By Rachel Link
Competition for the media’s attention has never been greater. As I’m writing this, more and more media outlets are laying off journalists, consolidating, and even shutting their doors. This month alone premier and longstanding outlets such as LA Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Business Insider have been pushing layoffs, while outlets such as Sports Illustrated have closed down business for good.
But what does this mean for PR professionals?
When media outlets have several rounds of layoffs, chances are journalists are forced to wear many hats, cover more beats, and publish just as much content as they did when they had a full team. According to Muck Rack’s 2023 State of Journalism report, two out of three journalists say their work has been impacted by layoffs, stating their workload has increased.
With journalists covering more beats, and fewer journalists to pitch to, news desk inboxes are filling up as editors and reporters are getting inundated with pitches. Muck Rack reveals most journalists get up to 5 pitches per day And about 60 journalists said their email is clogged with at least 255 pitches every week.
But what does this mean for businesses trying to gain media attention?
It will be even more important for pitching to be individualized, not only to the right media contact, but each pitch will also need to include relevant and timely content.
- 24% of journalists reject a relevant pitch due to lack of personalization
- 92% of journalists prefer a personalized pitch via 1:1 email
Here at INK we pride ourselves on our target approach of carefully researching and pitching individual media contacts. Personalized pitches aren’t just about getting the media to respond, but it also allows PR professionals to highlight a brand the best way possible and create a story. Unlike sending out mass press releases, personalizing a pitch gives it character.
