Journalists are some of the busiest, most deadline-driven people you’ll ever meet. If you’ve ever tried to pitch them, you know: earning their attention (and trust) is no small feat.
BAM works with media across industries every single day, and we’ve seen what works, and what definitely doesn’t. If you’re trying to build better press relationships or keep wondering why your outreach is getting ghosted, start here.
Here are five things that consistently annoy journalists, and what to do instead.
"Exciting company update!” is not a pitch. It’s an email that gets archived in 0.3 seconds. Journalists want stories, not spin, and certainly not a tease that doesn’t tell them what’s actually happening.
Why it’s annoying: Journalists are under pressure to break stories that matter. If you’re not giving them something that’s timely, relevant, and clearly tied to a bigger trend or insight, you’re asking them to do the work you should have done.
Instead: Lead with the headline. Be specific, timely, and clear about what makes this news. Bonus points if you connect it to a broader trend, stat, or cultural moment.
You pitch a story. The journalist bites. They ask for an interview, a data source, or a quote. And suddenly? You’re ghosting. Whether it’s internal delays or scheduling chaos, you’ve now burned precious time, and potentially a bridge.
Why it’s annoying: Reporters are working on deadlines. If they’ve started writing and you disappear, you’ve not only slowed their work, but also made them look bad to their editor.
Instead: Don’t pitch unless you’re ready to deliver. And if something shifts? Just be transparent. A quick “timing changed, can we revisit next week?” keeps the relationship intact.
Embargoes are meant for actual news. Think: funding rounds, market-changing partnerships, M&A, or data that reveals a major industry shift. But if your pitch is about a routine product update, a feature tweak, or a partnership that’s more “nice to have” than headline-grabbing, it's just not worthy of a countdown clock.
Why it’s annoying: Reporters are more than willing to honor embargoes when the story justifies it. But when the embargo is used to hype something that’s clearly not newsworthy (or worse, not relevant to their beat) you’ve signaled that future pitches may not be worth their time either.
Instead: If it’s a smaller update (like a feature refresh or partner integration), don’t force it into an embargo. Instead, frame it as context within a bigger trend, offer it as an exclusive to one well-matched reporter, or bundle it into a broader momentum story. Not everything needs to be a headline; sometimes it’s better as background that builds long-term interest.
We get it, startup life moves fast. But blasting a generic pitch to every “tech reporter” you can find is lazy, and journalists can tell. If your pitch isn’t relevant to their beat, it won’t land, and might land you on a blocklist.
Why it’s annoying: You’re asking for coverage without showing any effort. Reporters want sources who understand their work, not ones who clearly haven’t read a single byline.
Instead: Do your homework. Read a few recent stories, and tailor your pitch to show you know what they actually write about. Specificity wins.
This is a classic rookie move, one that instantly signals you don’t fully understand how journalism works. It’s fine to ask for clarification or context. It’s not fine to ask to pre-approve your quotes or review the story before it runs.
Why it’s annoying: Journalists are not your PR team. Their credibility depends on independence, and when you ask for control, it signals you don’t trust them to do their job.
Instead: Be clear, direct, and on-record. If you’re worried about how something will be portrayed, choose your words carefully in the interview. Most journalists want to get it right, but they need you to meet them halfway.
Good media relationships are built on clarity, respect, and being a genuinely helpful source. Treat journalists like collaborators, not conduits.
If you're not sure whether your pitch is newsroom-worthy? Gut check with a comms pro (like us).