Insights from Cafe IW at TechForge with the Axios Pittsburgh Team
By: Gretchen Weaver and Dwayne Tabb
Your inbox is a black hole. You spend hours crafting the perfect press release, hit send, and then… radio silence.
It’s easy to assume reporters just aren’t interested. But the reality? You’re likely trying to sell them on your news when you should be informing them about a story.
We recently hosted a Cafe IW session at TechForge with the Axios Pittsburgh team — Chrissy Suttles, Ryan Deto, and Alexis Johnson — to pull back the curtain on how media coverage actually works.
They gave our founders an honest, no-fluff look at how to stop being ignored and become a source journalists actually want to work with.
Here’s how you can change your pitching strategy today.
1. Pass the “Why It Matters” Test
A company update isn’t news just because it happened. Reporters are not in the business of publishing announcements — they’re in the business of publishing stories that their readers care about. If you’re pitching a funding round, a new hire, or a product launch, you need to frame it through the reader’s eyes.
Chrissy Suttles put it directly: “What makes a startup story actually newsworthy? It’s not just the funding… it’s the impact. Who is this changing? What’s the broader trend here?”
Before you draft a single sentence of your pitch, answer these questions:
- Who does this affect beyond your company? A funding round is table stakes. But what does that capital enable for your customers, for your industry, for Pittsburgh?
- What trend does this plug into? Journalists are looking for data points that confirm or complicate a larger narrative. Is your news a proof point for something bigger happening in your sector?
- What changes today that didn’t exist yesterday? News is about change. Frame your announcement as a before/after, not just a “we did a thing.”
If you can’t answer the “why it matters” question in two sentences, you aren’t ready to pitch. Stop telling reporters what you did. Start telling them why it changes the status quo for your industry or your community.
The 2-Sentence Test: Write down your pitch in two sentences, then delete all references to your company name. If what’s left is still interesting, you have a story. If it’s not, keep refining.
2. Stop Being a Transactional Pitcher
Reporters are inundated with emails, and they can spot a copy-paste job from a mile away. The single biggest mistake founders make is treating media outreach like a one-way transaction: “I have news, please write about it.” That approach puts you in the same pile as every other generic pitch in their inbox.
The best way to get noticed is to actually read what reporters are writing and then show them you did.
Alexis Johnson emphasized the value of relationship over the single pitch: “Building a relationship with a reporter is about long-term trust. It’s not about getting one story placed; it’s about becoming a reliable source they can call when they need context on your industry.”
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
Before you pitch:
- Follow the reporter on social media and pay attention to what they cover.
- Read their last 5 to 10 articles. Notice the angles they gravitate toward, the sources they quote, the types of data they cite.
- Identify a specific story they wrote that connects to your space.
In your pitch:
- Open with a reference to that specific story. Not a generic “I love your work” — a real, specific observation. (“Your piece on the talent drain from legacy manufacturing struck me because we’re seeing the exact inverse with our hiring data.”)
- Explain why your news is a natural extension of the conversation they’re already having with their readers.
After the pitch:
- Don’t be afraid to follow up. Instead of saying “just checking in,” keep your reminders brief, relevant, and focused on why the story matters.
- Build relationships before you need them. The best media relationships aren’t built around a single announcement. Engage with reporters’ work, share useful information, and establish yourself as a credible resource over time.
The reporters who covered you once are the most likely to cover you again. Invest in those relationships even when you don’t have news to share.
3. Reframe Your Expectations (and Your Value Proposition)
Here’s an uncomfortable truth: most pitches don’t fail because your company isn’t interesting. They fail because the pitch itself doesn’t answer the reporter’s core question.
Ryan Deto offered this perspective: “How do you pitch a reporter without being ignored? It comes down to one thing: does this solve a problem for the reader, or is it just another press release?”
Reframe how you think about what you’re offering. Instead of asking yourself “How do I get coverage for this announcement?” ask “What problem does a reader have that my story can solve?”
Three types of value that reporters actually want:
- Data and proof points. Original research, proprietary data, or metrics that illuminate a trend. If you can say “we’ve seen X% increase in Y since Z,” that’s useful. Reporters are always looking for numbers to anchor a narrative.
- Expert perspective. You are closer to your industry than almost anyone. You see things that generalists miss. Offering to be a background source — someone a reporter can call for a quote or context, even when the story isn’t about you — is enormously valuable and builds the kind of credibility that eventually gets you featured.
- A fresh angle on a local story. Pittsburgh has a distinct economic story right now. If your company connects to robotics, healthcare innovation, the energy transition, or the evolving startup ecosystem, you are sitting on angles that local reporters care deeply about. Help them see how your work fits the bigger picture they’re already trying to tell.
If you provide genuine value consistently — data, unique insights, a fresh take on a local trend — you won’t have to chase the media. They’ll be the ones reaching out to you.
The Founder’s Pre-Pitch Checklist
Before you hit send on your next pitch, run it through these five questions:
The “Why” Test — Did you include a “why it matters” bullet that highlights the broader trend or community impact, not just the company milestone?
The Context Check — Did you reference a specific, recent story the reporter wrote to show you’re genuinely following their work?
The Value Check — Are you offering a unique insight, original data, or expert perspective, or are you just asking for a favor?
The Timing Check — Is this genuinely timely? Does it connect to something happening in the news cycle, the local business environment, or a seasonal trend?
The Source Check — Have you made it easy for the reporter to verify your claims? Are there links, data sources, or other sources they can speak to?
The Bottom Line
Media coverage isn’t a silver bullet for growth, but it is a powerful amplifier of momentum. A well-placed story can open doors with customers, investors, and talent that no ad spend can replicate.
If you want to move from “ignored” to “featured,” stop thinking like a founder and start thinking like a storyteller. The best way to earn media coverage isn’t to ask for it. It’s to give reporters a story their audience will care about.
The founders who understand that distinction are the ones who end up on the front page.
Want to join our next conversation with local leaders? Join our mailing list to make sure you don’t miss the next Cafe IW event at TechForge.
Thanks to Chrissy Suttles, Ryan Deto, and Alexis Johnson of Axios Pittsburgh for their time and candor. Keep building.
Use this checklist to prepare for your next media moment.
Download it here: Pitch-Ready Checklist for Founders