You spent weeks crafting the ‘best’ media pitches, subscribing to email marketing tools, and sending them to tons of journalists who can help build coverage for your product or event. But hours and days after, crickets.
Only a few got back, and it was to decline your pitch politely. Nothing sounds worse than a “We’d have loved to… but…”
No worries. You’re not alone. The fact is, journalists receive hundreds of media pitches from numerous businesses and individuals. So, they already have an inbox cluttered with all sorts of requests. Yours is just like a drop in a bucket full of water.
And that means you need something unique to stand out. That’s where psychological triggers, including authority, relevance, curiosity, social proof, and urgency, come into play.
In this article, we’ll share how these triggers work and how to implement them effectively.
Trigger #1: Authority Builds Trust
Authority is a measure of credibility. It’s the psychological trigger that tells a journalist, ‘You know what you’re talking about, and your information is worth covering.’
But if it’s lacking, the journalist feels less confident sharing your story. After all, they want nothing to do with anything that can negatively influence their reputation or mislead readers.
Here’s how to implement it within your pitches:
- Expertise: You or your source has proven knowledge in the subject. For example, a certified dermatologist pitching a skincare feature
- Data or research: You include verified numbers, reports, or studies that back your claims
- Affiliation: You reference credible institutions, platforms, clients, or projects. For instance, mentioning Your Doctors Online’s Ontario platform in a telehealth pitch instantly adds legitimacy and signals domain knowledge
- Recognition or awards: You mention respected recognitions to signal reliability
- Professional tone: Your pitch is concise, fact-driven, and free from exaggeration
A takeaway tip is to establish authority right from your subject line and in the first few lines of your pitch.
For example, the subject line, “Canadian Health Advisor Discusses Rise of Remote Consultations,” immediately highlights the author’s subject expertise and encourages readers to take action.
Trigger #2: Relevance Creates Connection
Journalists have different niches, from news and finance to travel. Pitching finance to a health journalist doesn’t match. In fact, it’s an instant turn-off for many, because it is irrelevant to them.
Relevance works based on a core human bias of recognition and a sense of belonging. People pay more attention to what personally feels more related to them.
So, before sending a pitch:
- Dig out more info on your target journalist
- Know what they love to cover by looking at what they’ve published
- Read their recent work, understand their audience, and shape your angle to fit their beat
You also need to prioritize local relevance to make your pitches more clickable.
For instance, let’s say you’re pitching a sustainability story on the US tech industry, and your journalist’s sphere of coverage is in Missouri. You can make the pitch more relevant by referencing local businesses that promote green practices in the region, such as Bates Electric’s St. Louis branch.
Trigger #3: Curiosity Sparks Engagement
When something hints at information just beyond reach, the mind automatically wants to fill that gap. That’s why headlines, teasers, and even email subject lines that reveal just enough but not too much often perform best.
Curiosity taps into this mental aspect to draw attention and spark psychological engagement. To weave the same into your pitches:
- Give a hint of your story’s value without revealing the whole picture, more like a teaser
- Ask thought-provoking questions. Journalists respond well to curiosity framed as an insight or a challenge
- Use unexpected contrasts by pairing two seemingly opposite ideas to spark interest.
For instance, “Why Remote Work Could Be the Cure for Urban Loneliness” presents a contrasting idea that will likely spark interest in learning more about the topic.
Note that curiosity will only nab you a spot if the follow-up story matches up in value. So, always ensure the content behind the pitch justifies the intrigue you want to create.
Trigger #4: Social Proof Builds Credibility
Social proof includes every signal that shows others already trust and are engaged with what you’re pitching. According to neuroscience research, our social judgmental center relaxes when we see that people already value something. “If they liked it, I’ll probably like it too.”
There’s also the release of oxytocin, which encourages warmth from the journalist and activates a connection with your pitch.
You can build social proof into your pitch by:
- Highlighting media mentions or past press coverage
- Referring to partnerships, collaborations, or brand associations with known names
- Sharing numbers or milestones that reflect audience growth, adoption, or engagement
- Mentioning testimonials or user stories that show impact
- Linking to community involvement or awards that signal credibility
For example, including something like “Our app recently reached 500,000 active users and was featured by TechRadar as one of the top ten AI tools for small businesses. We’d love to share how these users are applying it in creative ways” within the first line of your pitch builds credibility right away.
Additionally, incorporate short credibility markers, such as “as featured in,” “used by,” or “partnered with.”
Trigger #5: Urgency Drives Action
Urgency is a traditional marketing tool leveraging FOMO (The Fear of Missing Out). It’s the sense that something valuable might slip away if we don’t act quickly. In marketing, this trigger makes customers rush to buy a product before a deadline. In media pitching, it nudges journalists to respond before an opportunity passes.
To apply urgency effectively in your media pitch:
- Mention time-sensitive data or trends that will soon change or lose relevance
- Highlight exclusive access, such as early reports, expert interviews, or event invites
- Note upcoming launches, deadlines, or seasonal hooks that make your story timely
- Use active, time-focused language like “reveals,” “launching this week,” or “before year-end end”
For instance:
- “Our sustainability report will be released publicly on Monday, but I can share an early copy today if you’d like an exclusive first look”
- Or “Exclusive access to St. Louis business insights before public release”
Adding any of these in your first headline outrightly tells the journalist to act fast.
Of course, urgency can backfire if it is used incorrectly. Desperate words like “Open now or lose the opportunity forever” feel manipulative. And journalists can spot forced pressure immediately.
Wrapping up
What determines if your pitch ends up in the spam box or under the important email section is how much it appeals to your target journalists. And one way to boost your pitch’s appeal is to utilize psychological triggers, such as authority, relevance, curiosity, social proof, and urgency.
Demonstrate subject and topical authority of the event, product, or story you’re covering right from the subject line, ensure each pitch is relevant to the receiver, and weave in curiosity to spark faster action.
Include social proofs to reduce social guarding and employ urgency effectively to boost response rates.
