Increasingly, the reporter is the channel — and that should change how you pitch

For years, I've told people the biggest mistake in media pitching is ‘spray and pray’. Blasting a generic pitch to hundreds of reporters and hoping something sticks. They have a name for that. It's called spam. It didn’t work 20 years ago. And it certainly doesn’t work today.

But something has shifted that’s making targeted pitching more important. More and more, we’re seeing that the journalist isn't just a person who works at a media outlet anymore. Increasingly, they are the outlet.

Reporters are building their own audiences through newsletters, podcasts, Substacks and LinkedIn followings. In many cases, those audiences rival the reach of the publications they used to work for. Substack alone reached an estimated five million paid subscribers in 2025. At the same time, search traffic to traditional news sites has been sliding. The centre of gravity is moving away from the masthead and toward the individual.

So, if you're still pitching the publication, you might be leaving opportunities on the table. Here's how to adjust.

Research the person, not the outlet

I've always said you need to do your homework before you pitch. That used to mean knowing a reporter's beat at a given outlet. Now, it means understanding their personal body of work, wherever it lives.

What do they write about in their newsletter that they'd never get to cover at their day job? What are they posting on LinkedIn? What's the through-line in their last 10 podcast episodes? Pitch the person you actually find when you dig, rather than simply pitching the beat you assume they cover.

Build the relationship before you need it

This isn't new advice, but the creator shift makes it non-negotiable. Journalists aren’t just people you pull out when you need them and ignore when the coverage might not be flattering.

When a journalist controls their own platform, the relationship is the channel. You're not getting access to a newsroom anymore. You're getting access to a person who decides, on their own terms, what's worth their audience's attention. Generic pitches don't break through with someone like that. The PR people who win in this environment will be the ones who were building rapport long before they had something to sell.

Tailor the pitch to their audience

Every story still hangs on one of the three drivers of news: change, controversy or human interest. But the audience you're hanging it on is now more specific.

A creator-journalist knows who subscribes to them and why. Before you pitch, ask: does this story serve their people? Not the broad readership of a daily paper. But, rather, the particular community that chose to follow this individual. Reverse-engineer the pitch from their audience back to your story.

The bottom line

The fundamentals of good pitching haven't changed. Know who you're pitching. Have a real story. Respect the relationship. What is changing these days is the target. Increasingly, the reporter is the channel. And the sooner you pitch them that way, the better your chances of getting their attention.