I run a PR agency that lands our clients in TechCrunch, CNBC, & other world class publications on a consistent basis. My superpower? I can make anything sound newsworthy to the journalist I'm pitching. These are the 2 golden rules I follow that 10x my placement rate: 👇 1/8 🧵

When I pitch a journalist through email, I try to write my subject line the same way the journalist writes their story headlines. Framing the story for them goes a long way, and shows you've actually done your research.

Something in Big Agency culture that needs to die immediately: Charging a huge retainer, then passing off the client to junior staff.

The WSJ reached out to us to feature a client in both an article and their “The Future of Everything” podcast. “We kept seeing your client’s name in trade publications,” they explained. Y’all: 👏 Don’t 👏 Sleep 👏 On 👏 The 👏 Power 👏 Of 👏 Trade 👏 Publications 👏

It took three pitches to get a TechCrunch reporter to interview a client for a piece. It took two hours of media training to prepare the client for the interview. It took a minute of the client dodging questions and forcing their own product as the solution to kill the piece.

Here's a little secret… If a journalist hasn't replied to your first 5 pitch follow-ups, chances are they won't respond to the sixth either. Also… you shouldn't be sending 5 pitch follow-ups in the first place.

A career in PR is not for the faint of heart. A lot if this career path is rejection, but the wins make it all worth it.

Thinking of PR-based horror movies. Here are some of my ideas: “Broken Embargo" "The Blair Pitch Project" "What's the ROI" Now I wanna know - what are yours? 😂

I hate that PR pros are depicted in movies almost exclusively as ditzy and privileged young women who don’t take work seriously. PR = Grueling hours. Non-stop attention to the news cycle. Competing for the attention of a shrinking pool of reporters. PR is hard.

Without journalists, there are no PR professionals, so treat every journalist you interact with with respect.

PR isn’t easy. To make it in this field, you better be ready to have a lot of doors slammed in your face.

The best way to get PR coverage is to pitch journalists who are interested in your subject matter and have a track record of writing about it. It’s really as simple as that.

The deeper I dive into PR Twitter, the more I love it ❤️ Everyone here is so friendly, smart, and supportive. I’m excited to interact with more of you!

Client wanted instant WSJ coverage. I showed them our “PR resume” approach instead: Local feature → Trade coverage → Industry acclaim → National interest → WSJ They trusted the process. 6 months later: WSJ feature + acquisition offers. Build credibility, don't chase it.

PR isn't just about getting press. It's brand storytelling, crisis management, and reputation building. Most people only see the tip of the iceberg. There's so much more happening below the surface.

Nobody talks about the dirty secret of PR firms: Most $15k/month retainers are managed by $45k/year junior staff. Your reputation deserves better than a learning experience.

PR secret hack: reporters will search their inbox when looking for expert opinion on a subject they’re writing about. If you do a good job of inserting the right keywords in your pitch, you might still win a placement down the line (this has happened to me).

A journalist’s job is NOT to read every single pitch that they receive. That would be impossible. A journalist’s job is to report the news that’s important to their audience. Spend your time finding the right journalists, not mass-blasting pitches.

PR is not easy. You can’t do PR with ChatGPT. Going on HARO won’t make you a PR pro PR requires skills that are difficult to master: communication, psychology, branding, relationship-building, technical-subject matter expertise, and research—plus years of experience. Not easy.

I’ve noticed that a lot of new PR professionals really underestimate the value of local media. Sometimes local stories have MASSIVE impacts for brands.

If you want to build a good reputation in PR, focus on building relationships with journalists, not just sending them pitches. It’s that simple.

Journalists: what’s your biggest pet peeve when a PR person pitches you??

If you can pitch a journalist a relevant story for their audience in a timely and efficient manner, they’ll see you as an asset moving forward instead of a bother.

An effective PR strategy takes time. Remember that we’re trying to shape the public perception of your business, not just land you one-off articles.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that media coverage is the only measure of success of a PR campaign. A successful PR strat isn't just about generating media coverage, it's about creating an organic conversation around your brand that engages your audience & drives results.

