Energy trade
- First line your column on installer callbacks
- Fact to lead with fault calls down by half
- Offer fault log and two installers
Media pitch examples
A good media pitch is under 200 words, opens on the reporter's own recent story and puts the news in the first line with one fact behind it.
Here are ten pitches to copy, one per story type, each with a note on why it works.
The companies and names are fictional, and the structure follows what journalists tell surveys they want.
Illustration
What a PR pitch needs
Every example below runs in the same order. Why this reporter, then the news, one fact, the offer and a real name.
The survey numbers behind that order and the blank template are in how to pitch journalists. If you have no story yet, start one step earlier, with what makes a story worth press coverage.
Copy and send
Media pitch example for a product launch
Subject line. Kyiv clinics get backup power in 7 minutes, launch Tuesday Hi Anna, you wrote last week about hospitals running on diesel. On Tuesday we launch a backup unit that restores clinic power in 7 minutes, already running at 12 sites. I can share outage logs and connect you with a chief doctor before launch. Happy to offer this to your desk first. Olena, founder
Why it works. The launch is tied to a problem the reporter already wrote about. "Already running at 12 sites" turns a launch into a result, and the chief doctor is a source the reporter could not get alone.
PR pitch example for a funding round
Subject line. Brno grid software startup raises €4M to cut factory energy bills Hi Tomas, you covered industrial energy costs in August. We close a €4M seed round on 14 October, led by a Czech fund, to expand software that cut energy bills at 30 factories by 11% on average. Embargo until 14 October, 9 am CET. The CEO is free for a call this week. Jana, head of communications
Why it works. The amount and the investor sit in the first two sentences, next to what the money will do. The embargo gives the reporter time, and the traction number makes the round more than a press release.
Copy and send
PR pitch example with original data
Subject line. New data, 6 in 10 Polish SMEs delayed hiring over energy costs Hi Marta, your story on SME costs last month stayed with me. We surveyed 400 Polish small businesses in September. 61% delayed hiring because of energy costs. Full data and method are ready as a link, and our economist can comment today. Marek, research lead
Why it works. The headline finding is the subject line. The method is offered up front, which answers the first question any data reporter asks.
Expert comment pitch example
Subject line. Defense export rules, a Ukrainian manufacturer's view for your Thursday story Hi James, I saw you are covering the new export rules. Our CTO can explain in plain words what changes for small drone makers, on the record, today or tomorrow. Dmytro, press contact
Why it works. About forty words. The sender knows the reporter's deadline and offers a view nobody else on their list can give.
Customer story pitch example
Subject line. Lviv bakery cuts flour waste by a fifth with a shelf sensor Hi Iryna, you wrote in May about small food producers and rising costs. Halyna, who runs a four-shop bakery in Lviv, cut flour waste by a fifth over six months after fitting our shelf sensors. She is happy to talk on the record and to show the bakery at 6 am, when the ovens start. Taras, co-founder
Why it works. The customer is the story, not the product. A named owner and a bakery a photographer can visit at dawn are what a small business reporter needs.
Illustration
Copy and send
Hiring and expansion pitch example
Subject line. Estonian fintech opens Krakow office with 35 engineering jobs Hi Piotr, your piece on foreign tech firms in Krakow listed hiring as the city's main draw. We open our Krakow office on 3 November and will hire 35 engineers there by summer. Our country lead grew up in Nowa Huta and can talk about why the team chose the city. Kadri, head of communications
Why it works. Jobs and a street-level detail make it a city story, and the country lead's own link to Nowa Huta gives the reporter a person to interview.
Reactive pitch example for a news story
Subject line. Grid engineer on today's outage, available until 6 pm Hi Claire, I saw your live coverage of this morning's regional outage. Our chief engineer ran grid control for 11 years and can explain in plain words why the backup lines failed to switch, on the record, by phone or video, until 6 pm. Martin, press contact
Why it works. Speed and relevance beat polish. Request services like Qwoted and Featured run on the same logic, a fast, specific answer to a story already in progress.
Copy and send
Trade publication pitch example
Subject line. Installer data, heat pump controller faults fell by half after firmware 4.2 Hi Radek, your column on installer callbacks is the one our partners quote. Across 1,800 installations in Czechia, fault calls fell by half in the three months after our firmware update. I can share the anonymised fault log and put you in touch with two installers. Lenka, marketing lead
Why it works. Trade reporters want operating detail that a general desk would cut. Here the firmware version and the fault log are the story.
Podcast guest pitch example
Subject line. Guest idea, why we turned down a large defense contract Hi Sam, your episode with the drone founder on export licences was the best explanation I have heard. Our founder, Oksana, turned down a large contract last year to stay focused on civil demining. She can tell that story with the numbers behind it. Three past interviews are linked in her bio. Iryna, communications
Why it works. Hosts book stories and tension, not company overviews. Links to past interviews answer the host's real question, whether the guest can talk.
