When it comes to capturing the attention of reporters, it’s an uphill climb as they are inundated with pitches on a daily basis. A new survey of more than 3,000 journalists globally found that half the respondents receive more than 50 pitches per week.

Furthermore, many of the journalists reported that they often must take a pass on a pitch they would like to cover due to time or resource constraints.

So how do you cut through the clutter to have your pitch covered? By being relevant.

It’s not a new concept. For years, reporters have been stating at media panels hosted by LMA, LFMP and PRSA that their #1 pet peeve is being sent pitches that are not relevant to what they cover.

Not surprisingly, in Cision’s 2025 State of the Media Report, 86% of respondents said the top reason they reject a pitch is that it’s not relevant to their audience or beat. The survey found that journalists have no patience for being “spammed” with irrelevant pitches or ones that sound like marketing brochures. Such outreach on a repeated basis can result in a sender’s emails being blocked.

Knowing Who You’re Pitching and What They Cover

In a newsroom, most reporters are assigned to beats or areas of interest. At your city’s newspaper, should it still exist, beats can include city hall, education, courts and crime, local business, lifestyle, and sports, among others.

So, let’s say you work at a law firm wishing to secure coverage in that newspaper for an office opening or new group of laterals. You wouldn’t send the press release to the entire newsroom; rather, you’d reach out to the business news editors and possibly the courts reporter if the laterals are litigators.

The beat system is also in place at larger media outlets, whether it’s The Wall Street Journal, a global newswire such as The Associated Press and Reuters, a broadcast or cable network, or an industry trade. But the larger the media outlet, the more specific the beats will be.

Take Law360 for example. While every reporter covers news pertaining to the legal industry, each reporter is assigned to a section or sections focused specifically on a practice, industry or region. Plus, Law360 has an entire Pulse team focused on various aspects of the business of law.

To make sure your outreach to a media outlet is targeted at the reporter whose beat is most relevant to your news, you can subscribe to a media database that provides such information. But with so much movement in the media industry—a lot of it unfortunately caused by newsroom layoffs and downsizing—it’s best to also research a reporter’s recent coverage and LinkedIn profile to make sure their beat and/or employer hasn’t changed. You likely won’t be relevant if you send a pitch or press release pertaining to healthcare law to a reporter now covering bankruptcy unless the bankruptcy involves a healthcare entity.

Researching a reporter’s recent coverage can also help you get a better understanding of their particular beat. Just because a media database lists a reporter’s area of focus as employment, a search of the articles the reporter has recently written might reveal a more refined beat focused on employee benefits, executive compensation, ERISA, HR/workplace issues, labor relations and unions, and OSHA compliance and litigation, among related topics.

Journalists appreciate receiving news when it’s relevant to what they cover. When asked in the Cision survey how PR professional provide the most value, 63% answered “They connect me with relevant sources” while 57% responded “They facilitate access to key people or places.” Rounding out the top three responses was “They provide relevant story ideas.”

The survey found that journalists also appreciate PR pros who are mindful of journalists’ deadlines and communicate with transparency.

Building and Cultivating Relationships with Reporters

By knowing what a reporter covers before you reach out to them, you not only increase your chances of coverage, but you also begin laying the foundation of a relationship. According to the survey, most journalists say pitching new, relevant story ideas can be instrumental in building relationships with them.

And that is the very essence of media relations. Every interaction with a journalist is an opportunity to build a mutually beneficial working relationship as long as that initial outreach is relevant to the reporter and provides value to them. Not only are reporters more likely to review pitches that come from someone they know and trust, but the better they know you and the types of sources and information you provide, the more likely they are to proactively seek you out for help with stories – which can mean more media coverage for your firm.

At Jaffe, our public relations team has spent decades building and cultivating relationships with journalists across the United States and beyond. While we focus our work solely on the legal industry, our connections with journalists extend far beyond the legal media. We are in contact daily with influential reporters at mainstream, business, and industry-specific publications on the local to the national level to provide them with new story ideas relevant to the beats they cover and to connect them with legal experts who can provide sophisticated and insightful commentary.

If you’re looking to raise or elevate your visibility in the media via public relations, please feel free to reach out to me, Kathy King, at kking@jaffepr.com