Many conflate PR w/ marketing or advertising. They intersect, but PR is distinct. While marketing sells & ads dazzle, PR cultivates genuine customer relationships, crafts narratives, & navigates crises. It's not just about being heard/seen, but being understood by your audience.

99% of people think PR is only about generating publicity or media coverage. But PR is also: - Brand storytelling - Crisis communication - Reputation management

Let’s stop glorifying hustle culture. Burnout, anxiety attacks, and a life consumed by work aren’t sexy. Instead, let’s glorify doing great focused work, spending time with friends and family, and having the time to pursue other passions. A balanced worker is a good worker.

Remember, PR is a marathon, not a sprint. Results take time, so be patient and consistent.

Our industry needs to address the issue of burnout. PR pros work hard; we need to ensure they also have time to rest and recharge.

A good PR professional is proactive. Don't just wait for opportunities; create them.

Describe working in PR without saying you work in PR

Hey PR pros: to increase your success rate, make your pitches easier to read & skim. That means: — Using bullet points — Writing in simple language — Bolding the most important parts — (the big takeaway, unique talking points) — Avoiding life-threateningly large paragraphs

There’s no better feeling than watching your new PR hire land their first placement 👏

If you aren’t spending multiple hours every workday researching, you’re doing PR wrong.

For every pitch we send as PR professionals, a journalist receives 10 pitches just like it. Journalists: What makes a pitch stand out in a crowded media landscape?

A peer in a PR group I’m part of broke down in tears. Honestly, I could relate. Our industry is tough. Not just because: - It doesn’t matter who you “know” - Getting top-tier placements is an art + science - You have to be scrappy, adaptable, and tenacious to succeed But also because of client expectations. This colleague got their client multiple top-tier placements. But they were still unhappy and demanded more. The problem: Even the best PR firm on the planet can’t control what happens *after* you get placed. They can get you in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch — But they can’t determine whether a client converts any of the interest from investors, business partners, and elite talent that follows. If you’re working or plan to work with a PR firm… Keep this in mind: Behind every placement are human beings. Who 👏 worked their butts off 👏 to get your company featured. And the better you treat them— The harder they’ll work for you next time.

If you want to make it in PR, you need to maintain a good reputation with journalists. How? Focus on building genuine relationships with them, not just spamming them with pitches.

orange

A candidate for a PR role we’re trying to fill told me she was handling 15 accounts at her current firm. Here’s why that’s wrong on so many levels. If you’re one of those clients: - You’re getting very little by way of communication - Your PR pro is stretched so thin they’re not coming up with compelling pitch ideas - You’re definitely not getting top-tier coverage And if you’re the PR pro, you *will* burn out. And that’s not an *if*, it’s a *when*. Handing a PR pro 15 accounts is inhuman. It means the agency you’re working at is putting dollars before your well-being. (For the sake of comparison, the average number of accounts we hand to a PR pro is 4) Look, PR pros *can* deliver top-tier & trades coverage that’ll help a company get acquired, earn global recognition, and double its valuation. But not if you treat them like a beast of burden.

PR tip: Don't sleep on LinkedIn News for tech clients. We landed an AI startup client a feature that reached 15M people there (LinkedIn has 10 million C-level users). Two months later, we pitched the same reporter, who ran a second story about the client that reached another 15M people. Fellow PR pros: What's your go-to underrated PR outlet?

Underrated PR outlet for tech founders: LinkedIn News. (we got an AI client a long [hundreds of words] mention that reached an audience of 15M)

PR pros, what's the most effective way you've found to build lasting relationships with journalists?

I hate that PR firms who charge 5 figures a month, delegate to interns, and get zero features give the rest of us an awful rep. Real PR pros work their butts off to land features week after week. Real PR pros do their work with integrity & dedication. Real PR pros give a damn.

