How to Cold Email a Journalist

You have a great idea for a story about your company and you know just who should cover it. Problem is, you don’t have an existing relationship with the journalist just yet and you’re not sure how to pitch your story idea. While it’s always easier to write a pitch email to media reps when you’ve connected before, you can email a journalist you’ve never engaged with. Here’s how to cold email a journalist and get the results that you want.

1. Keep Your Email Short

Journalists are busy, just like you and everyone else. Consider how you’d feel if you received a long-winded email from a stranger. Not too happy, right? Keep your email short and to the point. What’s the story, why will it appeal to their audience, what do you have to offer?

2. Personalize the Email

Sure, you don’t know the journalist but you can still personalize the message. Greet them by name, include a reference or two to work they’ve written recently that is relevant to your audience and your story idea. Show the journalist that you’re not just blindly reaching out but that you have done your homework and put in the time and effort.

3. It’s Relevant to Them

The worst thing you can do is sent a cold email to a journalist that writes for a different niche or industry. A health writer, for example, isn’t likely to be interested in your tech company story (unless the tech is related to health). So make sure you’re emailing your pitch to a relevant media rep who will be interested in covering your information.

4. Short and Simple Subject Line

The subject line of the email should be short, simple, and of course intriguing enough to encourage the reporter to open the message. Again, consider sticking to the point. For example, you might actually include the word “Pitch” in your subject line. “Pitch: New Technology Changes How Parents with Newborns Sleep.” Sending this pitch to a parenting writer or a health and wellness journalist and it will get opened.

5. What’s In It for Them?

Finally, make sure to remember that this pitch isn’t about you, it’s about your story and how it will benefit the journalist’s audience. Remember to focus on the benefits of your news and what their readers will gain.

Just a couple of paragraphs and then it’s time to thank them, close the email, and leave them with a link for more information and a contact name. It’s also a good idea to tell them when and how you’re going to follow up and to follow through on that and reconnect with them if you haven’t heard in your chosen time frame. Writing a cold email to a journalist doesn’t have to be complicated. Stick to the point, remember to focus on their needs, and personalize the message as much as possible.