What to feed the agency to get coverage
Give the agency four inputs: a real news hook, hard numbers or named customers, the human story behind the company, and fast access to an approved spokesperson. An agency can shape and target those inputs; it cannot invent them. PressFriendly activity records count 7,000+ targeted pitches a year to 2,500+ reporters, which is why a documented intake process matters at agency scale.
Reporters compare each pitch with other potential stories on their beat. The agency's work is to shape your facts into a specific angle and match it to the right reporter. Your team remains the source for the facts, customers, data, and spokesperson access.
What only you can supply:
| Raw material | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| A news hook - a launch, a raise, a milestone, a number that just moved | Reporters cover events, not companies. No hook, no story. |
| Data and named customers - revenue, usage, a metric that answers "so what?" | A real number with a named customer beats "game-changing" every time. |
| The human story - why you built it, who it helps, your real stake | An outlet prints specifics a reporter can verify, not adjectives. |
| Access to you - honest answers, quick fact checks, interview availability | The agency drafts and pitches; only you can confirm a fact or take the call. |
That last row decides more outcomes than the other three combined, and it has its own page: "Why your responsiveness decides the outcome." The "How news timing works" page covers how hooks get timed and traded: embargoes, exclusives, and reacting to breaking news.
Two boundaries. First, feed the agency only what is public or what you want public; never hand over what you can't disclose. Second, judge a prospective agency by what it asks you for. A good one interrogates you for hooks, numbers, and customers in the first month. One that never asks has no raw material, and a pitch without raw material does not get covered.
Your job is not to write the pitch. It is to check, before each launch or milestone, that you have handed over a hook, a proof point, and a stake. If you can't name all three, fix that before you blame the agency.