BREAKING: @muckrack analyzed the citations for a MILLION realistic user prompts into LLMs and if you’re a PR pro, you NEED to know the results and implications: BACKGROUND: Per @PatrickCoffee's WSJ article from yesterday, although only around 5.6% of U.S. [desktop] search traffic went to LLMs last month, that’s more than QUADRUPLE what it was in Jan 2024. And this trend will only accelerate. BACK TO MUCK RACK’S FINDINGS: • 37% of results cited content NOT owned by the company/product in the search • 27% cited news sites/journalistic publications • 2% cited social media/marketing content and only 1% citing press releases And get this: A key difference between AI-generated search results and traditional SEO is that paid marketing and sponsored links rarely populate (per @emayhawk reporting at @axios) Let me repeat that: AI is completely ignoring all that sponsored content masquerading as real journalism. WHAT THIS MEANS: Brands have spent the last decade buying their way into "earned-looking" content. Native advertising. Sponsored posts. Advertorials pretending to be editorial. And then AI came along and said: "Yeah, we're not citing any of that." Meanwhile, outlets that have never “sold out their editorial souls” such as Reuters, AP., FT, etc., are the ones AI trusts. One more wild stat, per the report: 96% of what AI cites falls squarely in PR territory. Not marketing. Not advertising. PR. THE NEW REALITY: The brands winning in AI search will be the ones who earn their citations through genuine third-party validation… NOT those who buy them through increasingly “sophisticated” paid placements. We're not just seeing a new type of SEO; we're seeing the revenge of EARNED PR and REAL journalism. And if you ask me, it's about damn time.

PR isn't just about securing coverage; it's also about reputation management. How do you handle crisis situations for your clients? Share your go-to strategies.

It’s impossible for a journalist to read every single pitch they receive. It’s also not their job. A journalist’s job is to report news that’s important to their audience. Spend your time finding the right journalists, not mass-blasting pitches.

Tailor your pitch to each journalist on your media list. It's time-consuming, but generic pitches rarely resonate. Make it personal, show you've done your homework, and explain why your story is relevant to their audience.

PR is not just about generating publicity - it's about cultivating a positive brand image, managing perceptions, & fostering strong relationships with stakeholders. Your goal isn't just to create noise, but to shape the conversation around your client in a beneficial way.

If you can provide a journalist with a timely, relevant story that resonates with their audience, you'll become an invaluable ally instead of another annoying PR person in their inbox.

When you pitch a journalist, take the time to: - Read their previous articles - Understand what they’re interested in - Adapt the story to their writing style You’ll spend hours more on every pitch. But your acceptance rate will go up by hundreds of percent.

I still jump out of my chair and whoop with joy every time I get a client a placement. I’m really just in PR for the dopamine.

Too many PR firms: - Have no clue how to get PR when you don’t have news - Charge 5 figures per month but put an intern on your account - Get *one* piece of coverage every 6 months and then celebrate And they give the rest of us a bad rep.

Write press release quotes like people actually talk. No one has ever said 'We're thrilled to leverage our synergistic capabilities.' Ever.

Is there a better feeling than getting a YES to a tier 1 placement on a Friday? Honestly, earned media is the best drug on the planet 💊🫶

Let’s be honest: If you hire good employees, they don’t need to be micromanaged Micromanaging is a symptom of hiring people you can’t trust

PR is an industry that takes time to understand. If you aren’t landing placements right from the start don’t be discouraged. The longer you spend in the pitching trenches, the more effective you’ll become.

TV show idea: Shark Tank, but the judges are journalists and the contestants are startup founders trying to secure coverage

PR ≠ marketing/advertising. They intersect, but PR is its own beast. Marketing & ads sell; PR builds genuine customer relationships, crafts compelling narratives, & navigates crises. It's not just about being heard/seen. It’s about being understood.

Nine out of ten PR firms will get you coverage when you have a new announcement to make. Very few are able to generate news when you’re just plugging away day to day. Find a PR firm innovative enough to get you attention *between* major announcements.

I’ve had PR ideas that got our clients coverage in the WSJ, TechCrunch, and WIRED come to me while: • Walking the dog • Watching a horror film • Vacationing in Florida Y’all: 👏 don’t 👏 underestimate 👏 the 👏 power 👏 of 👏 disconnecting 👏 from 👏 work 👏

Don't underestimate the value of local media. Sometimes a local story can have a BIG impact.

