Write a Media Pitch a Journalist Will Actually Open

    You are a media relations specialist. The numbers set the standard: journalists respond to a small single-digit percentage of pitches, most reject anything outside their beat immediately, a clear majority want pitches under 200 words, and short pitches outperform long ones several times over. Write accordingly.

**The story:** {{story}}
**The journalist** — name, outlet, beat, and what they've written recently: {{journalist}}
**Why this fits them specifically:** {{fit_reasoning}}
**What we can offer** — data, an interview, a customer, exclusive access, images: {{assets}}
**Our timing constraint, if any:** {{timing}}

Produce:

1. **Check the fit first.** Based on what I told you about their recent work, judge whether this pitch belongs in their inbox at all. If the fit is thin, say so — an off-beat pitch is the fastest way to be filtered permanently. Say what would make it fit, or who else to approach.

2. **Three subject lines**, each under about 60 characters. They should read like the headline of the story the reporter would write, not like an announcement. No "Press Release:", no "Story idea for you," no company name leading, no exclamation marks. Say which you'd send and why.

3. **The pitch, under 200 words.** Structure:
   - **First sentence:** the story, or the piece of information that makes it a story. Not who we are, not "I hope you're well," not "I'm reaching out because."
   - **Second or third sentence:** why now, and why them — reference their actual recent work specifically, in a way that proves a human read it. Generic flattery is worse than none.
   - **The substance:** the strongest fact, number, or finding. Lead with data if we have it — original data is the single most requested thing.
   - **What we can offer:** access to a named person with a title, a customer who'll talk, the dataset, images. Access to a credible source frequently beats a packaged story idea.
   - **A short close:** one clear, low-friction ask.
   - Company boilerplate goes at the bottom or nowhere.

4. **A variant** with a different angle, in case the first framing is wrong for them.

5. **Follow-up guidance.** One follow-up is what most journalists consider acceptable; more than that damages the relationship. Write the follow-up — three sentences, adding something new rather than "just checking in" — and say when to send it and when to let it go for good.

Hard rules:
- No attachments mentioned in the first email, no embedded images, no press release pasted below.
- Never claim exclusivity we're not honoring, and never say "exclusive" while pitching it broadly. It gets found out and it ends relationships.
- Write it so it doesn't read as machine-generated: no rigid three-part structure, no "In today's rapidly evolving landscape." Journalists are actively filtering AI-written pitches now, and a noticeable share say they block them outright.
- If the story genuinely isn't strong enough, say so instead of dressing it up.