Working with journalists has never been simple, and in 2026, it’s definitely not about to become any easier.

Newsrooms are constantly under pressure, as journalists get overloaded with countless pitches every hour of every day. There is a never-ending stream of companies out there, and they all need visibility, so they keep coming.

So how are you supposed to get picked out of all that chaos? The answer is simple to state, but hard to build: trust. 

Press releases and paid publications aren’t cutting it any longer — earned media opportunities are the name of the game now, and they are the ones that allow for the best brand credibility. 

If you want strong media exposure, you need to build strong media relations. That takes effort, time, and the right approach. In this article, let’s talk about what this approach involves.

Earned Media Comes First: Here’s Why

Earned media publications are rapidly becoming the foundation of modern PR. According to industry data, at least 30% of PR professionals came to rely more on this format last year. And there’s no reason to think that this momentum will not carry over straight into 2026. 

With the media space being constantly oversaturated with brands competing for visibility, any company worth its salt increasingly has to prove its competence and expertise if it wants editorial coverage. 

“What’s interesting is how quickly priorities have changed,” said Alina Sysoeva, Head of PR at Drofa Comms. “Just two years ago, many brands were ready to spend significant budgets on sponsored placements because they needed fast visibility and immediate reputational impact.  By 2025, that logic stopped working. Companies now actively seek earned PR opportunities because they understand their real value. They are willing to wait for the right media to pick up their story, knowing that true credibility can’t be bought at any price. 

In fact, we’re seeing the opposite effect: the value of well-pitched content has grown exponentially, while sponsorship tags increasingly raise red flags for both journalists and audiences.”

Expert commentary, podcasts, and interviews where team representatives speak to people directly are the best ways to build media contacts now. Journalists are looking for clear and relevant insights for their materials, which is why they are much more willing to place trust in credible experts. Far more so than in promotional messaging and advertising — if your pitch feels like marketing, chances are high that it will be ignored.

From the point of view of PR specialists, this means one thing: the job now is to sell the right insights to the right people. Working with journalists requires a clear system, mutual respect, and an understanding of how media workflows function. 

Below, we are going to go over some of the key principles that can help PR teams build long-term, effective media relationships and earn consistent coverage.

5 Tips on How to Work With Journalists

Tip 1: Pitch Relevance, Not Volume

Here’s a reality check: according to journalist surveys, 72% of journalists say that less than 25% of PR pitches they receive are actually relevant to them. This stat comes up again and again — in reports, panels, and media industry events.

This is something that many PR teams really need to take into account. Sending mass pitches may save time, but it actually damages your chances of getting picked. Journalists are smart people: they can notice right away when a pitch was not written for them.

So before hitting “send,” it is always wise to double-check:

• Does this topic fit the journalist’s recent work?

• Is this insight new, or just recycled?

• Would this journalist care right now? And why?

One well-targeted pitch beats a dozen generic ones every time.

Tip 2: Be Available and React Fast

When you have a pre-established relationship with a journalist, it is always possible that they will reach out to you in search of insights even before you go to them with a new pitch. This means that you need to be ready for that to happen at any time.

News cycles move fast. Journalists often work with tight deadlines and multiple stories at once. If you can respond quickly — and with a thoughtful comment — you immediately stand out. In that journalist’s mind, you become someone reliable. Someone they can go to again when they need it. That’s how you build yourself a strong contact network.

That being said, being “available” doesn’t just mean you have to sit with your laptop 24/7 and constantly check the inbox. It means having systems in place that you worked out in advance in preparation for when such requests come. 

What you need are clear communication lines with your spokespersons, pre-approved messaging frameworks, and a fast internal approval process. That way, you can streamline the preparation process and send out an expert comment even on short notice.

Tip 3: Respect Deadlines and Editorial Process

This rule has always been there, but its importance has only grown with time.

When a journalist comes to you with a deadline, it becomes a shared responsibility. Building strong media relations means respecting that responsibility. Track those deadlines carefully so that articles don’t get delayed or, at least, so that journalists can be updated if delays are unavoidable.

Transparency in communication matters a lot. Meeting deadlines consistently is one of the fastest ways to earn respect in a newsroom. And if something goes wrong, a short warning and a sincere apology can still go a long way towards preventing cracks in inter-personal relationships.

Tip 4: Double-Check Everything Before Sending

Once content is submitted to the media, negotiating with the editorial team to change it mid-publication becomes difficult — sometimes even impossible. That’s why quality control is critical. 

Before sending any material to a journalist, make sure that you have all the facts and figures right. Naturally, the same goes for all names, titles, and company details that you’re submitting from your clients and spokespersons.

Asking for changes after publication should be a last resort only. Editors don’t appreciate unnecessary corrections any more than you enjoy having to point them out. A clean, well-checked submission shows professionalism and helps smoothen the process on both sides.

Tip 5: Keep Your Journalist Database up to Date

This may sound basic, but a meticulously compiled database of media contacts is still one of the most powerful tools you can have in PR.

In the previous points, we’ve covered several times why speed is of the utmost importance when working with journalists. And having all relevant information about those journalists in one place for easy access can only help with that.

Just as importantly, the media landscape has a way of changing quite often. Journalists move around, switching which outlets they work for. New relevant topics and formats appear all the time, and you have to adjust to them.

An organised, regularly updated journalist database helps you pitch the right people and track their preferences and topics to better build long-term cooperation. Follow journalists’ work. Read what they publish. Pay attention to how their focus shifts. 

Focus and observation are what separate strategic PR efforts from random outreach.

Extra Tip: Podcasts Are Now a Core PR Channel

One of the biggest shifts we’ve seen moving from 2025 into 2026 is the rise of podcasts as a serious earned media channel.

Podcasts offer something traditional articles often can’t:

• Longer conversations

• Deeper expertise

• Higher engagement from audiences

Interview-style podcasts, audio clips, and other types of voice-driven content are becoming a standard part of media strategies. For brands and their PR managers, this means developing communication plans that involve oral conversation as a primary means of outreach.

Journalists and hosts are looking for speakers who can hold a conversation, explain complex topics simply, and keep listeners engaged.

That’s why media training now must include preparation for this kind of long-format conversation. Unlike written comments, podcasts have no room for edits later on — clear and confident storytelling needs to happen in real time.

“Different formats serve different modes of content consumption, and podcasts have become particularly relevant because they align with how people engage with information today. Audio allows audiences to absorb ideas without stepping away from their daily tasks, making learning more integrated and less disruptive,” said Maria Tunikova, Senior PR Account Manager at Drofa Comms. 

“At the same time, podcasts offer something increasingly valuable in a content environment shaped by automation and AI: a sense of human presence. A live voice, real experience, and unscripted dialogue create space for nuance and unexpected insights — something that is difficult to replicate in purely written or algorithm-generated content.”

Conclusion

Working with journalists in 2026 is about 3 “Rs”: relevance, readiness, and respect.

Earned media is stronger than ever. Podcasts are no longer optional. Journalists want and expect real conversations and credible insights — not self-promotion.

At Drofa Comms, we believe that strong media relations are built through trust and reliability, one relevant pitch and one thoughtful comment at a time.

Want your experts to sound confident and clear when getting your message out? Drofa Comms can help! Get in touch, and let’s discuss media strategies built for today’s newsroom.

Let’s Shape Your Message