Gorkana and About Time: What Makes a Good Pitch?

We headed to the Gorkana morning briefing with About Time, an online-only magazine dedicated to food, drink, travel and style, to speak to founder Angelica Malin and learn more about what she expects when it comes to pitches, as well as what she’s learnt during the two years of growth the website has experienced.

Don’t always pick up the phone
Whilst it can be tempting to call to chase up a press release you’ve sent the previous day, that’s not always the best way forward. “Good, old-fashioned email works for us,” Angelica commented. “Phone calls can feel a bit aggressive.”

Make your pitch relevant to the website
When sending a press release across, the easier you make it to go straight onto the website, the more likely it will. So if there is a certain column or format on the website you think it would suit, pitch it in that format. The more edits they have to make, the more time it takes and the less likely it is to be used. ‘”Pitches should be tailored towards a specific column, feature or section of the site,” says Angelica.

Don’t send a story months in advance
With trends coming as quickly as they go, there is a good chance your e-mail will be lost in the stream if sending it too early. For example, and in relation to the recent National Chocolate Week, there is no point sending a press release months in advance as it’ll be forgotten in the midst of other, more relevant trends. There are even certain days that Angelica has found best for certain topics. “Monday is a great day for wellness and Thursday is more for brunch when people are planning their weekend”. Ideally the best time to pitch? A week before!

 By Kara Godfrey