Pitching
Part of PR outreach operations
Respecting a request not to receive further pitches
Act on a journalist's request to stop pitches by pausing sends, recording its scope and updating relevant outreach lists.
When a journalist asks for no more pitches, stop the next send first. Mark the contact as restricted in the shared record, cancel queued messages and notify the teams or agencies that may send on your behalf. Record enough of the request to enforce it without keeping unnecessary personal detail.
Stopping the next send: the four-step response
- Mark the contact as restrictedUpdate the shared record so every sender sees the restriction
- Cancel queued messagesPull anything scheduled before the next send goes out
- Notify teams and agenciesWarn anyone who may send on your behalf, including external agencies
- Record just enoughKeep what is needed to enforce the request without unnecessary personal detail
Read the request at its stated scope
A request may concern one story, a topic, an address or all future pitches from your organisation. Do not reduce a clear organisation-wide request to a campaign note. If the wording is uncertain, pause further outreach to that contact while the owner reviews it. Do not send another pitch to ask whether pitches are welcome.
Distinguish a stop request from an editorial decline. ‘This story is not for me’ closes that angle; it does not necessarily prohibit an unrelated later approach. ‘Please remove me from your media list’ calls for a broader restriction.
Record the wording or a faithful summary, date, channel and interpreted scope. Keep uncertainty visible rather than assuming the request has expired.
Two different scopes: editorial decline vs stop request
- Editorial decline — “This story is not for me”Closes that angle; does not necessarily prohibit an unrelated later approach
- Stop request — “Please remove me from your media list”Calls for a broader restriction on future pitches from your organisation
Apply the restriction wherever sends originate
A note in one inbox will not protect against a colleague’s spreadsheet or an agency’s older list. Update the shared contact record and relevant sending systems. Check known aliases and other campaigns before marking the task complete. Give one owner responsibility for confirming that scheduled messages were cancelled.
A request may arrive through a reply or another channel; route it to the same restriction process.
Apply the restriction wherever sends originate
- Update the shared contact record
- Check relevant sending systems and campaign tools
- Check known aliases and alternative addresses
- Scan other campaigns and older lists that may still hold the contact
- Assign one owner to confirm scheduled messages were cancelled
- Route requests arriving by reply or another channel into the same process
Keep enough information to prevent re-contact
Deleting every trace of a restricted address can allow an old list to reintroduce it. Keep only the information needed to recognise the contact and the request’s scope, restrict access, and review retention under applicable privacy obligations. A simple restriction marker may be enough for other senders; they do not need the journalist’s full complaint.
If the journalist later starts a new conversation, respond within its subject. Do not treat that contact as permission for unrelated future pitches. Change a restriction only on a clear new instruction and record the decision. The request should remain effective when the original sender is away.
