The ‘new normal’ of pitching journalists in the wake of the pandemic

The days of imposed lockdowns and restricted face-to-face interactions seem like a lifetime ago. There was a lot of excitement when we entered a ‘new normal’ after two years of drastic change.

So, it’s no surprise that many of the Spark team have been taking advantage of this returned freedom. Whether lunches out or drinks with journalists at the pub, the team has been making efforts to build relationships with new faces and catch up with old friends. However, things have changed – we have had to evolve how we interact with the media.

A changing process

Hybrid work has become the norm for many journalists, and newsrooms have changed as a result. Before the pandemic came along, it was a straightforward process when pitching stories to journalists: pick up the phone, dial the number, and when it’s answered – pitch! But now many journalists are relishing a hybrid work model. It means that many are working from home more often, while some have decided to permanently work remotely. As a result, the process of inviting journalists to events, asking them about upcoming editorial plans, or pitching them stories, has become a little more challenging.

These days, I still pick up the phone and dial the number, but now I am prepared for the fact that the journalist is less likely to be at their desk – though there’s a chance the operator or colleague can share an alternative number to reach them on. Sure this is different to what I many of us are used to, but things always evolve over time anyway, and it doesn’t mean that the Spark team hasn’t been up to the challenge of interacting with journalists. If anything, it’s meant we’ve been creative and flexible with how we do our outreach.

The social network

Increasingly, we are connecting and interacting with journalists over social media. For journalists, social networks play a critical role: they can reach a large audience, gather insight, and share breaking news faster than ever before.

For PR professionals, the popularity of social represents another avenue to get in touch with those hard-to-get journos and interact with them in a more casual way. For instance, Twitter is a platform that many journalists use. Not only to share their thoughts on news stories but also to tweet about everything from trending stories to their favourite football teams.

This opens up opportunities to ‘talk’ with the media in a casual way. Instead of being the tiny voice at the end of a phone trying to pitch as quickly as possible, it allows us to bond over things we have in common.

However, that doesn’t mean you should have a scattergun approach towards pitching via Twitter.

It’s important to check to see whether journalists are responding to PR professionals, and if they’re tweeting about their upcoming editorial schedule, latest articles, themes, and topics they usually cover, or more personal subjects unrelated to work.

Pitch perfect

It’s fair to say that things have changed since the pandemic, and the process of pitching can feel like solving a Rubik’s Cube. Initially, it might seem more of a puzzle, but there are a lot of moves we can make. And with the right strategy, we can make things work. As with all big changes, there are positives and lessons to be learned: this shift in the media landscape has taught the team to think outside the box and has made securing coverage even more rewarding than before.