Dialing disaster: Is cold calling journalists a thing of the past?

Lindsey Bradshaw is a freelance PR pro working with B2B tech startups in AdTech/MarTech, cloud, data/analytics and AI. 

When I started in PR in 2008, I was one of seven employees at our firm. It was a tiny boutique agency in the heart of Pioneer Square, Seattle. My office space was out in the open with the other junior associates … uncomfortably so.

My very first day, the firm’s owner sat me down and told me a story. A story about how he used to snail mail pitches. Print the pitch, stuff and then manually lick the envelopes. According to him, sometimes a fax machine was more effective.

“Today,” he said, “We use the phones.”

Phones?! I thought. What happened to email? And if not email, LinkedIn is surely a more appropriate channel. But alas, he handed me a media list – with only phone numbers. No emails. No social media. Just main phone numbers to publications like the New York Times and Wired. If we were lucky, we had a journalist’s direct line. Then he sat me down, verbally explained the pitch and said, “Got it?” I was off to the races. Calling reporters right out in the middle of the open office space, on my first day in PR.

The whole experience was horrible. But despite how uncomfortable it made me feel and ignoring all the hangups and “do not call me again” responses I got, I booked 12 media briefings over the phone. For working with under-the-radar B2B tech startups, that’s a lot.

For the next seven years, I firmly believed in the power of phone pitching. “Did you call?” was my mantra. And it worked, for a while.

That was 16 years ago. Today, there’s no line between work and personal phones. It completely changes the game. Not only has my own opinion on phone pitching evolved, but with the rise of platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, Discord, WhatsApp and other OTT messaging services, the risk of what would be a simple phone pitch, is SO MUCH HIGHER. So much more personal. Invasive if not perfectly and respectfully executed.

A direct line to a human versus a digital message? Which is more appropriate in today’s media landscape? Is phone pitching becoming irrelevant? Here’s what some friends in the industry had to say:

PR pros weigh in   

• Michelle Damico, owner of Damico Communications, in a blog post wrote:

“With today’s ever-shrinking newsrooms — and attention spans — pitches are easily buried and forgotten in reporters’ email inboxes. Calling is the best way to learn what they’re working on and how you can help. Regular dialogue will help you find out if they received your pitch and if they’re interested in covering your client’s story. Plus, it takes mere minutes when you can reach them directly.”

• Scott Merritt, founder and president of Strategic Global Media:

“If you can reach them via a phone call to their office line, I’m all for it. I would never call or text a reporter’s cell phone unless they solicited the contact, or I have a close personal relationship with them.”

• Nick McDonald, global marketing communications lead at AGC Biologics:

“With today’s shrinking newsrooms and fast deadlines, phones are only for journo’s you know. Cold calling seems to agitate them more than it did a decade ago. If you have a relationship or something you’re actively working on – it’s appropriate. I’ve had more luck with texts versus phone calls these days.”

What journalists have to say

• Jon Swartz, Silicon Valley journalist:

“It is best to ping a reporter via text or email; phone calls are rough since many of us spend most of our day on the phone.”

• Steven Aquino, disability tech columnist for Forbes:

“I say please don’t call me with the intent of pitching me. Unless I really know you, then sure.” 

• Olivia Morley, former Adweek reporter turned AdTech analyst:

“Journalists are busy and emailed pitches can easily get lost among other emails. I loved it when PR representatives called me directly to pitch. It saves a lot of time and cuts through the noise.” 

• Will Kelly, freelancer tech writer:

“It’s a HARD NO for me unless the PR person has established a relationship with me. Cold phone pitches always seem to arrive at the wrong time such as deadlines, when I’m eating lunch, or waiting on an important call.”

And finally, here’s what our beloved Allison Carter, editor-in-chief at PR Daily had to say:

“I do not publicize my phone number and do not wish to be called. If you have my phone number and we have a relationship, texting is acceptable, but I still prefer email because it allows me to keep a written record of everything all in one easily searchable place.”

The media landscape of 2024 is not what it used to be. Back in 2008, when I first started, PR pros outnumbered journalists three to one. It was a lot easier to stand out with a pithy email subject line, or to access someone’s office phone number. Today, “office phones” are obsolete, PR pros now outnumber our media friends six to one, and journalists receive anywhere from 20-30 cold pitches a day. Follow that up with a phone call, and that’s a lot for one, likely on-deadline, journalist to handle.

Sixteen years after my first day in PR and it seems like PR pros still cannot agree on the appropriateness of a phone pitch – despite the plethora of, arguably, more engaging messaging platforms. Journalists on the other hand, have evolved with the times, as most (that I’ve talked to) agree that text, email and social pitching are a much more suitable approach in today’s digital age.

What do you think?