Muck Rack Academy’s Fundamentals of Media Relations is a course taught by Michael Smart, a respected public relations coach who helps PR professionals strengthen their media relations and communication results
Successful media relations requires more than writing a strong pitch, according to Michael Smart, in a free online class covering the basics of media relations. It starts with understanding journalists, finding the right contacts, presenting the story in a way that matters to them and providing information that is actually useful.
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1. Journalists aren’t there to promote your brand
Journalists are not there to help organizations reach their marketing goals. Their job is to serve their audience by creating stories that people actually want to consume.
However, reporters often receive large numbers of irrelevant and generic pitches while also managing deadlines, watching social media closely, keeping up with breaking news and other newsroom responsibilities.
This makes it even more important to be relevant, accurate and concise. Public relations professionals should not expect journalists to understand their needs. Instead, the goal should be to understand what journalists are looking for and provide information aligning with their needs.
2. Quality pitches beat quantity
Media relations should focus on quality rather than quantity. Sending the same pitch to a large list may create more harm than opportunity because journalists remember irrelevant outreach.
To accomplish this, Smart recommends building a separate, targeted media list for each campaign and prioritizing different outlets that are trusted by the intended audience. Instead of only targeting large news outlets, communication professionals should also look for reporters and bloggers who regularly cover topics related to their story.
Smart suggests using the “80/20 principle.” This means spending 80% of outreach time researching and pitching the top 20% of media contacts. Focusing on these key relationships allows communication professionals to build trust and become a reliable resource over time.
3. Don’t wait until it’s time to pitch
Strong media relationships begin with consistently reading, watching and listening to journalists’ work. The course describes this approach as “read and react.” Public relations professionals should follow key journalists, engage thoughtfully with their content and provide useful information even when they are not actively pitching.
This could include sharing a relevant resource, asking a meaningful question or helping promote a journalist’s work. These interactions must be sincere and consistent. Journalists can recognize when engagement is only being used as a temporary strategy before a pitch.
As Michael Smart suggests, “Don’t be creepy. Be friendly.”
In his example, he says something like, “Oh, I see you have a cocker spaniel. So do I,” not, “Oh, I see your son goes to this school and plays baseball.” That is creepy.
4. Think beyond the subject line
Personalization helps a pitch stand out from the many generic emails journalists receive. A personalized pitch should demonstrate an understanding of the journalist’s work, audience and professional interests.
Communication professionals should go above and beyond simply personalizing a name and instead empathize with the reporter receiving the email. Subject lines should also be clear, concise and immediately relevant.
The way a pitch is worded is not as important as showing why the story is relevant to the journalist’s audience.
Over time, building credibility allows communication professionals to create a name for themselves. Instead of being just another subject line, they become a trusted source that journalists recognize.
5. Why your story matters now
A strong pitch must explain why a story matters now. The course identifies timeliness as the most important element of newsworthiness, followed by impact. Other important elements include proximity, prominence, human interest and conflict.
However, human interest should usually support a stronger news element rather than serve as the entire reason for coverage.
Framing also depends on the type of outlet. Television and radio pitches should sound similar to the language an anchor might use to introduce or tease a story, making the idea easy for a producer to visualize.
6. Get to the point of your pitch quickly
Journalists need pitches that are brief, clear and accessible. The course recommends removing unnecessary background information and leading directly with the news. Emails should use short paragraphs, white space and bullet points when appropriate.
Smart also strongly recommends against starting an email with “Hope you’re well” because it sounds generic and takes up valuable space.
Pitches should also provide useful resources, including independent experts, real people affected by the story and strong visuals. The goal is to complete as much of the journalist’s research work as possible.
7. Don’t be afraid to follow up
Following up is appropriate when the original pitch was carefully researched, relevant and personalized. Many journalists never notice the first email because of the volume of messages in their inboxes (see this survey of reporters on follow-up preferences).
A follow-up gives the story another opportunity to be considered. The course advises waiting at least 24 hours and following up within the first week, depending on the timing of the story. Follow-up emails should remain confident and avoid apologetic language; never say you are sorry.
They can also add value by connecting the pitch to a new development, offering updated visuals or referencing the journalist’s recent work.
Together, these seven lessons demonstrate that successful media relations is built on preparation, empathy and trust.
By understanding journalists, carefully researching the right contacts and consistently providing useful information, public relations professionals can become trusted sources and create stronger opportunities for meaningful media coverage.
Should you take this course?
Overall, I highly recommend Muck Rack Academy’s Fundamentals of Media Relations course to anyone interested in public relations or looking to strengthen their media relations skills. The course is completely free and provides a certificate that can be added to your resume or LinkedIn profile, making it a valuable credential for students and early-career professionals.
While the course can be completed in a little over two hours, I found that breaking it into smaller sections made it easier to absorb the information. I will definitely carry the knowledge and techniques I learned throughout this course into my future career in public relations, and I would encourage anyone interested in media relations to take advantage of this resource.
You can find this course by using this link: Muck Rack Academy’s Fundamentals of Media Relations.
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Alex Austin Vollor is a recent communication graduate from Mississippi State University with a concentration in Public Relations. She is the first-ever participant of the Graduate Jump Start Program (GJSP) by Sword and the Script Media, LLC. Find her online portfolio here.
GJSP is an intensive, yet part-time, paid learning program for new graduates. The program is designed to help new college graduates develop real-world PR and business skills, build a portfolio and provide access to mentoring, while they seek a full-time position.
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