9.1 KiB
9.1 KiB
Media Outlets — Where to Pitch
A curated, opinionated list of where to pitch for software/SaaS PR. This is the media-outlet slice of resources like submit.co — the journalist-driven half. For startup/SaaS/AI directories (Product Hunt, BetaList, Futurepedia, etc.), use the separate directory-submissions skill — different intent, different audience.
How to use this list
- Don't pitch a publication. Pitch a journalist at that publication. See journalist-pitching.md for the discovery workflow.
- Tier signals quality, not effort — a small tier-3 outlet might be perfect for your niche
- Submission/tip URLs are listed where they exist — but a journalist's email beats a tip form every time
- This list ages fast — verify the outlet still exists and the journalist is still there before pitching
Tech & Startup Press (Tier 1)
The big names. High bar to clear, high payoff when you do. Pitch the specific reporter, not the tip line.
| Outlet | Best for | Tip URL |
|---|---|---|
| TechCrunch | Funding, product launches, startup news | techcrunch.com/got-a-tip/ |
| The Verge | Consumer tech, product reviews, policy | theverge.com/contact |
| Wired | Long-form tech, culture, business | wired.com/about/feedback |
| Fast Company | Innovation, design, business strategy | fastcompany.com/contact-us |
| VentureBeat | AI, enterprise tech, gaming | venturebeat.com/contribute |
| Ars Technica | Deep tech, science, policy | arstechnica.com/contact-us |
| The Information | Subscription-gated, scoops on tech industry | theinformation.com/about |
| Bloomberg / Reuters | Business, finance, big-picture stories | bloomberg.com/feedback |
| WSJ Tech | Enterprise, business angle | wsj.com/tips |
| NYT Tech | Mainstream tech, culture | nytimes.com/tips |
SaaS & B2B (Tier 1–2)
Lower-profile than the consumer tech outlets but often higher ROI for B2B SaaS.
| Outlet | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SaaStr | B2B SaaS founders, growth, sales | Jason Lemkin's outlet; pitch contributed posts |
| First Round Review | Operator-level B2B insights | High bar; original frameworks only |
| OpenView | SaaS metrics, PLG, pricing | Often runs research-backed pieces |
| Lenny's Newsletter | Product / growth | Subscriber-only; pitch via Lenny directly on X |
| Future (a16z) | Tech + culture pieces | Long-form, original thinking required |
| Stratechery | Tech strategy analysis | Don't pitch Ben Thompson; engage via responses |
AI / ML Press (Tier 1–2)
The hottest beat right now. Reporters here are inundated — your angle has to be sharp.
| Outlet | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Decoder | AI news, fast-turn | Daily AI news cycle |
| Import AI (Jack Clark) | Weekly AI newsletter | Pitch research-backed angles |
| The Batch (Andrew Ng) | AI industry analysis | Submitted by deeplearning.ai team |
| MIT Technology Review | AI policy, capability, ethics | Higher bar, slower cycle |
| Hugging Face blog | Open-source AI tools | Contributed posts welcome |
| Latent Space | Practitioner-focused AI/ML | Podcast + newsletter |
Developer & DevTools Press
Where to pitch if your audience is engineers.
| Outlet | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The New Stack | DevTools, infra, cloud-native | Active contributor program |
| InfoQ | Enterprise dev, software architecture | Long-form technical pieces |
| DEV.to | Self-published, community-driven | Build credibility before pitching |
| Hacker Noon | Tech blogging platform | Easy to publish but low signal |
| Console | DevTools newsletter | Curated weekly; submit projects |
| DevTools FM | Podcast | Pitch as guest |
Business & Marketing Press
For pitching the business / marketing angle of your story.
| Outlet | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Inc. | Founder stories, business advice | Contributor program available |
| Entrepreneur | Small business, growth | Volume publisher; quality varies |
| HBR.org | Original research, frameworks | High bar; long lead time |
| MarketingProfs | B2B marketing | Contributor-friendly |
| Marketing Brew (Morning Brew) | Daily marketing newsletter | Reporter-driven, pitch directly |
| Marketing Land / Search Engine Journal | SEO, SEM, channels | Niche but high-intent audience |
| Reforge | Growth, product, retention | Original framework required |
Newsletters (Reporter-Driven)
Newsletters are increasingly the most valuable PR placement — small audiences, but high-intent.
