How to Successfully Pitch a Reporter

When I was up against a book deadline and needed a couple of people to interview who had achieved business results from podcasting, I put out a call through a service called Help a Reporter Out (www.helpareporter.com). This free service functions very much like paid reporter lead services such as Profnet or Travel Publicity Leads.

Generally media people put out such calls either when they need interview leads extremely soon (like a deadline in two days) or when they have rather unusual interview needs that can’t be satisfied through the usual channels (such as looking for someone who has diabetes, owns pets and is gay or lesbian).

Someday you may be in a position to pitch a reporter, so I’d like to help you understand what to do and what not to do in this situation, and why, so you can seize the opportunity to meet the reporter's needs and receive valuable media coverage.