| Journalists don’t need just another PR contact filling their inbox. They want someone who can steer them to the right source, explain industry developments or provide a useful stat when working against a deadline.
That doesn’t mean becoming their best friend. You don’t need to contribute to the office collection for their birthday gift or finagle an invitation for drinks. But if you understand what topics they are covering and know which of your experts can offer something useful when they need it, you could become the PR person whose emails they want to open. The one they go back to time and again.
In previous PR Vibes® we’ve talked about building relationships with journalists and other industry influencers, but what does that mean?
Journalists under pressure need credible, helpful sources
We’ve all seen the headlines; shrinking budgets and staff cuts have placed pressure on newsrooms. In its 2026 State of the Media Report, Cision found 49% of journalists named resource constraints as a challenge. However, combating misinformation tops the list of their challenges. Being a consistent, credible go-to source can help journalists when they are under pressure.
Don’t always go for the obvious story angle, though. By getting to know your in-house experts and their fields of expertise you could add a new perspective to a wide range of industry narratives and challenges. Often this will be less about promoting your company, and more about positioning your SMEs as industry voices. With journalists working to increasingly tight deadlines, speed matters and so does understanding what you can confidently comment on.
How to make friends
Start simply by following the journalists that matter within your industry. Read their articles to understand which topics they are interested in, writing about, sharing and commenting on. Set up alerts for relevant subjects and journalists to make it easier to spot opportunities for your experts to add something useful.
Then introduce yourself: 84% of journalists are open to an introductory email but different people favor different platforms. Cision also has tips on how to follow and engage with them to help your messages land well.
Join the conversation – don’t just pitch
Timing is everything. Introducing yourself when you have something interesting to add gives you a good reason to make contact, rather than simply adding noise. So, do it by commenting on an article they’ve just published, or on a topic they are discussing, and offer research or to connect them with one of your SMEs who could provide an interesting perspective.
The important thing is to respond when you can help and not to make it about pitching your company’s products. Ask yourself if one of your experts could add something useful and only reach out to the journalist if the answer is yes!
Use AI sparingly
We know it’s not just journalists that are being asked to do more with less, PR teams are too! AI can help you monitor the topics they are interested in, identify article trends and spot opportunities to make contact.
When you do start to pitch to a journalist that you’ve been building a relationship with, don’t add to the noise by using AI to create your pitch. Cision found that 53% of journalists are opposed to receiving AI-generated pitches or press releases. Around a quarter are neutral and just 21% are in favor.
AI can help you find an opportunity but rely on human expertise to decide if something is worth saying. |
