People Magazine: “Don’t Be Afraid to Get Personal”

If you’ve ever pitched media, you know the journey from idea to pitch to coverage is not always a straight line. Far from it — coverage takes intentionality, creative thinking, and patience.

This newsletter shares our experiences to help pitch your next big win and create lasting media relationships.

In January’s edition:?

• Carver Hailey Pinto discusses how to organically connect and build relationships with reporters. ??
• We break down Hailey’s actual pitch and follow-ups. Don’t be afraid to get personal and find what you have in common. ???
• Hailey’s Q&A dives into the subtleties of pitching freelance reporters?— and how to make your product pitches stand out. ??

BUT FIRST... JOIN US TOMORROW FOR A LINKEDIN LIVE!

Toy Fair 2025 is coming up on March 1-4. You have one mission: catch the media’s eye and make your products the talk of the show.?

Hear from Carvers and Toy Fair experts Amy Friedland and Scott Goldberg, who have helped almost 100 brands devise a winning Toy Fair media relations strategy.

You don't want to miss this Carved Out Conversation all about the tips, tricks, and trade secrets of the event! Register now.

?? WATCH: Hailey on Making Authentic Media Connections

?? SEE: The Pitch That Won the Reporter Over?

?? READ: Hailey’s Thoughts on Making Pitches Personal?

Q: You and this reporter both live in North Carolina, so you used this subtle detail to make an organic connection. What are some other effective ways to use the personal to catch a reporter’s attention?

Hailey: One small but impactful way is to stay up-to-date on their career moves and celebrate their achievements with them. I do this primarily through LinkedIn. You might comment on a journalist’s recent promotion or reach out to compliment them on a great feature they just wrote. We all strive to achieve; going the extra mile to recognize someone’s work can show you care about your connection with them beyond the story.

It can also be handy to call out certain trends you’ve seen them write. For example, you might pitch a reporter because they’ve published several tech product roundups and you have one that fits. Call that out in your pitch to show you’re paying attention to their current coverage focus.

I love to keep things light and use what I have in common with a reporter to connect. This can (and has) ranged from referencing my love for Harry Styles, One Direction, and even the reality show Love Island. It sparks fun conversations about our favorite songs and reality TV personalities. Conversations don’t always need to start with the product, especially if relationship building is your top priority.?

Q: What’s “too far” when trying to personally connect with a reporter — is there a line in the sand?

Hailey: Stay away from anything too personal. If you want to know if your reference crosses that line, put yourself in their shoes. If a reporter proclaimed their love for Styles all over social media – often – it’s probably fair game to bring up. But it’s another to mention a niece’s name they mentioned in a social post a few years prior. Think – would you be uncomfortable if someone immediately knew this about you in early conversations??

Avoid overly familiar interactions. Don’t ask for more personal information right off the bat (like their phone number). Just like any relationship in life, give it time to grow and evolve. Remember the respectful etiquette of in-person interactions. IE, don’t say online what you wouldn’t say to their face.

Q: You mentioned in the video that you weren’t sure where the story would land since the reporter was a freelancer. Can you request your story end up in certain publications?

Hailey: You can certainly mention a specific publication based on which audiences might resonate best with the product or topic you’re pitching. However, building a relationship with a journalist who works with several publications also presents more opportunities.?

For example, I reached out to this reporter after reading her product roundups on Real Simple. Although the products I pitched could fit nicely in her coverage within that publication, she thought People would be better. Now, there’s also room for us to discuss future opportunities for other publications like Real Simple and The Wall Street Journal. If you avoid stifling the reporter up front, the relationship can continue to benefit both the brand and the reporter.

Ultimately, you want to end up with good coverage. Meaning, coverage that drives brand awareness and exposure for your brand, or whatever your goal is at the moment.

Q: In this case, you were pitching a product review. What are your best tips to get reporters to open your product pitches — and cover them?

Hailey: My biggest recommendation is to make sure the reporter is super clear on how covering your product benefits them and their audiences. Some tips to do this:

• Call out the “why” up front. Reporters receive hundreds of product pitches, so starting with this will help your product stand out from all the others. I pitched a walking treadmill, so my “why” was that work-from-home culture has propelled people into needing home gym equipment that could fit into their lifestyle.?

• See which hot topics and trends might fit your product to enhance the “newsworthiness.” For example, we pitched a soccer product using the MLS Cup and star players like Lionel Messi to catch attention. Because the MLS Cup final match was just weeks away, it helped reporters see they could insert our product into trending conversations. Those pitches led to top-tier coverage in publications like Forbes and BuzzFeed.
• Break up a pitch with several products by category. Make it easy for the reporter to quickly read and identify which products are relevant to them and if there is a natural product/publication fit (in the case of freelancers who work across outlets). In the Mobvoi case featured in the video, I broke up multiple technology products under different categories like low-maintenance bikes, home fitness, and smartwatches.?

Q: You mentioned you’re collaborating with the same reporter again for other products. Can you expand on this sort of client crossover that happens at agencies??

Hailey: First, you want to work on establishing a successful media relationship with one product or client. After that, it’s easier to introduce new clients into the conversation: you know the reporter’s preferences a bit better and have built up trust.?

After I sent the walking treadmill – and the reporter loved it – I was able to share additional tech products that provided similar health and wellness benefits. With reporters often covering a variety of topics, sharing a full list of products is a great way to maximize your relationship with the media.?

That’s also one of the advantages of working with an agency. Multiple PR pros means that we can “share” clients and reporters.

Q: Do you have any other unconventional tips for building relationships with reporters?

Hailey: Communicate with the reporter through the channels they prefer. Some prefer email; others like LinkedIn or X better.?

Once, while pitching a client announcement, I sent a reporter an initial pitch with at least three follow-ups—all of which received no response. So I changed it up, reaching out on LinkedIn.?

The reporter responded immediately and asked for an interview with my client. That turned into significant trade publication coverage that ended up being one of our biggest hits for a new product announcement.

?? MEET OUR PR EXPERT: HAILEY PINTO ??

Hailey is based in Charlotte, North Carolina and is one of our resident PR and pitching pros at Carve. She’s secured coverage in publications like Sports Illustrated, BestProducts, DigitalTrends, and The Spruce. A standout moment in her pitching journey is securing more than five placements for several Carve clients after connecting with her first reporter at E! News, who she is still in touch with today.

Thank you, Hailey, for your insights — subscribe to our How You Got That Hit newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn for our next installment in March!

BEFORE YOU GO...

• JOIN US FOR A LINKEDIN LIVE! Toy Fair 2025 is coming up on March 1-4. Our Carvers and Toy Fair experts have helped almost 100 brands devise a winning Toy Fair media relations strategy. Learn how to make your products the talk of the show!
• Read our previous issue on the media nuances of The Consumer Electronics Show. CES 2025 might be over, but Carver Nicole Curro’s tips for pitching reporters and the rules around show “etiquette” are valuable for any event throughout the year.?
• Sign up for our monthly "Carved Out" update. Our "Carved Out" email newsletter takes a holistic approach to the industry. We discuss perspectives on sustainable PR tips and tricks, content and thought leadership strategy, creative inspiration, and more.