Pitching to Media for Nonprofits: How to Get Noticed (With Examples!)

As a nonprofit professional, you might have some experience pitching to media. Whether you’re trying to sell tickets to an event, reach a new audience of potential donors or simply raise awareness about your cause, you may know how this process tends to go. 

Let’s say you want to spread the word about the amazing work and mission of your crowdfunding campaign. And, ideally, you’d love to do that in a way that seems genuine and organic — not forced and “salesy”. So, contacting a journalist in the hopes that they’ll write an article about your campaign seems like a natural choice.

However, you’ve gone down this road before. And, so far, you’re not impressed with the results. Either you’re met with radio silence, or you’re on the receiving end of one of those dreaded “I’ll keep this information on file” emails. Does this sound familiar?

As a freelance writer and journalist myself, my inbox sees a flood of press pitches on a weekly basis. So, believe me when I tell you that there’s definitely a right way — and a wrong way — to pitch a journalist.

How to Write a Media Pitch

Curious as to how you can successfully present your campaign or nonprofit to a writer while improving your chances of having them actually write about it? Look no further! I’ve rounded up three sample journalist pitch emails that you can study and replicate.

While you might need to make some minor adjustments to tailor them to your specific purpose, these are sure to increase your likelihood of getting a response — rather than being immediately dumped into journalist’s “trash” folders. But before we go into the samples below, let’s go over a few of the basics of pitching to media for nonprofits.

What Is A Media Pitch?

A media pitch is a targeted message to a journalist or news outlet that will generate interest in your organization so that they will cover it in their publication. Although this seems like a simple concept, it helps to break it down further to make sure that you know all the dos and don’ts of pitching to media.

• Targeted Message: A media pitch is not something that you can draft once and copy and paste to all news outlets. You will definitely want to have a template so that you’re not reinventing the wheel every time you contact a news source. But make sure you tailor the content of this template with specific details that will appeal directly to the contact.
• Generate Interest: It’s important to note that not everyone is as immediately interested in your nonprofit’s work as you are. This is especially true for news sources that cover a range of stories as they may have limited bandwidth to focus on your organization. So it’s your responsibility to get them interested by selling the story of your work and mission in an intriguing way.
• Remember the Goal: When you’re pitching to media, keep in mind that you have only one goal:  to get news outlets to cover the story and activities of your nonprofit. If you try to use this pitch to accomplish other goals, you may end up without a clear call to action for your contact.

What Is The Difference Between A Media Pitch & A Press Release?

Pitching to media is one of the most important public relations strategies available to your nonprofit. A media pitch is different from a press release as it is designed to form a relationship with a media outlet to get them to cover your nonprofit moving forward rather than an announcement about an event or milestone. However, you can learn a lot about communicating with journalists by reading our article on writing effective press releases. Read our online guide to publicity for online fundraising here to learn how to identify and pitch journalists your cause’s next fundraising campaign.

Is Pitching To Media Difficult?

As a nonprofit professional, you may not have much experience in the world of media. If you’ve tried pitching to media outlets in the past and received only silence, you may be wondering whether this process is simply difficult. If you’re asking yourself this question, know that you are not alone. Nonprofits of all sizes experience difficulty getting news outlets to cover them. But we’re here to tell you that the process of writing a media pitch doesn’t have to be difficult.

Media professionals receive so many pitches per day that they only have time for those that meet certain criteria. All media pitches should be:

• Relevant
• Newsworthy
• Brief
• Structured
• Timely

If your pitch is missing one of these elements, you may find that you are consistently failing to find news outlets willing to cover your story. But if you are able to write a pitch that meets all the criteria, chances are you will have journalists and news outlets getting back to you in no time. Check out this list of other helpful tips for pitching your nonprofit to journalists.

Writing a media pitch doesn’t have to be difficult. Make sure that both your template message and each individual message is relevant, newsworthy, brief, structured, and timely and you’ll find that the process is easy.

Let’s take a look at how best to structure your media pitch to make it simpler to write.

Structure Of A Media Pitch

Every media pitch should follow a simple structure. If you deviate too far from this structure, you may come up with something that isn’t easy for a journalist to understand. You can be sure that any pitch that takes someone too long to read or understand will go straight to the trash. The good news is that by following our step-by-step guide below, you can avoid this common pitfall of pitching to media.

