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Saniya Sood
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Published October 8, 2026 · Updated November 11, 2026
The answer in 60 words: the people covering your category are found for you and pitched with a story, not a press release. This Valley play finds journalists and analysts covering your space at the outlets you name, with no list to bring, leads with a story, data, a contrarian take or a customer arc, never your funding, and stops at two touches because media relationships compound and should not be spent on spam.
This article describes the play exactly as published on joinvalley.co/playbooks on October 8, 2026. Valley makes the product, so read it as the maker's own guide, not a review.
Valley is an AI outbound platform that finds the people most likely to buy from you - from live buying signals, natural-language search, or your own lists - qualifies them against your ICP, researches each one, and sends personalized messages across email and LinkedIn that get 15-45% reply rates, against a category average of about 2%.
► Run this play on your own ICP: 7 days free, every feature on
Give your sales team
an unfair advantage.
Who this play finds, and why they reply
Journalist outreach usually fails before the pitch: the list is bought, stale and addressed to a general inbox. The play's first step fixes the list. Valley finds the writers covering your space at the outlets you name, so the pitch reaches a person who has written about the subject this year.
The second step fixes the pitch. Data, a contrarian take or a customer arc, in the play's words, not your funding. Reporters write stories; a funding announcement is a line in someone else's story. The example on the play: journalists and analysts who cover my category at technology and business outlets.
How the play runs
The flow, as the product shows it: Find the writers › Story pitch › LinkedIn.
Valley finds the writers (AI step). Journalists and analysts covering your space at the outlets you name. No list to bring.
Lead with the story. Data, a contrarian take, or a customer arc. Not your funding.
Two touches maximum. Media relationships compound. Don’t spend them on spam.
Before you launch
Describe your target market so Scout can find the right starting point.
Setting | Value |
|---|---|
Audience | Valley finds them |
Cadence | One-time |
Cadence tag | One-time |
Sending channel | LinkedIn only |
Example search
Journalists and analysts who cover my category at technology and business outlets
Review the audience, message and sending settings before starting. The channel shown is the sending channel for this play, not the source of its prospects.
Give your sales team
an unfair advantage.
What the message says
Lead with the story. The message is the story in three sentences: the finding, why it matters now, and why this reporter's readers would care, which the research step grounds in what they have covered.
Two touches maximum. Media relationships compound, in the play's words; a reporter who was not interested this month may be next month, if the second message was the last one.
When this is the wrong play
You want investors or advisors, not coverage. Reach investors for your raise and recruit advisors are the sibling plays.
The story is your funding. The play says not to lead with it. Find the data or the customer arc first.
You want volume. Two touches to a small, right list is the design; this is not a distribution tool.
Name outlets that have covered the subject this year. The play finds the writers at the outlets you name, so a list of the five publications whose recent coverage you can cite produces a pitch list that is current; a list of the biggest names in media produces reporters who have never written about your category. Analysts work the same way: name the firms whose reports your buyers read.
Related plays
Reach investors for your raise: Angels and VCs active in your category, found for you and approached with traction, not a cold deck.
Recruit advisors: The operators you want around the table, found for you and approached with a real role.
People talking about it on podcasts: Founders and leaders who discussed your problem on a podcast will discuss it with you.
Open the play itself: Pitch journalists and analysts on the Valley playbook library, or browse all 58 plays.
► Book a demo: see how Valley would find, research and message your buyers
FAQ
How do I pitch journalists on LinkedIn? Find the ones covering your category, lead with a story rather than a press release, and stop after two touches. Valley finds the writers at the outlets you name.
What makes a good pitch? Data, a contrarian take, or a customer arc. Not your funding.
Do I need a media list? No. Valley finds journalists and analysts covering your space at the outlets you name.
How many follow-ups? One. Two touches maximum.
Does it cover analysts too? Yes, journalists and analysts.
