and do not use a PR pitch format. Investigative desks look for evidence of wrongdoing, not company news.
What does press coverage mean?
Anything about your company that a journalist chose to publish, from a full article to one quote. You do not pay for it, which is why readers trust it more than ads.
Read next
Related guides
Next step
Get the media list template
A senior PR expert sends it within one business day, with a story angle for your company.