32. How to find journalists’ email addresses for your media pitches

Much of the media system I teach the clients I work with one-on-one, and I will teach you as a listener of this show, is how to get interviews by pitching a topic to a reporter, writer, show host or producer.

You can’t just sit back and expect people to reach out to you. They need to know you, know what you are an expert in, and know how you can help them.

We have talked before about creating a pitch file or notebook to collect ideas to pitch reporters and producers. We have talked about how you can find out who to pitch. We have talked a little bit about how to pitch. But once you have the topic, and once you have written your pitch email, you have to actually send it. That’s when you have to find that person’s email address so you can send that pitch.

Where can you get that email? Sometimes it’s very easy, and sometimes you have to do a little work. But with almost every media member, you can find their email address to pitch them.

Bios on their work website

The first place to start is the newspaper, magazine, TV network, radio network, podcast website, or online publication site. Go to their bio, and very often their email address will be at the end of it. If you are looking for a reporter, journalist or writer, you can click to read one of their articles. Then click on their name in the byline or the article. It will usually take you to their bio or their list of recent articles. Very often their email address is in there somewhere.

Their personal websites

Personal websites are a great way to find email addresses, especially for writers – and freelance writers. Often, they collect the articles they write and post them on their personal websites as sort of a portfolio or resume for future work. There will almost certainly be a contact form or a mention of their email address. Yes, this is more of a personal email address than one at that media outlet, but you can apologize in your pitch email for contacting them here. They will understand and give you a better email to use for future pitches.

Twitter bios

People in the media very often post their email addresses in their Twitter bios. Producers, writers, and reporters often love hearing ideas for stories. Putting their email address where people who care about the news is a great way to attract those ideas.

Look in their bios. The address might not be something you can copy and paste, though. It might say jsmith and have a space and the word “at” instead of the @ symbol, then another space, then the domain, like gmail, then a space, then the word “dot” instead of the actual dot, then com. They don’t want spam bots to fill their email, and that’s a good way to do it.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is another great place to find email addresses. Find that person in LinkedIn. Then there should be a box to click to see how to contact them. For many people, they will list a personal or work website, and maybe some other social media accounts. But I’ve found many people in the media will put their email addresses here as well.

Now you can send an InMail message to them through LinkedIn, but I wouldn’t start with that. Use that as a last resort. If you do that, make sure to apologize and ask if there is a better email where you can send a quick pitch.

Many people don’t like being pitched by people they don’t know yet through LinkedIn, so I wouldn’t recommend doing that right off the bat. But if you do find their email, and you do pitch them and get an interview, yes, add them as a connection on LinkedIn.

You can figure it out based on email addresses of other people at that network or publication.

Finally, this is the method that seems to work the best, and yet, very few people try it.

Usually on the publication or network’s website, there will be an email address or two for a host or writer or producer. Not all of them, for sure, but at least one or two.

Almost every media outlet uses the same domain, like fast company.com or wrvu.com or something like that. If you find another writer’s email address – maybe [e-mail], you can bet the writer there you want will have a similar email. If your desired writer is named Susan Bell, look at that other email you found and recreate it for Susan. Instead of [e-mail], it will almost certainly be [e-mail].

Most companies use only a few structures for their email addresses – first name first letter/last name, first name/last name first letter, firstname/last name, firstname.last name, just first name (rare), or just last name. Find one on the site, and you can bet your desired media person will have essentially the same email structure. Then send it out. If it doesn’t bounce back, you can assume it got to him or her.

Work with me to achieve your media goals.

One of the things I do with the clients I work with one-on-one is that you and I figure out what shows and publications would be great to help you build your business. Then we identify writers and journalists with the print and online publications, and hosts and producers of the TV and radio shows and networks, and hosts of the podcasts. Then I work with you to help you find the email addresses of those media members so you can pitch them and get asked to be an expert in those media.

Now please remember, that just like my website, my coaching and everywhere else, that I am not giving business, financial, legal, medical or any other kind of advice here. Talk to a professional for advice specific to your situation.

If you want to learn more…if you want more customers, more clients, more patients, you want to make more money, you want to be recognized as THE expert in your industry, or you even want people you don’t even know to come up to you at the gym or in the grocery store, thanking you for helping them, I can help you become a Media PRO.