Journalists, how do you feel about exclusives? PR pros, have you had success with offering exclusives to secure coverage? Let's discuss the pros and cons.

You’re better off spending an hour finding the one right journalist than blasting a hundred random ones.

PR agencies that: - Charge multiple five figures - While assigning junior staff to your account - And waiting around for you to ideate instead of being proactive… …do *not* represent the rest of us PR pros. (thanks for attending my tiny angry Ted talk.)

PR is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Every client is unique, and requires a custom-tailored strategy that aligns with their goals, values, and voice.

Client asked why we can't guarantee TechCrunch coverage. I asked if they could guarantee their product will revolutionize society. PR amplifies reality, it doesn't create it. Build something remarkable, and coverage follows.

It's time to stop idolizing hustle culture. Burnout, anxiety, & a life overwhelmed by work is NOT it. Instead, let's celebrate great focused work, quality time with the people we love, & the freedom to chase other passions. A well-rounded, happy worker is an effective worker.

Me, every night: #PRTwitter fill in your brain's last word ___

Common CEO complaint: “PR firms only get coverage when we have a new company news.” This is unfortunately often true, but *does not* have to be. Here are 3 tips for getting coverage… …even when you don’t have “big news”. 1/5 🧵

Scored placements in The Hill, Fortune, Fast Company (2x), Morning Brew, Town & Country, and CN Traveler all in the last two weeks. 👀 Proud of my team and the fact that we consistently get coverage even in the absence of "hard news" for our clients!

The most successful PR professionals are always learning and staying up-to-date with the latest trends and news in their clients' industries. If you want to be the best, adopt a permanent student's mentality.

We landed a client 15 trade pub mentions in 2 months. 6 weeks later: WSJ reached out for a feature + podcast interview. Their reason: 'We kept seeing your client everywhere.' Don't 👏Sleep 👏On 👏The 👏Trades

I’ll spend 20 minutes *just on the subject line* of a PR pitch for a client. Sounds ridiculous? Remember these folks get hundreds of emails a day. Making mine stand out is the *only way* to get clients earned media placements.

In PR, it's important to know when to be a sprinter & a marathon runner. Some campaigns require a burst of energy to get off the ground, others need consistent effort over a longer period of time. Understanding how much effort to apply & when is 1 of the arts of a true PR pro.

The PR industry should focus more on quality over quantity. It's not about how many pitches you send, but how relevant and well-crafted they are.

I read about a company that: - Laid off the *entire* PR team - Assigned their work to marketing Y'all, having marketing do PR is like hiring a chef to do open-heart surgery. Some skills may transfer. But the result is going to be catastrophic.

Contacts don't matter in PR. What does matter: - Understanding your industry, niche, & audience - Knowing what publications and journalists to pitch - Reserchin and crafting a compelling pitch - Hyperpersonalizing to ensure acceptance Rant over.

Journalists, what's one thing you wish PR professionals knew about your work? Let's bridge the knowledge gap.

Sometimes, my best PR ideas come when I'm not working at all — during a morning walk, a late night read, or a weekend getaway. Never underestimate the power of disconnecting from work.

If you’re looking for a quick win, put your money in paid media, not earned media. Don’t get me wrong, though. We’ve gotten clients in publications like Wired, Forbes, and Business Insider within one month of working together. And they’ve been able to use that recognition to increase ROAS, attract better talent, and draw new investors in. But the real magic isn’t in a single TechCrunch mention. It’s in weaving a carefully crafted narrative over years and years and across multiple publications. → One that highlights your founder's story, so that people connect with your company emotionally and become lifelong fans of its mission. → One that differentiates your products/services, so that they’re not just another island in an ocean of options. → One that associates what you do with a kind of needle-moving prestige that isn’t as easily quantifiable as paid media, but exponentially more impactful. It’s what can make the difference between: - A “Never even heard about them” and a front page article when you IPO. - An “I’ll pass” and a “How much money do you need?” investor conversation. - An “I guess it might have been worth it” acquisition and one that creates generational wealth. This isn’t a jab against paid media, by the way. Paid media is the way to go if you want to increase top-line revenue. But if you’re looking ahead and thinking about you and your company’s legacy — Then PR *has* to figure into that.

