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