Journalist Outreach: 7 Rules to Get Your Press Release Covered

Hard truth: 78% of press releases sent to journalists are never opened.

Why? Because most companies make the same mistakes:
- Generic pitches ("Dear Journalist...")
- Irrelevant stories (tech announcements sent to food writers)
- No domain verification (spam filters catch them)
- No relationship building (cold emails from strangers)

At Pressonify.ai, we've analyzed 50,000+ press releases and interviewed 200+ journalists to understand what actually works in 2025.

Here are the 7 rules that get press releases covered.

Rule 1: Domain Verification is Non-Negotiable

Reality check: Journalists receive 200+ press releases per day. 91% ignore anything from unverified sources.

Why Verification Matters

When your press release comes from a verified domain:
- ✅ Spam filters let it through (verified sender)
- ✅ Journalists open it (credibility signal)
- ✅ Media outlets republish it (trust established)

When it comes from an unverified source:
- ❌ Spam folder (automatic filtering)
- ❌ Deleted without reading (too risky)
- ❌ Blacklisted sender (damages domain reputation)

How Verification Works at Pressonify

1. Register with your business email (e.g., [email protected])
2. Receive 6-digit verification code via email
3. Confirm domain ownership
4. Get verified badge on all press releases

We don't accept:
- Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook (free email providers)
- Temporary email services
- Domains without valid MX records

Result: Every press release from Pressonify is domain-verified, giving you instant credibility with journalists.

Rule 2: Target the Right Journalists

Mistake: Sending the same press release to every journalist in your contact list.

Better approach: Target journalists who cover your specific industry, beat, and company stage.

How to Find the Right Journalists

By Industry

• Tech startups: TechCrunch, VentureBeat, The Verge
• Enterprise software: ZDNet, ComputerWorld, Enterprise Times
• Consumer apps: Mashable, The Next Web, Digital Trends
• Finance/fintech: Financial Times, Bloomberg, Fintech News
• Healthcare: MedCity News, Healthcare IT News

By Beat

Not all journalists at TechCrunch cover the same topics:
- Funding announcements → Venture capital beat writers
- Product launches → Consumer tech reporters
- AI/ML features → AI/emerging tech journalists
- Enterprise tools → B2B software reporters

By Company Stage

• Seed/Series A: Startup-focused journalists (TechCrunch, VentureBeat)
• Series B-D: Growth-stage reporters (Forbes, Inc., Fast Company)
• Public companies: Mainstream business press (WSJ, NYT, Bloomberg)

Pressonify's Journalist Database

Our AI Media Intelligence Agent automatically:
- Identifies relevant journalists for your announcement
- Analyzes their recent coverage (last 30 days)
- Scores fit based on industry, beat, and company stage
- Provides email addresses and social media profiles
- Suggests personalized pitch angles

Database size: 10,000+ verified journalist contacts across technology, business, finance, and healthcare.

Rule 3: Timing is Everything

When you send matters as much as what you send.

Best Days to Send Press Releases

Based on analysis of 50,000+ press releases:

Best: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (9-11 AM local time)
- Journalists are actively looking for stories
- Not recovering from weekends
- Not rushing to meet Friday deadlines

Worst: Monday (overloaded inboxes), Friday (weekend mindset), Weekends (nobody's working)

Best Times of Day

9-11 AM: Peak reading time for journalists
- Inbox is manageable
- Energy levels high
- Looking for stories for the day

2-4 PM: Secondary window
- Afternoon story search
- Less competitive inbox

Avoid: Before 8 AM (too early), after 6 PM (off hours)

Event-Based Timing

Product launches: Tuesday-Thursday, 9 AM
Funding announcements: Tuesday-Wednesday, 10 AM (allows time for due diligence)
Partnership news: Wednesday-Thursday, 9 AM
Company milestones: Any weekday, 9-11 AM

Crisis/urgent news: Send immediately (journalists appreciate breaking news)

Rule 4: Personalize Your Pitch

Generic subject line: "Press Release: Company X Announces Product Y"
Open rate: 8%

Personalized subject line: "Sarah, Product Y solves the [specific problem] you covered last week"
Open rate: 42%

How to Personalize at Scale

Research Recent Coverage

Before reaching out to a journalist:
1. Read their last 5 articles
2. Identify themes they care about
3. Connect your announcement to their interests

Example:

Subject: Sarah, re: your piece on AI in healthcare

Hi Sarah,

I read your article on AI diagnostic tools last week—great
coverage of the accuracy vs. interpretability tradeoff.

Our company just launched an AI platform that addresses this
exact issue. Thought you might be interested given your recent
focus on explainable AI.

[Press release attached]

Best,
Anna

Reference Their Work

Journalists appreciate when you've actually read their content:
- "Your article on [topic] last week was spot-on..."
- "I noticed you've been covering [trend]..."
- "Your interview with [person] raised a great point about..."

Explain Why It's Relevant

Don't make journalists figure out why they should care:
- ❌ "We launched a product you might find interesting"
- ✅ "This solves the exact problem you highlighted in your [article name] piece"

Pressonify's Personalization Tools

Our AI Journalist Outreach Agent:
- Analyzes journalist's recent articles (last 30 days)
- Identifies shared themes with your announcement
- Generates personalized pitch angles
- Suggests specific articles to reference
- Creates customized email templates

Result: 3x higher response rates vs. generic outreach.

Rule 5: Make Your Pitch Skimmable

Journalists spend 15 seconds deciding if your pitch is worth reading.

