PR & Media Outreach
Press Release Structure
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (or EMBARGOED UNTIL [date])
[Headline — Active Voice, <10 Words]
[Subhead — Expand with Key Detail]
[City, State] — [Date] — [Opening paragraph: Who, What, When, Where, Why]
[Body ¶1: Supporting details, data points, market context]
[Body ¶2: Quote from executive — make it sound human, not corporate]
[Body ¶3: Product/feature specifics, availability, pricing]
[Boilerplate: Company description, 2-3 sentences]
Media Contact:
[Name] | [Email] | [Phone]
###
Rules: Lead with news, not company. Include one hard data point. Keep under 500 words. Link to press kit.
Journalist Pitch Template
Subject: [Specific hook] — [why their audience cares]
Hi [First Name],
[1 sentence: Reference their recent article/beat to show you read their work.]
[2-3 sentences: The news — what's happening, why it matters NOW, one proof point.]
[1 sentence: The ask — exclusive, interview, demo, or just sharing for consideration.]
Happy to send more details or jump on a quick call.
[Your name]
Pitch rules: Under 150 words. No attachments on first email. Personalize or don't send. Follow up once at +3 days, once at +7, then stop.
Media List Building
| Source | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Muck Rack | Find journalists by beat, view recent articles |
| Twitter/X Lists | Track reporters covering your space |
| Similar stories | Who covered competitors? Pitch them. |
| Podcast directories | Filter by category, check guest history |
| Qwoted / Featured.com / Help a B2B Writer / SourceBottle | Inbound journalist requests (HARO shut down mid-2024 — Cision discontinued the Connectively rebrand) |
Build a spreadsheet: Name, Outlet, Beat, Email, Twitter, Last Pitched, Notes. Keep under 50 targets per campaign — quality over quantity.
Source-Request Strategy (post-HARO)
HARO was shut down by Cision in mid-2024. Modern replacements:
- Qwoted (qwoted.com) — closest HARO successor, freemium, strong B2B coverage
- Featured.com — pay-per-pitch model, expert quotes published with backlink
- Help a B2B Writer — focused on SaaS/B2B journalists
- SourceBottle — international (US/UK/AU), free tier
- Terkel — sister product of Featured, expert Q&A
Workflow:
- Sign up to 2-3 platforms — Qwoted + Featured is a strong default
- Filter by your categories — respond within 2 hours (speed wins)
- Format: [Subject line matching query] → 2-3 paragraph expert response with credentials
- Include headshot + bio link. Don't hard-sell.
- Track responses → ~5-10% conversion to placement is good
- Bonus: expert quotes also fuel AI-Overview brand mentions (LLMs train on published articles)
Press Kit Essentials
- Company one-pager (mission, stats, founding story)
- Founder/exec bios + high-res headshots
- Product screenshots and logos (SVG + PNG, light/dark)
- Recent press coverage links
- Fact sheet (users, revenue if public, milestones)
- Brand guidelines (colors, logo usage)
- Host at
/pressor Notion page. Keep updated quarterly.
Embargo Management
- Set clear terms in writing: "Embargoed until [date/time/timezone]. By replying, you agree."
- Only embargo genuinely significant news
- Give 3-7 days lead time for complex stories
- Send lift confirmation morning-of
- If broken: document, flag to journalist, adjust future access
Product Launch PR Timeline
| Timing | Action |
|---|---|
| T-6 weeks | Draft messaging, identify top 20 targets |
| T-4 weeks | Press release draft, press kit updated |
| T-2 weeks | Embargoed pitches to tier-1 journalists |
| T-1 week | Follow up, schedule interviews, prep spokespeople |
| T-3 days | Broader pitch to tier-2 and bloggers |
| Launch day | Press release wire, social push, monitor coverage |
| T+1 week | Thank reporters, share coverage internally, pitch stragglers |
| T+2 weeks | Measure results, update media list, retrospective |
Crisis Communications Playbook
- Detect — Set Google Alerts, social monitoring for brand + keywords
- Assess — Severity (low/med/high), audience affected, legal implications
- Align — Single spokesperson, approved holding statement within 1 hour
- Respond — Acknowledge, take responsibility if appropriate, state next steps
- Update — Regular cadence until resolved (every 2-4 hours for high severity)
- Review — Post-mortem within 1 week, update playbook
Golden rules: Never say "no comment." Don't speculate. Show empathy. Be faster than the news cycle.
Thought Leadership Placement
- Target byline-accepting outlets: TechCrunch guest posts, Forbes Councils, industry blogs
- Write about trends, not your product. Establish expertise first.
- Pitch editors with a 2-sentence abstract + outline, not a finished piece
- Repurpose across LinkedIn, company blog, newsletter
Podcast Guesting
- Use Listennotes.com or Podchaser to find shows by topic
- Pitch: "Here's a story I can tell your audience" (not "let me promote my thing")
- Prepare 3 talking points + 1 memorable anecdote
- Send host a follow-up thank you + share episode with your audience
PR Measurement
| Metric | Tool | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Media mentions | Google Alerts, Mention.com | Track volume over time |
| Share of voice | Meltwater, Brandwatch | % vs competitors |
| Domain authority from backlinks | Ahrefs, Moz | DA lift from press links |
| Referral traffic | Google Analytics (utm_source=pr) | Clicks from coverage |
| Message pull-through | Manual review | Key messages appearing in coverage |
See references/ for pitch templates, press release examples, and media list spreadsheet template.