How to decide where and who to pitch to - Part II
Following on from last week, I wanted to share another quick and easy way to find out where and who to pitch to.
I know you’re all busy (story of our lives, right?) so I’m going to dive straight in.
Decide what category your pitch falls into
So let’s say you’ve come up with your pitch idea and it’s on managing work/life balance as an entrepreneur. This could fall into two categories - wellness and career. Think about what category of a magazine or newspaper your particular pitch might fall into.
If you haven’t already got a pitch in mind, but just want to build your list of journalists first, then think about what category your line of work would fall into. Are you a life coach? It would be Health & Wellness or Lifestyle. Are you a crypto expert? It would, of course, be Finance.
Now make a list of the titles you know that might have this section
You might feel like you don’t know many media titles off the top of your head, but I bet you know quite a few. Write down any major newspaper, magazine or blog you know of and head to their websites.
Take note: these don’t have to be directly related to your chosen categories. For example, a newspaper like the Financial Times, though obviously mostly about money, will have a Lifestyle section as well.
If you don't know any - Google!
Really struggling to come up with media titles that are at least somewhat related to your category? Get on our old friend Google! if your category is, say, gardening, type ‘top gardening magazines’ and see what comes up.
Check them for categories
Go through each and see if they have a section similar to your category. So if you realised your job/ pitch falls under Health & Wellness, check if the website has a section on that. You can usually find these sections in the menu or at the top of the website. If it does, add it to your list of publications to target.
Check who writes regularly within those categories
Once you get into those categories, you’ll typically see previews of the most recent stories written for it. These also usually come with bylines (the names of the people who wrote them). Is there anyone whose name you see coming up again and again? If so, google them. If they’re a staff writer for that title or a regular contributor, add them to your list.
Or, go straight to Google
Another option is to take your category, the name of one of the titles on your list and type it into Google with the word ‘editor’ or ‘journalist’ attached. For example: ‘GQ lifestyle editor’ and see if any names come up. If they do, add them to your list of journalists.
If you follow this technique, as well as the one laid out in last week’s newsletter, (check your inbox or the Archive) you should end up with a pretty sizeable list of possible journalists or editors to pitch to.
