For decades, the email pitch has been the default way for PR managers to reach out to journalists. Before email pitches, it was phone calls, and while they were direct and could lead to faster results, journalists found them intrusive and potentially disruptive.
When email went mainstream in the 1990s, it offered everything PR needed: speed, low cost, easy searchability, and a respect for journalists’ time. But as the internet has become much more accessible, email inboxes have become war zones with hundreds to thousands of PR experts seeking to engage with most journalists at any given moment.
Professionally executed email strategy is still the most important channel for connecting with journalists, but you can’t rely on email alone to get the results you’d like to see. To get results today, you’re going to need a multi-channel outreach strategy.
Email Alone Won’t Cut It. Here’s What to Do Instead:
The problem isn’t that email stopped working. It’s that it became too easy to abuse. When every journalist is sifting through a mountain of subject lines each morning, you can be sure they’re not likely to give their full attention to emails.
You’ll have only seconds to make a good impression, and even with an immaculately crafted pitch, if a journalist is distracted, your email might never get more than a cursory glance.
At the same time, the internet has opened up new digital communication tools that can be useful for PR outreach. In particular, messaging apps such as Slack and Discord are an emerging favourite for industry-specific or journalist-focused Slack groups.
In groups like these, relationships tend to develop before a pitch ever enters the picture. If people in the group know and trust you, your email story or pitch will get a much warmer reception.
And then there are the more traditional social media platforms like Twitter/X /X, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Used well, DMs on these platforms can bypass the clogged email inbox entirely.
They work best when you’ve already engaged with someone publicly, commented on their posts, shared their work, and so on–so your pitch arrives in context rather than out of the blue.
Building Trust Before You Pitch
Regardless of platform, the first rule is to listen. Follow relevant conversations, learn the applicable norms, and understand what’s getting people’s attention. When you understand the undercurrents driving any conversation, it becomes much easier to plug into that conversation with a useful take.
John Grant, Founder & CEO at Premier Bidets, adds that to build the kind of trust that guarantees you an audience with relevant journalists, your goal should be to share useful, actionable resources or answer big questions, and if you don’t have the answers, to connect people to others who may.
All of this should be done well before you send your first pitch, so when you do pitch, your idea will feel like a continuation of the conversation rather than an interruption.
Lean into Relevance
Even the most creative outreach fails if it’s not relevant. That means knowing a journalist’s beat, reading their recent work, and understanding their audience.
For a head start, you can use a keyword tool to help you spot trending topics and align your pitch with what’s gaining traction in the media. Doing a bit of background work can help turn a cold approach into a seamless new connection.
Use AI Tools for a Leg Up
AI has already changed the way social media marketing is done, and it’s also opening up new ways to make outreach stand out. For example, AI writing tools can help adapt your tone for each platform, whether you’re aiming for concise professionalism in an email or a more conversational style in a DM.
Peter Čuček, Owner at Tuuli, says that sometimes, letting someone hear your story can spark more curiosity than another paragraph in their inbox. Audio tools, like custom voice AI for voiceovers, allow you to create short, personalized introductions or previews for Slack or Discord, something fresh in a world dominated by text.
Avoiding Missteps
Non-email outreach comes with its own etiquette. Closed communities often have strict rules against unsolicited promotion, and violating them can damage your reputation fast.
One key thing to keep in mind is the fact that each platform has its own tone. What feels relaxed on Slack, for example, may seem intrusive on Discord.
Anna Zhang, Head of Marketing at U7BUY, believes that PR pros need to think about compliance and professional guidelines—similar to regulated industries like tax preparation, where professionals must carefully follow rules on client communication and payments.
For instance, regulations determine whether tax professionals can collect preparation fees directly from client refunds. In PR, while the consequences may not be financial penalties, ignoring platform rules can just as quickly undermine your credibility.
Final Thoughts: The Hybrid Future
Email still works, it’s professional, documented, and easy to search. But it’s far more effective when paired with other channels and touchpoints.
Instead of relying on email alone, you could send an email followed by a quick Slack message, a DM accompanied by a relevant link, or a conversation in a community space that leads naturally to a pitch.
In the end, the deciding factor will likely be your ability to build relationships with the right people, and, as we’ve shared, this will largely come down to your willingness to offer value before you seek opportunities yourself.
