Pitch It or Ditch It?
May 1, 2025
By: Scott Westcott
In a time long ago … let’s say six months back, pitching a journalist about programs and initiatives aimed at addressing climate change, advancing equity, or championing LGBTQ rights was standard practice.
Today, not so much.
The new administration’s intended chilling effect has social good organizations and the PR pros that support them wading into uncharted territory.
Media coverage has always come with some level of risk. But today the potential downside is much greater.
A story that shines a light on your work may now catch the eye of someone dedicated to flagging organizations that are advancing causes contrary to the administration’s priorities.
This doesn’t mean you should stop efforts to generate positive coverage about your work. After all, a compelling pitch still has the potential to spark a story that brings valuable attention that helps build support for your cause.
But you may decide that some attention simply carries too much potential risk.
So how do you decide which ideas to pitch — and which to ditch?
Working closely with some clients, our PR team has developed a three-step process for assessing potential media pitches.
Write a sample pitch
For each story idea, create an ideal headline for the piece if it were to be pitched and published along with a brief pitch crafted to hit up target journalists.
Going through this exercise helps you land on the most effective framing and identify potential opportunities and risks early in the process.
Rank the risk
Once you’ve put together your pitch, take a hard look at how it may be viewed by different audiences. Does it open your organization up for attack or scrutiny? Does getting this story told help bring added attention to an important issue or help inform the public to debate?
We’ve been assigning risk in three categories: high, moderate, or low. But you can easily come up with your own rubric.
Make your call
If you have a low-risk idea that has the potential to attract positive attention, pitch away!
For medium and higher risk pieces, you may decide to reframe your approach, hold off for a later date, or simply let it go.
Of course, this is far from an exact science.
Any story could go sideways. Even if your pitch and quotes from sources are careful about the language used, the way the story is positioned is often out of your control.
Yet what this process does provide is a reasoned approach for how to best direct time and resources regarding PR outreach. It also helps you make a sound case to your organization's leadership for your recommended approach.
Even in today’s climate, going completely dark when it comes to PR outreach is not a viable option for organizations committed to advancing their vital missions.
Instead, commit to taking a thoughtful, measured and, at times, courageous approach to getting your story out there.
Yes, that can be risky. But far less so than saying nothing at all.
