It is all very well saying that you are going to pitch to Stylist, Red, Grazia, Good Housekeeping…. but WHO do you actually pitch to? As in which person?
The biggest clue and a really good way to work out who to pitch to is by their job title!
There is a set hierarchy of different job titles within the media which will give you that clue of WHO to pitch to!
So let’s run through the different media types and some insights on their titles and how it all works.
You have an editorial team that has an editor at the top of it:
EDITOR – responsible for the overall content and the look and feel of the magazine. They have the final say over everything within the whole title.
COMMISSIONING EDITORS – similar to the editor role. They decide what to commissions to go in that title.
(You rarely ever pitch to an editor! If you do, they will more than likely pass it on to the relevant section editor)
SECTION EDITORS – e.g news editor, features editor, fashion editor, business editor etc. They have the final say within their whole section and ultimately report into the editor. These are typically the people you would pitch to depending on which section is relevant to you and what you do.
NEWS EDITORS – they edit the (new) news, which is the content you cannot plan for (the reactive opportunities). So this is focused on things that are happening now, or are about to happen. This is the person you would send your press release to.
REPORTERS/WRITERS – they write the stories that the editors have selected and report into the section editors.
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS – these are great people to know! If you email them with an idea, they will direct it to the right person. These are the people that you would want to send samples to, to give to their editors. They do research, field phone calls and help everyone else on the team to get their content written!
ONLINE
Some companies have the same team that write for the print AND the online media, but others have separate online versions (e.g Online Editor, Digital Writer). If you go on to their publication website, they have a Contact Us section and they often list the person’s name, email address and social media handles. They are not hard to find!
BROADCAST
These are your local and national TV and radio shows. Although they have a lot of the same titles, they have slightly different departments.
EDITOR – responsible for the overall content of the show.
PRODUCER – in radio they work in partnership with the programme presenter to plan, structure and run the show. This is the person you would pitch to.
NEWS EDITOR – they will look to see what is happening in the region/world/country and what the people in that place need to know about.
FORWARD PLANNING DEPARTMENT (mainly for TV) – they look after the things that can be planned for and put in the diary for special events. A few days ahead, they will look in their diary to see if they are able to cover the pitched stories based on the news editors plans, and decide whether to send reporters to cover.
FREELANCERS
Freelance journalists work for specific types of media (e.g women’s magazines or parenting). If you can find a freelance journalist who is really into your area of expertise, then they can be a great person to talk to as they may pitch your story to the places they work with on a regular basis! One of the best places to find them is on Twitter
📣 And if you want to work with me 1:1 on this, why not book a 2-hour Deep Dive session? 📣.
We’ll start with your ideal client and objectives, look at your stories and expertise and match them to key media, podcasts and speaking opportunities. Book now here.
Here’s where you can catch the replay of my FB live session covering all of the above including some great Q&As!