Illustration
Exclusive offer pitch example
Subject line. Exclusive offer, first public data on battery storage prices in Poland Hi Ewa, before we publish anywhere, we would like to offer you our quarterly battery storage price index as an exclusive. It shows installed prices falling for a third quarter in a row. Could you tell me by Friday if you want it. After that, we will offer it to other outlets. Piotr, head of research
Why it works. The offer and its deadline are clear, and the reporter knows exactly what they get that no rival will have.
How to adapt one pitch for three reporters
The same news needs a different first line and a different fact for each desk. Here is one fictional launch, cut three ways.
Business
- First line your story on Czech exports
- Fact to lead with first German distributor signed
- Offer CEO interview
City news
- First line your piece on jobs in Prague 9
- Fact to lead with 20 new factory jobs
- Offer factory visit
Never send all three versions to one outlet. If two reporters share a beat at the same title, pick one.
PR pitch subject line examples
- Kyiv clinics get backup power in 7 minutes, launch Tuesday
- Brno startup raises €4M to cut factory energy bills
- New data, 6 in 10 Polish SMEs delayed hiring over energy costs
- Embargoed until 14 October, Czech factory software deal with 30 plants
- Available today, CTO on the new export rules
- Lviv bakery cuts flour waste by a fifth with a shelf sensor
- Estonian fintech opens Krakow office with 35 engineering jobs
- Exclusive offer, first public data on battery storage prices in Poland
Each one names the news or the person on offer, and most carry a number. None uses a hype word or all capitals.
Which publications are accepting pitches
Nearly every news outlet takes pitches, but each reporter takes only their own beat, so read their last stories before you write.
Many outlets publish a tips address on the contact page, and reporters often list their beat and preferred contact on their author page.
Request services such as Qwoted list open requests every day. On HARO, Featured and Connectively a request drew about 33 answers on average, as Qwoted vs Featured shows. See HARO alternatives for where requests live now.
Checklist before you send
- The reporter wrote on this topic in the last 90 days
- The first line names their story
- The news is in the subject and in the first two sentences
- There is one number, and you can prove it
- The offer is concrete, such as a source on the record
- The pitch is under 200 words
- A real person signs it, with a phone number
- Nothing is attached, assets are offered instead
How we shape a pitch for each desk
A pitch per story type
A launch and a funding round need different structures, and each story gets the one its desk expects.
Rewritten per reporter
The same news gets a different first line for each reporter who receives it.
Proof ready before sending
A named source and the data are ready before the first pitch goes out, so a yes turns into a story fast.
One launch pitched three ways
One launch, three pitches, illustrative
- Situation
- A fictional Prague maker of heat pump controllers had one launch and one generic pitch it planned to send to every reporter on its list.
- What we do
- The pitch was split into three versions. The energy trade reporter got installer data, the business reporter got the export deal, and the Prague city reporter got the local factory jobs.
- Outcome
- The trade title and the city news site both ran stories in the launch week, each with a different angle, and neither reporter saw the other's pitch.
Illustrative example, not a client result
Copy and send
Customer and reactive pitches to copy
Customer story pitch
Subject line. [Customer] [result with one number] after [change], [place] Hi [first name], You covered [their recent story on the problem]. [Customer name and role] [did what] and [result with number] over [period]. [Customer first name] is happy to talk on the record, and we can share [data or photos]. [Your name] [Role, company, phone]
Reactive pitch to a news story
Subject line. [Expert role] on [today's news], available [today or tomorrow] Hi [first name], I saw you are covering [the news]. [Person, role] can explain [one specific point] for [who is affected], on the record. [One sentence that shows a view or a fact, not a slogan.] Free on [times, time zone]. [Your name]
Anastasiia Bratkova
Chief Brand, Marketing & Communications Officer, RSE
Signs every pitch
Questions
Short answers on pitching
Can you provide an example of a journalist pitch?
Yes, ten illustrative examples are in this guide, one per story type. Each stays under 200 words and names the reporter's recent story.
How long should a media pitch be?
Under 200 words. Muck Rack's State of Journalism 2026 found 69% of journalists prefer pitches under 200 words. Aim for 60 to 120.
Which publications are accepting pitches?
Almost every news outlet takes pitches from sources. Each reporter's beat decides what they accept, so read their last stories before you write.
What does pitch PR mean?
A short, personal email that offers one journalist a story idea, a source or data, in the hope they cover it. A press release is the public record; the pitch is the note that gets a reporter to read it.
What is a good subject line for a media pitch?
The news plus one number, short enough to read on a phone, such as New data, 6 in 10 Polish SMEs delayed hiring over energy costs. Leave out hype words and capital letters.
Should I use AI to write a pitch?
For research, yes. For the pitch, no. AI pitches on Featured were picked about 1 in 10 times against 1 in 3 for human ones.
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