Pitch Perfect: How to Win Over Journalists Before Their Morning Conference
The Sun's Ryan Sabey on mastering media pitches
Hello hello,
I am DELIGHTED to introduce you to Ryan Sabey! A bit like me, he’s the holder of two titles. Ryan is the Economics Editor and Deputy Political Editor at The Sun. He’s also unstoppable at a 5km run in the scorching Samoan heat (trust me on this one)! Today, he’s in the Off the Record hot seat, answering our burning questions.
1. Ryan, what’s the single most useful thing PRs/comms people can do to help you in your job? If pitching a story, know when to actually pitch it. For example, we have to pull together a broad outline of stories by late morning each day. If you have a story, maybe drop us a line with a quick overview the night before. Don’t come to us cold ten minutes before we are finishing our politics list - unless it’s a belting exclusive obviously! Also, try and sum up the story in a sentence. Ask yourself if anyone would want to hear more. Are you, as the PR, even interested? If we are interested, we will read on or phone you to talk through. There is a lot of competition for coverage. We aim to break our own exclusives and there is a lot of news we simply can’t ignore from the Westminster village. All this is competing for valuable space online and in our paper. Your pitch has to stand out.
2. Is there anything you’d like to see less of from PRs/comms people? I would recommend PRs knowing which market or publication they are pitching to - don’t match the wrong story to the wrong media outlet as you are wasting everyone’s time. So, spend time reading our content online and in the newspaper. Too many people pitch stories and don’t know the audience they are pitching to. Ask yourself “why would a Sun reader be interested in this?”. There is a lot of competition for stories to get online or in the paper so make the pitch count. Know your subject if we call you back. We need to ascertain quickly whether we are interested or not.
“Don’t come to us cold ten minutes before we are finishing our politics list - unless it’s a belting exclusive obviously!”
3. What pitches would you be most keen on at the moment as Economics Editor and Deputy Political Editor? On the economics side, I want to know how big decisions made in the Treasury and across government are going to affect our readers and the business community. If company chiefs have a concern about a particular policy, can they explain it to our readers succinctly? On the political side, we want to know the inside track on who, why and what makes the wheels of Westminster turn. Being the first to reveal a new policy or the latest rebellion is key.
4. How would you advise a PR firm to stand out around the Chancellor’s Budgets/fiscal events? Match up your client’s demands with an outlet that will show a keen interest. For example, we have a long-standing campaign Keep It Down on fuel duty so if you have a new angle on that, get in touch. There will be much engagement between the government and stakeholders in the run-up to fiscal events, and often you can provide a ringside seat on what Ministers are thinking and deciding. That insight can be invaluable to us. Also, we get so much reaction on Budget day that it’s difficult to keep up with the literally hundreds of emails from brands and opinion formers who want to be included in our coverage. But if you already have a good relationship with a journalist, you may have a better chance of your quote or angle being used.
“Being the first to reveal a new policy or the latest rebellion is key.”
5. What’s the best tip you’ve got for building a relationship with a journalist? Meet face-to-face. Building those relationships are absolutely vital. You will have more success trying to place stories in the long-term. Also, track what the journalist is doing on a day to day basis and see what their interests are, target them and nurture them. It may not be the case that you can add a top line to a story, but you may also be able to add invaluable context.
Now for a quick fire round...
Best time to pitch you? 8.30am to 9am
Worst time to pitch you? 5:30pm. If you want to give us a heads up on a story, get in touch the evening before we need to pitch it. If it’s going to be a long investigation then perhaps it’s worth meeting up in person to go through documents and evidence you may have.
A link to a story you wrote in an unusual place? I will choose filing right on deadline in the Canadian Rockies recently at the G7. We were in the middle of nowhere in a stunning place called Kananaskis at the summit awaiting news of a trade deal between the UK and US. I even managed to get a question to Donald Trump! (Link to read the piece here).
Best place to contact you? Drop me an email first of all on ryan.sabey@thesun.co.uk or DM on X @ryannsabey
Remember folks, keep this advice just between us! We’re off the record.
I’m now offering media masterclasses for brands looking to sharpen their storytelling, improve their relationships with journalists and boost their media impact. If you’re interested, please contact me at stephspyro1@gmail.com