The One Pitch Mistake That Gets Local Businesses Ignored by Reporters

If you’ve ever sent a press release and heard nothing back — not even a polite no — there’s a good chance it wasn’t your story that failed you. It was your angle.

Most businesses write press releases about themselves. New location. New hire. New product launch. And while those milestones matter deeply to you, a local reporter has one question they’re always asking before they open a pitch: Why does this matter to my readers right now?

Here’s the tip: Before you write a single word of your pitch, identify the community consequence of your news — not just the business announcement.

Instead of: “ABC Bakery Opens Second Location in Montrose.”

Try: “Montrose Residents Will Have a Walkable Breakfast Option for the First Time — and It’s Hiring Locally.”

Same news. Completely different hook. One is about a business. The other is about a neighborhood.

Reporters covering local beats are paid to cover people and places — not companies. The moment your pitch reads like it serves a community, not just a brand, your open rate among journalists goes up dramatically. Think about timing, too. Are you opening during a period of economic growth in your zip code? After a beloved competitor closed? Tie your news to the living, breathing story of the community around it, and you’ll be surprised how often a reporter calls back.

This is the lens Our Town Matters brings to every media engagement we build — because in local PR, context isn’t just helpful. It’s everything.