The Press Playbook:
How to Pitch Journalists and Win Coverage

Jason Feifer

Editor-in-Chief, Entrepreneur Magazine

PRESS STRATEGY

The Mindset Shift

Journalists Don't Care About You

"They don't care about you. They care about their reader, their listener, their viewer. If you can be of use to them in sharing the kinds of information that they are looking to serve their audience, then you can get what you want."

Press is not a service you buy, it's a story exchange
The journalist's only boss is their audience, not you
You must understand the publication's mission first
Stop thinking like a customer; start thinking like a partner

Framework

The Three-Step Press Playbook

Step 1, Prep: Know why you need press. What specific outcome will drive your business forward right now?
Step 2, Find Who: Identify the exact writers and editors at publications whose audience matches your customer
Step 3, Pitch: Send a short, customized email that shows you understand their mission and how your story serves it

Press is not growth magicThink of it like raising money: only do it when you know what you need it for. If you're too early, you have nothing to show. If your product isn't ready, timing is wrong.

Prep

Define Your Press Why

Drive product awareness: You're launching something new and need target audience to know about it
Fundraising credibility: You need stories in reputable publications to show investors the market validates you
Hire talent: You want engineers or experienced operators to see you're building something real
Partner conversations: You need potential partners or distribution channels to take you seriously

Bad reason to pitch

"I've worked really hard and I deserve this." Emotional justification doesn't drive business results.

Wrong publication example

Local hot dog food truck owner pitching national Entrepreneur Magazine. 99.5% of readers can't buy hot dogs in DC. Wrong audience = wasted effort.

Targeting

Find the Specific Writer

Search the publication for your category or adjacent topics
Find writers who have covered similar stories in the past
Prioritize freelancers over staff writers, they need work and respond faster
Check bylines on stories to find who covers your space
Google their name if you find them, you'll quickly learn who they are

Freelancer advantageFreelancers got to eat. They're hungrier, faster to respond, and more likely to say yes than staff writers juggling 10 assignments.

The Pitch

How to Write the Email That Gets Opened

✗Generic blast email to 50 journalistsINSTEAD →✓ Personalized 3-paragraph email to one specific writer who covers your category

✗Call their personal cell phoneINSTEAD →✓ Email is the standard. DMs are risky. Phone calls are annoying.

✗Lead with the product, not the storyINSTEAD →✓ Lead with the human insight or counterintuitive decision that readers will care about

✗Fake familiarity with their workINSTEAD →✓ Reference a real story they wrote. If you haven't read it, don't mention it.

Based on Jason Feifer's episode on Lenny's Podcast. All ideas on this page are from the episode.Watch on YouTube

GO DEEPER IN THE EPISODE

04:09 Jason’s inbox volume 07:41 The impact of press coverage on startups 08:47 Navigating the timing and outlets for press exposure 10:37 When not to pursue press coverage 12:38 Jason’s three-step press strategy 14:01 Unpacking the media’s mission 15:48 Identifying a publication’s mission 22:56 Step one: How to prepare for outreach 26:11 How press can help you 28:25 When to work with a PR agency 32:16 PR insights and red flags 36:02 Selecting the right publication for startups 42:34 Step two: Identifying the ideal pitch recipient 47:27 Pitching best practices 52:26 Step three: Creating excitement around writing about you 59:10 Success story: Meg O’Hara’s pitch 1:05:14 Playing the long game of engagement 1:08:57 The quantity of outreach 1:11:11 How to structure multiple pitches 1:14:01 How to engage with the press 1:16:37 Anticipating the story’s direction 1:18:26 “Sometimes you’re not the story, but you can be part of it”1:24:12 How Barbara Corcoran became relevant 1:27:10 Jason’s parting advice: “Be human”1:28:59 Lightning round

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