| Newsletter | Audience | How to pitch |
|---|---|---|
| Lenny's Newsletter | Product/growth, ~600k readers | DM Lenny on X with sharp angle |
| The Pragmatic Engineer (Gergely Orosz) | Software eng leaders | Pitch via email; original engineering insights |
| The Generalist (Mario Gabriele) | Tech business analysis | Pitch via email; deep angles |
| Stratechery (Ben Thompson) | Tech strategy | Don't pitch; engage in replies |
| Newcomer (Eric Newcomer) | Tech business + scoops | Tips welcome via email |
| Platformer (Casey Newton) | Tech + policy | Pitch via Substack |
| Big Technology (Alex Kantrowitz) | Big Tech analysis | Pitch via Substack |
| Not Boring (Packy McCormick) | Tech + culture | Tough to crack; original takes only |
For B2B SaaS:
- SaaStr Daily
- Demand Curve
- Growth Unhinged (Kyle Poyar)
- Trends.vc
For AI:
- Import AI (Jack Clark)
- The Batch (Andrew Ng)
- The Algorithm (MIT Tech Review)
- Interconnects (Nathan Lambert)
- AI Tidbits
Podcasts
A podcast appearance is often higher leverage than a press hit — longer engagement, evergreen replay, audience trust transfer.
Top SaaS / startup podcasts
- Lenny's Podcast — product/growth
- My First Million — founder stories, business ideas
- The Twenty Minute VC — funding angle
- SaaStr Podcast — B2B SaaS
- Acquired — deep-dive company stories (don't pitch unless you're a unicorn)
- The All-In Podcast — broad tech/business (very hard to get on)
Top AI podcasts
- No Priors (Sarah Guo, Elad Gil)
- Latent Space
- Practical AI
- The TWIML AI Podcast
- The Cognitive Revolution
Top dev / engineering podcasts
- The Changelog
- Software Engineering Daily
- DevTools FM
How to pitch a podcast
- Listen to 3 episodes — non-negotiable
- Find the host's preferred channel (X DM, email, guest form)
- Pitch a topic, not yourself — "I'd love to come on and talk about [specific angle]" not "I'd love to be a guest"
- Bring evidence — links to other appearances, your unique angle, what listeners will learn
- Make it easy — bio, headshot, suggested questions in the pitch
Industry / Vertical Press
Don't overlook trade press — smaller audience, much higher intent.
| Vertical | Outlets to investigate |
|---|---|
| Marketing | Adweek, Marketing Brew, AdAge, Search Engine Land |
| Sales | Sales Hacker, Modern Sales Pros |
| HR / People Ops | HR Brew, SHRM, HR Dive |
| Finance / Fintech | The Block, CoinDesk, Finextra |
| Healthcare tech | STAT, MobiHealthNews, Healthcare IT News |
| Education tech | EdSurge, EdScoop |
| Real estate tech | Inman, The Real Deal |
| Legal tech | Above the Law, Law360 |
| Climate tech | Heatmap, Canary Media, Latitude Media |
| Devtools | The New Stack, InfoQ, DevOps.com |
For your specific vertical: Google "top publications" + "[your industry]" and run the same scoring exercise from journalist-pitching.md.
Regional / Local
If your company has a regional angle (HQ location, customer concentration, government contract), local press is underrated.
- Local business journals — Bizjournals network covers 40+ US cities
- Local NPR affiliates — high-quality, business angle welcomed
- Local TV business segments — high reach, easy to get
- State / regional tech news — e.g., Built In (Chicago, Austin, etc.), TechBuzz (Utah)
What's NOT On This List (And Why)
- Product Hunt, BetaList, Indie Hackers — these are directories, not press. Use the
directory-submissionsskill. - Press release wires (PRNewswire, BusinessWire, GlobeNewswire) — overpriced for early-stage; journalists ignore them. Skip until you have IR / SEC requirements.
- "As featured in" badge mills — paid "media coverage" services. Worthless and damaging.
- Random "guest post" SEO link networks — Google penalizes these. Don't.
Maintaining This List
This list will go stale. Recommended cadence:
- Quarterly: verify your tier-1 contacts are still at the outlet
- Monthly: add new outlets/newsletters relevant to your category
- Per pitch: confirm the journalist is still there before sending (check X / LinkedIn for "joined [new place]")
Store your live, working version in .agents/media-list.md (per journalist-pitching.md).