50 PR mistakes that are costing you media coverage

As public relations professionals, we talk with journalists every day. Our job is to make their lives easier. We pitch them interesting stories, top experts, and new data. 

But in 2026, between shrinking newsrooms and “AI garbage” flooding inboxes, there’s a fine line between being proactive and making their lives more difficult. 

Want to get into the news? Know how to avoid getting your PR pitch rejected by a journalist in the first place.

1. Sending follow-ups that say “Just getting this to the top of your inbox again.” Delete. 

2. Asking to see the story before it’s published. This is news, not advertising. You don’t get to see a preview.   

3. Sending a press release that starts with “We are proud to announce.” You just guaranteed that their eyes will glaze over whatever’s next, and cost yourself media coverage.  

4. Refusing to do research about the industry. Journalists are experts, too. 

5. Dodging questions in interviews. Everyone can tell what you’re doing, especially the journalist. 

6. Taking forever to get back to their emails. They’re on deadline, so they need your response now, not three weeks from now when you feel like it. 

7. Lying. We shouldn’t even need to say this. 

8. Pitching an expert who is unavailable. If your VP of Operations is in the Maldives, why is he quoted in this morning’s press release? 

9. Calling journalists to make sure they got your email. When’s the last time you sent an email that didn’t get there?

10. Pitching an exclusive to 40 journalists at a time. Dictionary.com is your friend. That’s not what exclusive means. You also lost future media coverage, because journalists don’t trust you anymore. 

11. Getting mad that they printed something you told them on-the-record in an interview. True story. 

12. Using AI to write your pitch. Em dashes aren’t the only tell. If you use AI, you sound like almost everyone else.

    
    

13. Sending embargoed news to someone after the embargo has already lifted. Time moves linearly.

    
    

14. Using buzzwords like “synergy,” “alignment,” “disruptive,” “world-leading,” in your pitches. Corporate jargon won’t win you media coverage. In fact, it’s a surefire way to lose media coverage. 

15. Announcing an “exciting new partnership,” which is actually just a new customer you signed. 

16. Committing to do a podcast interview and then cancelling the day before. We get it. Sometimes, emergencies happen. But if you want to keep your good reputation, reschedule fast. Media coverage is hard to get. Don’t turn it down for no reason. 

17. Sending a press release at 4:58 p.m. on a Friday. #JournalistsDeserveWeekendsToo

18. Sending an email with unlabelled attachments. They might look great, but no one wants to sift through files that are named “XgDKNE658.” Especially not someone on deadline. 

19. Spelling the journalist’s name wrong. Straight to Trash. 

20. Thinking something is newsworthy because you say so. More often than not, it belongs on your blog page. 

21. Responding with “no comment” and then complaining the story felt one-sided. 

22. Sending a pitch that says “this is super newsworthy” and then providing zero evidence for why.

23. Answering a journalist 5 days later and then wondering why they didn’t use your comment. It’s called news for a reason. 

24. Asking for a “correction” when you mean you want the story to be re-written. Corrections are for spelling, not for inserting your latest marketing slogan. 

25. Sending a pitch that’s three pages long. Conciseness is your friend. 

26. Calling an editor to complain about a journalist. You know the editor has already approved the story, right? 

27. Sharing low-resolution images. Which pixel is your executive, again? 

28. Sending a press release with the actual news buried in a hyperlink titled “click here.” Sounds like a phishing attack. Nobody wants to sit through another phishing webinar. Nobody. 

29. Describing your funding round as "significant" and not giving a number. They’re just going to assume it’s not significant enough to deserve media coverage. 

30. Sending a calendar invite with your cold pitch. A bit presumptuous, no? 

31. Providing stats in a pitch without saying where they came from. The journalist will just assume they came from your own head, or the sky. 

32. Sending a pitch with six exclamation points in the first paragraph. This is exciting!!! We think you'll love it!!! They won't!!!

33. Getting offended when they don’t want to cover your story. You know journalists don’t work for you, right? All media coverage is earned. 

34. Burying the actual news in the fourth paragraph. The first three paragraphs were all strikes. You’re out. 

35. Sending a pitch with “Hi {{FirstName}}.” Gosh, they’ll be so flattered. 

36. Marking your email as URGENT when it absolutely isn’t. 

37. Asking “So when will the story come out?” two minutes after you finish the interview. It’ll come out when they finish writing it. Writing it is kind of a journalist’s whole thing. 

38. Pitching an “embargoed” release and then putting the news out on your own social media. Embargoes are for everyone. 

39. Pitching your holiday gift guide products in the second week of December. Better luck next year. Those were planned in August. 

40. Having no flexibility. “I’m available for six minutes at 7:13am on every other Thursday.” Your insane schedule is costing you media coverage. 

41. Sending a pitch with no subject line. That’s, like, the most important part. 

42. Asking to approve quotes after you just gave an interview. This is the news, not your high school yearbook. 

43. Threatening to sue a journalist after a critical story. Well, they just found their follow up angle.  

44. Pitching “breaking news” that actually happened three weeks ago. We’re about a dozen news cycles past that by now. 

45. Sending urgent information at 2am and getting mad that they don’t get back to you. Believe it or not, journalists need sleep too.

    
    

46. Pitching a founder who “works hard” and “values their customers.” As opposed to all those low-effort founders who hate the people giving them money. 

47. Calling your press release “for immediate release” and then asking them not to publish it yet. Pick a lane.

48. Pitching a local story to a national reporter because “it could probably apply everywhere.” Probably is doing a lot of work there.

49. Pitching “a first-of-its-kind study.” But wait, didn’t you also do this study last year? 

50. Not using Mind Meld PR to get you into the news. We know how to not annoy journalists, but most of all, we know how to make your company famous. 

Want to learn more about how Mind Meld PR can help you win media coverage? Contact Mind Meld PR today.