The 15-Second Test

Your pitch should answer these questions in 15 seconds:
1. What's the news? (headline)
2. Why should I care? (first sentence)
3. What's the impact? (second sentence)
4. Where can I learn more? (press release link)

Good pitch structure:

Subject: [Specific, relevant hook]

Hi [First Name],

[One sentence: What's the news and why it matters]

[One sentence: Relevant context or data]

[Press release link]

[One sentence: Offer for interview/demo/additional info]

Best,
[Your name]

Example: Funding Announcement

Subject: Sarah, €10M Series A for AI healthcare diagnostics

Hi Sarah,

We just closed €10M Series A to bring AI diagnostic tools to
rural hospitals—addressing the access problem you covered in
your piece last month.

Sequoia led the round. 50+ rural hospitals already using our
platform, 92% diagnostic accuracy in pilot studies.

Full press release: [link]

Happy to arrange an interview with our CEO or provide demo
access if you're interested in covering this.

Best,
Anna

Result: Journalist knows exactly what the story is in 15 seconds.

Rule 6: Offer Exclusive Value

Generic pitch: "Here's our press release, please cover it."
Response rate: 5%

Exclusive offer: "Interview with CEO", "Early demo access", "Exclusive data"
Response rate: 28%

What Journalists Value

1. Exclusive Interviews

• Access to founders/executives
• Behind-the-scenes insights
• First-person narratives

2. Data and Research

• Industry reports
• Survey results
• Market analysis
• Customer case studies

3. Early Access

• Product demos before launch
• Beta access to new features
• Exclusive previews

4. Expert Commentary

• Quotes on industry trends
• Analysis of competitor moves
• Predictions for the future

How to Structure Exclusive Offers

Example 1: CEO Interview

"Our CEO is available for a 30-minute interview tomorrow
(Tuesday) if you'd like to dig deeper into the AI architecture
behind this launch."

Example 2: Exclusive Data

"We have unpublished survey data on AI adoption in healthcare
(500+ hospitals, Q3 2025) that might support your upcoming
piece on healthcare tech trends."

Example 3: Early Demo

"Happy to provide demo access (embargoed until launch day)
so you can test the platform firsthand."

Rule 7: Follow Up (Once)

Reality: Journalists are busy. First emails get buried.

Follow-up strategy:
- Wait 3-5 business days
- Send one polite follow-up
- Add new value (don't just resend)
- Accept silence as a "no"

Good Follow-Up Example

Subject: Following up: AI healthcare diagnostics

Hi Sarah,

Following up on my email from Tuesday about our €10M Series A.

Since then, we've been featured in TechCrunch's AI roundup and
signed partnerships with 10 more hospitals.

Still happy to arrange that CEO interview if you're interested
in covering this for [Publication].

No worries if timing doesn't work—appreciate your time!

Best,
Anna

What makes this good:
- ✅ Short and polite
- ✅ Adds new information (TechCrunch coverage, new partnerships)
- ✅ Respects their time
- ✅ Makes it easy to say no

What NOT to Do

❌ "Just bumping this to the top of your inbox..."
❌ "Did you see my last email?"
❌ "Following up for the third time..."
❌ "Still waiting for your response..."

Rule: One follow-up. Then move on.

The Complete Journalist Outreach Workflow

Step 1: Preparation (5 minutes)

• Verify your domain (required for credibility)
• Identify target journalists (industry, beat, stage)
• Research their recent coverage

Step 2: Personalization (2 minutes per journalist)

• Reference specific articles
• Explain relevance to their beat
• Craft personalized subject line

Step 3: Send Press Release (1 minute)

• Tuesday-Thursday, 9-11 AM
• Skimmable format (15-second test)
• Offer exclusive value

Step 4: Follow-Up (2 minutes, after 3-5 days)

• Add new value
• One follow-up only
• Respect their decision

Total time per journalist: 10 minutes

How Pressonify Automates This

Our Journalist Outreach Agent handles:

1. Journalist Identification

• Analyzes your announcement
• Searches database of 10,000+ journalists
• Scores fit based on beat, industry, recent coverage

2. Personalization

• Reads journalist's recent articles
• Identifies shared themes
• Generates personalized pitch angles
• Creates custom email templates

3. Timing Optimization

• Calculates best send time (day, hour)
• Considers journalist's timezone
• Schedules automatic delivery

4. Follow-Up Management

• Tracks opens and clicks
• Auto-schedules follow-up (3-5 days)
• Adds new value to follow-up
• Respects one-follow-up rule

Result: Professional journalist outreach without hiring a PR agency.

Pricing & Features

Launch Tier (€99)

• Domain verification
• Basic journalist database access (1,000+ contacts)
• Manual outreach (no automation)

Growth Tier (€199)

• Everything in Launch, plus:
• AI Journalist Outreach Agent
• Personalized pitch generation
• Timing optimization
• Follow-up automation
• Full database access (10,000+ contacts)

Scale Tier (€399)

• Everything in Growth, plus:
• Custom journalist lists
• Multi-campaign management
• White-label outreach
• Dedicated account manager
• API access

Get Started

Stop sending generic press releases that get ignored.

Use Pressonify's AI Journalist Outreach Agent to:
- Target the right journalists
- Personalize at scale
- Optimize timing
- Automate follow-ups

Try it today: pressonify.ai/generate

Anna Doran is Head of Product at Pressonify.ai, where she leads development of the world's first 16-agent AI system for press releases, powered by PydanticAI. She previously managed journalist relations at TechCrunch and built media outreach tools at Google.