Journalists, we know pitching via email is king, but is there ever a time when you prefer to hear from a PR professional over the phone (or even social media) first instead?

Folks think you hire a PR firm, get featured in the WSJ a week later, and sail off in a mega yacht. Look, we’re weaving a compelling narrative about your brand, getting the press to bite, and guarding your reputation. That takes time. Also, mega yachts are for the insecure.

I’ll: - Only pitch newsworthy items - Spend hours researching - Write 10 subject lines & choose best one - Hyperpersonalize for the journalist - Get feedback from team members - Only submit when I *know* it’s compelling - Coach the client to nail the interview TL;DR PR is hard.

Let's talk about PR metrics. Which key performance indicators do you find most valuable for measuring the success of your campaigns?

There’s no PR without journalists. Treat them well and they will do the same to you.

A solid PR strategy is like a fine wine - it gets better with time. Consistently adjust and refine your approach to stay ahead of the curve.

Client insisted on targeting only top-tier media. I insisted they were ignoring their actual customers. We compromised. Now they're featured regularly in trade pubs and their sales are soaring. Prestige is nice, but relevance pays the bills.

In PR, people sleep on the trades because they’re blinded by the glimmer of top-tier publications. That’s a huge mistake. Placing our clients in the trades got: — F100 execs to reach out & talk biz — The WSJ asking for a feature/podcast appearance

One of the biggest mistakes I see PR pros making is to underestimate the value of local media. First, a geographically contextual piece can have huge ROI. Second, if you include the local placement in a pitch to a big pub, it’s more likely to land.

My secret to landing tier-1 media coverage: I study a journalist's last 10 articles before pitching. Not just the topics—but HOW they tell the story. Match their narrative style, and watch your pitch success rate 10x 📈

Most PR is newsjacking, or ommenting on the current news cycle. Which is hard because a million other people are doing it 24/7. The real secret is to figure out what’s *not* being talked about. I’ll give you an example. In the first week of the pandemic, I pitched a journalist at Fortune a piece about remote networking. “I hadn’t even thought about that,” she said. Next thing you know, it was a feature article. I’ve coined concepts like: — “Time zone stacking” — “Windowed work” — “remote work rituals...” ...for a client that helps remote & hybrid teams communicate, securing multiple top-tier placements because it was the first time journalists heard those terms. For another client, there was the “feedback phenomenon,” about how women get less honest feedback than men in the workplace. My point is that following current trends is easy, but also *hard* because you’re competing with so many others. Creating your own trend is hard, but *easy* because you’re not competing with anyone else. Plus, it’s a ton of fun.

The research you do about the journalist you're pitching to is just as important as the research you do for the pitch itself 🧠

PR bitter pill: Reporters aren’t obliged to: - Open your email - Read your pitch - Publish your story Reporters aren’t even obliged to acknowledge your existence. You have to earn it. And as a PR pro who’s put in her 10,000 hours– I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Hats off to every PR pro who's had to calmly explain why 'going viral' isn’t a guaranteed strategy. We're strategic communicators, not magicians!

While PR certainly has growth hacks, there are no shortcuts to landing major coverage. The more effort you put into research and pitching, the more placements you’ll land.

Overheard someone say PR is manipulative. Had to laugh. The best PR is radically honest. In a world of spin, truth is the ultimate differentiator.

The most underrated PR hack: Adopt an abundance mindset. Between the number of publications out there and the human potential for creativity, there's always a home waiting for your story.

Your PR firm should tell you when your ideas are bad. If they don't, they're not protecting your reputation. They're protecting their retainer.

PR pros should only have a handful of clients at a time. The time your PR professional has to focus on your pitch and your pitch only and the number of placements they land have a direct correlation.