Every week across the country, journalists receive hundreds of emails that promise “an incredible story.” Most never make it past the subject line. The rest? Scanned, maybe, then quietly deleted.

If you’re a business owner, company founder or comms manager trying to get media coverage, that can feel discouraging especially when you’ve put your heart into a press release, crafted your message or launched something you truly believe in.

The good news? You don’t need to be famous, have a million-dollar campaign or know someone at Seven Sharp to get covered. But you do need to understand how the New Zealand media works, what makes a story newsworthy and how to go about pitching it in a way that respects a journalist’s time and gets their attention.

After two decades in media and PR, working with newsrooms and outlets across the country, here’s what I know for sure: the best stories don’t always get picked up but the best pitches usually do.

Let’s break it down.

1. Stop trying to ‘get coverage’ and start offering something useful in the way of a story
If your mindset is “How do I get coverage?” you’re already on the back foot. Journalists are not there to promote your product or boost your brand. They’re there to inform, entertain and hold power to account. So ask yourself:

What’s the value in this for their audience?

The best media stories aren’t announcements — they’re about people, problems, conflict, tension, change, or something genuinely new. If your products, services or organisational objectives sit within a bigger trend, tap into a real need, or challenge the norm, that’s where your hook is.

Try this: Write your story idea as if it were a headline in your dream publication. If it sounds like an ad, you’ve got work to do.

2. Timing beats perfection
Many brands or organisations miss their media moment because they wait until everything is ‘ready’. But news doesn’t wait.

There’s a sweet spot: when your idea or launch is early enough to feel fresh, but solid enough to speak about. If you wait until you’ve finalised the product, the campaign, the language, the photos and the talking points, the news value may have passed.

Journalists work fast. If your story aligns with something timely like a new report, a social trend or a a political moment then pitch it today.

3. Don’t write a press release, instead create a pitch, line up your talent and pick up the phone
In New Zealand, most reporters would prefer a short, sharp, personalised pitch over a formal press release. Write a short Email with a subject line that actually reflects the story.

Write 2–3 concise paragraphs; What’s happening, why it matters, who’s available for interview. Who to contact if they want the story and links to supporting info.

Copy should not be full of industry jargon and absolutely no buzzwords.

Give it half an hour and pick up the phone to check the reporter received your pitch. In a smaller media market like ours, it can be more effective if you have a good story.

4. Know who you’re pitching to and most importantly, what is the point?
Do you really want this story to appear far and wide and potentially grow legs of its own? Or are you just ticking a box to make internal stakeholders happy? Decide where ideally you’d like to see this story appear beforehand. Then contact those media networks or publications directly.

Blasting a press release to 50 email addresses of journalists or newsdesk inboxes and hoping one sticks is lazy and usually ineffective. You have little to zero control over timing or success rate by doing this.

New Zealand media is small and relationships matter. Select journalists at media organisations who cover a certain beat or work on a certain show that you think your audience watches/listens to/reads.

Offer an exclusive to one media outlet even, with follow up angles to other media outlets. Create some buzz and excitement around your story. Turn it into a bidding war! Don’t just chuck out a press release and see who wants to run it.

Remember to pick up the phone! If you can’t explain in one sentence why their audience will care, you’re not ready to pitch.

5. Make it easy to say yes
If you want coverage, reduce the friction. Make it simple for a journalist to say yes.

That means:

Having a good spokesperson available for interviews and quickly.

Helping the reporter with copy/quotes/key messages by writing some of it for them.

Supplying high res images if needed promptly.

Responding to follow-ups fast.

If you can help them file faster and with better content, you become a trusted source and that leads to more opportunities later.

6. Not every story belongs in the media and that’s OK
Some stories are better suited to owned channels like LinkedIn, your website or a newsletter. That doesn’t make them less valuable. It just means they’re not right for the news.

Understanding the difference is a strength, not a failure.

Public Relations isn’t spin it’s strategy, it’s about telling the truth in an engaging way. When you do that with clarity, courage and a bit of media know-how, good things follow.

If you’re looking for real advice about how to get your story into the media and how to avoid wasting time and money on what doesn’t work then stick around. We’ll be sharing regular insights, how-to articles and more blogs based on years in the trenches.

And if you’re sitting on a story but not sure where to start with in touch with Dale or Kate at Better Communicate, we’d love to hear it.

Let’s get your story heard.