We’ve been at this for a really really long time. We posted a blog back in 2017 (yes, before the era of AI and the rise of TikTok) about pitching over social media platforms. The social media landscape has significantly changed since then. Influencers have now taken over the internet, while everyone else is trying to catch up. The same holds true for how PR professionals pitch the media. In fact, 55% of journalists use social media to interact with their audience, and 51% use it to crowdsource information for stories. It may seem taboo to reach out to a journalist via social media, but with the media landscape rapidly changing it may be the only way for your pitch to be seen.
Journalists are Tired
It comes as no surprise that journalists are tired of PR people. Journalists receive hundreds of pitches a day and most of the time they are not relevant to their beat, longer than 200 words, and overly complicated. Journalists want to receive pitches that tell them why this story is newsworthy and why it matters to their audience. As the PR person the easier you can make for journalists to do their job, the more of a trusted source you become.
Creator Journalists Have Taken Center Stage
More PR professionals have found in the recent year that pitching creator journalists have resulted in greater success compared to pitching the traditional media. Creator journalists are independent journalists that post on platforms like Substack, social media channels and podcasts. Creator journalists have complete control over what they post, who they interact with, and the audience they are trying to reach. It is wise for PR pros to build relationships with creator journalists because over 60% of them have stated that PR pros are very important in the success of their jobs.
LinkedIn’s Great Revival
LinkedIn has made a comeback. For years LinkedIn has been the middle child of social media. Professionals either completely avoided it or leaned into it with no in-between. In a recent survey conducted by Muck Rack, over 47% of journalists have said they are spending more time on LinkedIn, while 58% of them consider it a trusted platform.
We have been avid LinkedIn users over here for a long time and one thing we can tell you is that if you master it, it will become your biggest asset. If you still don’t believe us that pitching over social media actually works, we have evidence for you. Kim recently pitched a reporter over LinkedIn and landed a story with CNBC. If you haven’t read the article yet, you should.
How you go about connecting with journalists on LinkedIn is just as important as determining who you are going to pitch. Don’t mass connect with every journalist and cross your fingers that they will connect with you. Spend time getting to know who they are as a person and be available when they want to talk to you.
Get Personal
The most important part of pitching is building a meaningful relationship with journalists. If every pitch feels like a sales-pitch no one is going to read it. When crafting media lists, actually spend time researching the journalist’s social media, past articles, and beat before trying to get into their DMs or inbox. Relationships have always been at the foundation of PR and we say it all the time, so the same holds true when it comes time to pitch, the more personal the pitch the better chances it will land.
Ultimately, relationships will last long after the story gets published. If you think about it, social media has become the ultimate relationship-building tool for PR professionals. Social media lets PR professionals interact with journalists’ posts in real time, stay current on story updates, and bypass crowded inboxes altogether. As the media landscape continues to evolve, the PR pros who succeed will be the ones who meet journalists where they are.
