Practitioner pattern · Matthew Panzarino (TechCrunch)
Send a two-line pitch with one screenshot and link a full press kit
Former editor says the most effective pitches he saw look like this
Workedpr-launch
What they did
Subject line: either very short ('Please look at this because X') with the pitch in the body, or very long with everything in it and the body just contacts and a press-kit link; writers often see only sender and subject. Body: a couple of your own sentences on why it's unique (nothing pasted), optionally one strong inline screenshot. No tracking pixels, read receipts or tracked links on individual pitches, and never say 'I saw you opened my email'; a polite follow-up is fine. Attach or link a press kit with high-res images, App Store description and screenshots, feature details, a few lines of founder backstory (a teaser, not a pre-written story), and TestFlight or download links. Give a direct email and phone number and reply fast, since writers work on tight deadlines.
What happened
Guest says the most effective pitches he saw followed this structure; a quick response can decide whether a story runs that day.
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · How to Pitch Your App to the Press – Matthew Panzarino, Formerly TechCrunch“short, simple, straight-to-the-point subject lines; a couple of lines of body copy.”
“if you can avoid, on an individual pitch, I would never include tracking pixels or links. It's just sort of a matter of respect.”
“leaving the main copy as a place for you to tell your personal story in a few sentences, I think is the most effective pitches that I've seen are that way.”
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