There are four essential beats of a media pitch that every journalist will look for and they should be presented in a specific order. Not only will following this structure make it easier for you to write, but it will also give you the best chance of getting noticed by a news outlet. 

Here are the four parts of an effective media pitch:

1. The Lead

Begin your media pitch with a “lead.” A lead is a hook that will make a journalist understand why your story is newsworthy. Remember when we mentioned that not everyone is as interested in the work your nonprofit does as you are? Well here’s where you can get them interested.

When you’re coming up with a lead, ask yourself the following questions. What is the single most important need or issue in the population that you serve? Is there a meaningful statistic or data point that communicates this need or issue? Do you have an image that will stick in the reader’s mind? Can you use a specific story of a real person to illustrate the problem that your nonprofit is working to solve?

The common denominator behind all these questions is the human element. Everyone loves a success story, but chances are, journalists won’t want to hear about how your nonprofit “raised X amount of money with an annual gala.” This figure, although important, won’t grab the reader and make them keep reading. It’s not specific enough to conjure a clear mental picture. In contrast, let’s take a look at an effective example of a lead from the Little Black Dress Initiative.

Although this example was taken from their website and not a media pitch, the opening question (“Can one black dress worn for five short days create awareness about issues that affect others for a lifetime?”) will force the reader to ask themselves a series of productive questions. For example, they may ask themselves how a little black dress can possibly accomplish this goal. This is exactly the kind of emotionally impactful messaging that will resonate with a journalist.

2. Call To Action

Now that you have hooked your reader in with a clear and effective lead, it’s time to get down to business. What are you hoping to gain by reaching out to this person? We mentioned above that the end goal of every media pitch is to have a news outlet cover your organization. While that’s true, you want to make a specific ask when pitching to media that is clearly stated early in the message. 

There are many different potential calls to action that you will have to choose from. Examples include promoting an upcoming event or program, conducting an interview with staff or a board member, highlighting a volunteer who has gone above and beyond with their support, etc. Whichever call to action that you choose, make sure that it logically follows from your lead. For example, don’t begin your message with a moving story about a beneficiary and then jump to asking a journalist to conduct an interview with a staff member. Chances are, they would prefer to interview the beneficiary.

An example of a Call to Action in a media pitch.

As someone who works in the world of development and fundraising, you are probably familiar with the various dos and don’ts of writing effective calls to action. If you need a refresher, check out this article, which is loaded with great tips for drafting calls to action.

3. Value Proposition

Ideally, news outlets would be interested in covering your nonprofit based solely on the important work that you do. They might be, but they are also busy and they receive hundreds of pitches every single day. So how can you differentiate yourself from the pack when you are pitching to media? 

Let’s take a look at a great example of a value proposition from Dressember for their 2022 fundraising campaign.

This value proposition was posed to donors rather than media professionals, but you can see that donors who sign up learn exactly what they will receive by participating. Their donations will go directly to supporting thousands of anti-trafficking programs worldwide. For those donors who want to support this cause, this is a fantastic way of making sure that their fundraising goes towards helping the largest number of people possible.

For media outlets, your value proposition may also speak to the value of reaching a large audience with the story of your organization. Nonprofit features tend to make people feel good and have the capacity to bring in new readership. That’s exactly the kind of value proposition that will entice journalists.

If you’re pitching to media to promote a specific campaign or event, then you may consider offering them an exclusive “Media Sponsorship” for their coverage. You can feature them in any event materials and thank them during the event program. This will show the community that the news outlet shares their values.

4. Conclusion: Thank And Recap

Now that you’ve provided your lead, call to action, and value proposition, it’s time to end the media pitch. Remember to keep it simple by including only these four elements. The longer your message is, the less likely a journalist is to read it.

The best way to conclude your media pitch is with a sincere thank you. As we have mentioned several times, journalists are very busy people. By thanking them at the end of your pitch, you are showing a respect for their time and attention that they are sure to appreciate. This conclusion also serves the dual benefit of signaling to the reader that the message is reaching its end.

After you thank the contact, make sure to repeat your call to action. You can reframe the message or keep the same verbiage you used above. We recommend the former, since it will seem more natural. But the important thing is that you remember to repeat the call to action. You want to leave the recipient with a clear idea of what you are asking for and what they can do to support your mission. 

Finally, and this is perhaps the most important part of the conclusion, remember to include your contact information at the end of your pitch. Don’t make the mistake of hooking a journalist with a compelling pitch and leaving them no way of getting back to you to follow up.

