Today’s media landscape has greatly changed. Some of the changes include:

• Reporters using social media for finding stories and fact checking. Ben Sharbaugh, associate director for digital strategy at Harvard University shared at a conference that 50 percent of people hear about news on social media before it’s published anywhere official.
• Reporters covering unfamiliar beats.
• Success measured in page views.
• Copy editing is not a priority at many outlets.

If it’s your job to pitch the media, how do you adapt to these changes? According to Michael Smart, an independent communications trainer, you need to

• Reframe the traditional stories that you pitch. It’s not enough to pitch the story angle. In addition, include sources, photos and video to create a package for the reporter.
• Expand the types of stories you pitch. This involves finding unique or creative angles. For example, tweeting out what experts are available, especially if you tie it to a big story, can lead to success.
• Widen the scope of outlets to which you pitch. Have you ever pitched Vox? You might want to. On its website, Vox says it, “Explains everything you need to know in two minutes.”
• Refine the way you write your pitches. Smart recommends focusing on a few outlets and then mass sending to others.