1.0BuzzStreamhttps://www.buzzstream.comVince Nerohttps://www.buzzstream.com/blog/author/vincenero/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="ZqiCSafLCJ"><a href="https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/local-news-podcast/">How to Pitch Local U.S. News Sites for Better Links</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/local-news-podcast/embed/#?secret=ZqiCSafLCJ" width="600" height="338" title="“How to Pitch Local U.S. News Sites for Better Links” — BuzzStream" data-secret="ZqiCSafLCJ" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); /* ]]> */ </script> https://www.buzzstream.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Collin-Czarnecki.png1280720If you’ve followed my writing lately, you’ll know that I think the US digital PR space still has lots of untapped potential in local news. So, I contacted Collin Czarnecki, a former local journalist who now owns Noble, a digital PR and content strategy agency based in the US. Collin graciously shared his tips and tricks for pitching to local news. If you pitch anything in the US, this is a MUST-WATCH. Use data to act like an extension of the newsroom — saving journalists time makes you valuable. Lead times vary — pitch local newsrooms close to the event and nationals well in advance. Try to find a timely hook for each pitch. Freelancers need more complete ideas and longer lead times because they have to pitch editors too. Tailor your pitch for the medium — TV, radio, and national news all require different approaches. Pitch lower-level contacts first — reporters and producers are better targets than editors for most stories. Constantly refresh your media lists — local journalists change beats and cities often. Spend more time finding the right journalist than writing the perfect pitch. Can you tell me a little bit about the start of your journalism career? Collin: Sure. Yeah. I’d always really had an interest in journalism even before, going into college. I actually originally wanted to be a foreign correspondent, which is funny how life took me from wanting to be a foreign correspondent to working from home. So that’s a little, that there was a bit of a fork that had took me in another direction with that. But, yeah, I just always had an interest in that, just telling stories. Even when I was a kid I liked to put together like short comic stories, like comic books. So just always had an interest […]