An example of a Thank You and Recap in a media pitch.

Now that we’ve gone over the structure of a media pitch, here are a few best practices to keep in mind as you begin the process.

Best Practices When Pitching To Media

Identify The Right Journalists

Not every journalist will be interested in covering your nonprofit. If, for example, you support children with diabetes, chances are that someone who primarily covers celebrity news will not be interested in writing about your work. Make sure that you are reaching out to the right media sources by creating a media list.

We’ve provided an in-depth explanation of how to create a media list elsewhere, but here are a few of the most important take-aways to keep in mind:

• Focus on who the ideal audience for your message would be and then find journalists who write for that audience.
• Keep your media list updated with the relevant contacts for each media source. 
• Use online resources like HARO, LinkedIn, and Google to find media outlets that are interested in the work that you do. To learn how you can use social media sites like LinkedIn to connect to journalists, check out our article on social media best practices.

Identifying the right journalists is one of the most time-consuming steps in the process of pitching to media. It will likely involve a lot of trial and error. If possible, connect with someone who works in media who may be able to provide guidance and suggest outlets that might cover your nonprofit. 

When you are done creating your media list, it should look something like this:

But remember that you want to keep updating it over time. This will be a living document, likely to change with every new relevant media outlet that you encounter.

Build a Relationship

We are far more likely to help our family and friends than complete strangers. You may not have family who work in media and are willing to spread the word about your nonprofit, but there’s no reason you can’t approach this process as you would if you were looking for friends.

Pitching to media takes a long time, partly because of the planning and research involved, but partly because you need to build relationships with journalists before you can expect them to get involved with your nonprofit. Spend time getting to know these people before, during, and after you make your ask. Set up meetings and phone calls, keep consistent contact, and always approach them with respect and gratitude for their time. 

By building relationships with media professionals as part of your pitching strategy, you will find that they may eventually reach out to you to ask for news stories rather than the other way around.

Personalize Your Pitch

It would be easy to create one pitch and send it around to every journalist and media source on your media list. This would save both time and energy that could be spent fundraising. But, what if you used this strategy when communicating with donors? What if you had one appeal and one acknowledgement to save time and energy on development? Chances are, you would see your community of engaged donors dwindle over time.

When communicating with journalists, it’s important to use as much personalization as you would with donors. The two groups are similar in a lot of ways. Both are able to support your organization (in different ways) and both deserve the care and attention of a personalized approach.

If you’re not sure how best to personalize your pitch, check out this article on personalizing your communication with donors and apply some of the lessons as you are pitching to media.

Have A Great Hook

We mentioned this in the above section about structuring the lead of your pitch, but it bears repeating here because it is so valuable. The average email open rate across industries in 2022 was about 17% with a click-through-rate of only 10%. This means that only one in ten recipients will read an email thoroughly enough to take action from it. While these numbers may seem discouraging, they offer you the opportunity to stand out from the pack if you deliver a strong hook in the opening lines.

We’ve already provided a few examples of great hooks for media pitches. Here are a few more to help you succeed:

• Tell a story about an issue that affects the local community in which the journalist works.
• Ask a leading question with a surprise answer.
• Share a shocking statistic that will encourage them to read on to learn more.

Focus On The Subject Line

Studies have shown that about 35% of email recipients will decide to open an email based only on the subject line. This is a huge proportion of your audience that will be more or less engaged depending on the strength of your subject line. Like a strong hook, an effective subject line can entice a journalist and make them ask questions that you will then answer with your email.

When drafting a subject line for a media pitch, it’s important to avoid the generic. For example, “Request For Coverage” is a weak subject line as it doesn’t tell the journalist anything about your nonprofit or why they should get involved. “Support Thousands Of Cancer Patients By Partnering With St. Jude’s” is far more effective as it provides a clear call to action with a strong emotional impact.

What Can You Offer Them?

When framing your media pitch, always return to your value proposition. Why should a journalist cover your nonprofit? Even if they are the most altruistic person on the planet, they still receive hundreds of pitches every day, so you need to make sure to stand out with an intriguing value proposition.

Often, your value proposition will involve helping them reach a new audience through your donors. If you are offering this incentive to them, make sure you explain how you are going to help them reach this audience. Will you feature them on your website or social media channels? Or will they organically receive more engagement due to the name recognition that your nonprofit already has within the community in which they work?

