How to Pitch a Story to Your Local Newspaper

Local newspapers are cover thousands of stories every year. For a pitch from your event, cause or business to get selected, it needs to be newsworthy, locally specific, and sent to the right person with enough lead time. Here are the best practices:

Finding the Right Contact

Local editors want to publish stories that speak to their core readership. To get on their radar, send your story or release to the editor that manages the section of the paper it aligns with.

This helps your story stand out and shows respect for the newsroom's internal structure.

Reporters work hard to stay plugged in to their beat, and it's their job to know what's happening in their area of expertise. They're also expected to break the big story that the broader news desk would miss. So in many ways, the reporter on your beat is more valuable to you than a generic reporter at the paper.

As a first step, find the beat that relates to your story most closely. Then identify that section's editor by name, who will be your main point of contact.

The next step is to research the specific journalists who cover that beat, even if you will primarily be in touch with the editor. The further you progress in identifying the right reporter, the better informed and faster your pitch will be. The ISRI media-relations toolkit advises that if you’re unsure who covers what or if the information is out of date, check the newspaper’s website or call the paper's front desk to find out who the relevant reporter is.

What To Say in Your First Contact

Keep your message simple and concise. The editor is busy, so keep it to a maximum of three or four sentences. Prepare a quick summary of your story in 10 seconds and be ready to recite it unprompted.

Your first contact should not be a blind submission with no topical reason - that looks unprofessional. Instead, prepare a "pitch" for that story, describing the highlights or a shortlist of talking points. The ISRI media-relations toolkit says that in your pitch, you should highlight any local significance, show that you've done your research, and be ready to answer any questions.

Make sure to send a photo or visual, if available, as editors expect to pair text with accompanying visuals. Include the photo in the body of the email for easier accessibility.

Be ready to send the document that contains the details of story in the body of the email as well, so that the recipient doesn't have to download an attachment. Most editors prefer to read the document directly in the email and then ask for a PDF copy if needed.

Show that you understand the lead time the reporter needs to work with. Two days in advance is a good general rule, though with local events, you may have to go up to a week or more. You don't need to explicitly mention the lead time in the pitch, but being aware of it helps you show respect for the reporter's deadlines and workload.

Timing Your Pitch

Anyone on deadline won't want to discuss a story, no matter how exciting. So with local stories, be careful not to call a reporter when you think they're hunched over a keyboard as a story goes to print.

Even better, research exactly when the deadline is. People new to pitching stories often ask how far in advance is too far. Though it varies from reporter to reporter, you're definitely pushing it if you pitch far in advance.

As a general benchmark, a suitable lead time for local media varies by event, though you may go a week closer for a smaller local event, or do large regional and national events a month or two out. Send the pitch about a day or two before you expect it to run.

The ISRI Media-Relations toolkit says: "give the local paper at least 24 to 48 hours if you have an event coming up. If they want or need to do a story, you can work together to come up with a schedule to make that possible. Have the rest of the details readily available and be available as early as possible that day in case the deadline has moved up. If the paper cannot cover your event, they may help, or even suggest, other local newspapers or groups which may also find it interesting."

It's fine to pitch as far in advance as you can, but you do need to show that the story will still be relevant on the day. Precise dates make you look trusting and reliable. Moreover, a pitch should have a timely hook that works on a specific day.

Even if you are having trouble committing to exact dates, a general timeline is enough to communicate that this is not a generic sales announcement. The fact that the information includes a date makes it more credible and more useful to the reporter. The reporter will appreciate seeing that there's a specific day that the information will matter to their readers.

Follow-Up and Availability

Be proactive and follow up, but choose your battles. Don't ask if they're going to publish your event a day or two before it happens, but don't let it go without some reminder. Follow up first with a light email asking whether they have any questions. Then, unless your event is well-branded, send follow-up reminders at least a day before the event.

Timekeeping is important, as it shows you are reliable and organized, which are qualities that the reporter will consider when handicapping whether to run your pitch. The message that you send in an email or voicemail follow up is not very different from the one that you send in an initial email or phone pitch.

Send follow-ups sparingly.

As mentioned earlier, one of the most effective ways to follow up is to clear your schedule around the publication date, and let the editor know that you are available for an interview, photo opportunity or quote, to make their job easier.

Don't let the follow up drag on. Either the pitch gets picked up, and then you work with the reporter to refine it, or it doesn't. They might take a few days to make a decision, but if it's close to the date of the event and they haven't replied, assume that they've said no and start circulating your pitch again.

What Not to Oversell

Don't beg, and don't make wild claims like your pitch is "once in a millennium" or "the city will never forget this day". It's not a solicitation, it's a pitch for a short article. Editors want to look at the facts and decide based on their own judgment and expertise.

What is essential is that the pitch have a local angle. Local editors generally will not want to hear about a generic interest story unless it is pegged to a local issue that they know their readers care about.

Pitching local media is slightly different in some ways than pitching national or regional media. The stories you see in local papers recently being covered in that area might not be nationally significant, but they show the kinds of events, kinds of people, and kinds of organizations that this editor tends to include.

Don't make their job harder by overwhelming them with too much information, and don't be vague. The fact that you've bothered to send this pitch tells them that you're doing some work, but you don't really get credit for doing their job for them.

The follow up is your chance to answer any questions and get advice if needed. Provide your contact details, including email and mobile number, and then leave some space for them to get in touch with you.