Follow Up

This one should be obvious, but you would be surprised how many nonprofits fail to follow up with journalists with whom they have made initial contact. Following up couldn’t be easier and will remind your contacts at media outlets that you are committed to your partnership. In addition, it will help you stay accountable with this project.

Even if someone doesn’t return your email, you still might consider following up to make sure that they are not interested before moving on. This simple act takes very little time on your end and may drastically increase your success rate.

In fact, this best practice is so important, let’s take a look at how to effectively follow up on a media pitch in more detail.

How To Effectively Follow Up On Your Media Pitch

The best way to make sure that you are appropriately following up with your media contacts is to track your communication in a spreadsheet or database. That way, you can log every email and follow up so you know where you are in the process at all times. Remember that journalists are busy people. You may need to follow up once, twice, or even three times after your initial contact to get the ball rolling with a media outlet.

When you follow up, you shouldn’t just copy and paste your initial email into a new one. However, you should provide some context for the message so that if they didn’t read your initial email, they will understand your pitch based on the follow up alone. You can accomplish this by simplifying your pitch into its most essential elements and adding them to the follow up email. This could include bullet points with your hook or lead, your call to action, and your value proposition.

Now let’s put everything we’ve just covered into practice and look at some examples of media pitches. 

Examples of Media Pitches

1. Establishing A Relationship

If you don’t have a specific or time-sensitive story topic in mind — instead, you’re just trying to get your nonprofit out in front of a bigger audience — you might consider drafting an introductory email like this one.

Why does it work?

• It’s short and straightforward. Journalists are busy, and there’s really no point in inundating them with links, attachments, and pleasantries if they simply have no interest in your general mission. Instead, this short and sweet email provides a quick, general overview and leaves it up to the writer to determine if they’re interested.
• It starts a conversation. Obviously, your big goal is for the journalist to write about your nonprofit. But, something needs to happen before that — they need to respond to you. By asking the writer if they’d like to receive more information, this email directly prompts a response and encourages continued discussion.

2. Reconnecting With A Past Media Contact

Perhaps you’ve already spoken with a particular journalist about your potential story ideas. Whether you’ve connected in person, via social media, or through previous emails, it never hurts to circle back on a past conversation when the time is right. This sample email does a great job of touching base without being pushy.

Why does it work?

• It reminds the writer of their interest. This email starts with a brief reminder of not only your existing relationship or connection with them but also their previous interest in the information you’re bringing to the table. Doing this increases your chances of having the writer read through your entire message, rather than immediately hitting “delete”.
• It includes a link to more information. Instead of cramming all of the nuts and bolts into the body of the email and overwhelming the journalist with a text-heavy mess, this message contains a link that the writer can reference when they’re ready.
• It offers help. Again, journalists have a lot on their plate at any given time. So, the recognition of their busy schedule and the offer to help with the story is always much appreciated — and will definitely up your chances of getting a response!

3. Pitching Something Newsworthy

Typically, journalists are on the hunt for something that’s engaging and newsworthy. They don’t want you to spit out an overview of your company history. No, they want to hear about the things that are new and exciting — the interesting tidbits that nobody else knows about yet. So, what better way to get their attention than with advanced notice of something fresh you have in the works, just like this sample does?

Why does it work?

• It references the writer’s previous work. When you’re pitching a journalist — especially one you’ve never met or worked with before — you need to make sure to do your research. Not only does this help you determine if they author the type of content that fits with your story, but it also shows that you’ve been following their work. Trust me, journalists receive an overwhelming amount of blind and generic pitches. Showing that you’re in the know about their writing and interests goes a long way!
• There’s no unnecessary fluff. This message cuts out all of the pleasantries and conversational fillers. It even begins with the matter of fact statement, “I’ll get straight to the point.” You might feel as if you’re writing like a robot, but remember that journalists are conditioned to only look for the information they need — the who, what, when, where, why, and how. So, make it easy on them and cut out all of the needless small talk.
• It includes newsworthy information. Along with the brief explanation, this email also includes advanced access to the “hot off the presses” information in the form of a press release. This allows the writer to read the information they need without having to hunt for it, and immediately determine if they think it’s something worth writing about.

Your Turn!

There’s no doubt about it, pitching a journalist can be challenging. And, you may not be successful every time. But, if you pull together some of the elements outlined in these email samples, you’re sure to increase your chances of getting a response — and maybe even a story!

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