How many business journalists are there?
There are 27,000+ journalists who cover business in the JournalistHunt database, out of 200,000+ journalists overall. That makes business one of the largest beats you can pitch. It's smaller than technology (33,000+) and larger than finance (19,000+).
A big number is a starting point, not a pitch list. Those 27,000+ people include reporters who'd never write about a company like yours and a smaller group who'd be glad to hear from you. The rest of this page is about finding that second group and giving them a story they can use.
What business journalists cover
"Business" is a wide label. Inside it, reporters and editors split into smaller areas, and each one wants a different kind of story.
- Company news: launches, leadership changes, expansions, layoffs, deals, and results.
- Small business and entrepreneurship: how owners start, run, and grow companies, and what's getting harder or easier for them.
- Retail and consumer brands: what people are buying, how prices are moving, and which brands are gaining ground.
- Workplace and careers: hiring, pay, remote work, management, and company culture.
- The economy: jobs, inflation, interest rates, trade, and what they mean for companies and households.
- Industry and trade coverage: news for people who work in one sector, such as restaurants, logistics, real estate, or advertising.
- Marketing and media: campaigns, agencies, and the business side of publishing and entertainment.
Several of these are their own beats in the database. There are 7,000+ journalists who cover retail, 6,000+ who cover startups, 6,000+ who cover marketing, and 6,000+ who cover personal finance. If your story clearly belongs to one of them, start there. Widen to the general business beat only if you need more names.
Business beat or finance beat: which one fits your story?
People mix these up, and it costs them replies. Business journalists write about companies: what they make, who runs them, how they compete, and how they treat workers and customers. Finance journalists write about money itself: markets, investing, banking, and personal finance.
A quick test helps. If your story is about something a company did, it's a business story. If it's about what people should do with their money, or where markets are heading, it belongs on the finance beat. If it's mainly a software or hardware story, look at the technology beat too. Many reporters cover more than one of these, so check each person's recent articles to see where they really spend their time.
Where business coverage gets published
Knowing the kinds of outlets helps you decide where to aim first.
- National business press. Outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Forbes, and CNBC. They have huge reach and a high bar, and they mostly want stories with national weight or a strong trend behind them.
- Wire services. Reuters and the Associated Press send stories to many other outlets. They move fast and stick to hard news.
- Business desks at general news outlets. Newspapers and broadcasters have business reporters who explain company and economic news to a general audience.
- Local business journals and metro newsrooms. They cover companies in one city or region, and they're often the most realistic first win for a small company.
- Trade publications. They write for people inside one industry. Their readers are often your buyers, partners, or future hires.
- Newsletters and podcasts. Independent writers and hosts with loyal audiences in a niche. The numbers are smaller, but the attention is stronger.
You don't have to pick only one kind. A common plan is to go to local and trade outlets first, then use that coverage as proof when you pitch bigger names.
What makes a business story newsworthy
Business reporters are trained to ask one question: so what? Your pitch has to answer it before they do. These are the things that usually make a business story worth running.
- Real numbers. Revenue growth, customers served, jobs created, prices changed, stores opened. Specific figures beat adjectives every time.
- A trend bigger than you. Your company as one example of something happening across an industry.
- Tension or change. A problem, a risk, a surprise, or a decision that went against the usual way of doing things.
- People. An owner, a worker, or a customer whose story makes the numbers feel real.
- Timing. A link to something in the news right now, such as a new rule, a price shift, or a seasonal moment.
- A local angle. New jobs, a new location, or an effect on one community.
Some things rarely work as the whole pitch: an anniversary, an award, a new website, or a product update with no proof that anyone cares. They can support a story, but they aren't the story.
Business stories small teams can pitch
You don't need a big company or a PR department to get covered on this beat. Here's what tends to fit, depending on who you are.
- If you run PR for clients: build a data story from what your client already knows. Sales patterns, customer surveys, or booking trends can become a small study that reporters can cite.
- If you market a consumer brand: pitch the business decision behind the product. Why you changed suppliers, raised or cut prices, moved into stores, or left a marketplace says more to a business reporter than the product itself.
- If you work at a nonprofit: show the economic side of your work. Jobs supported, money saved for families, or a partnership with local employers gives business desks a reason to cover you.
- If you're an author or consultant: offer expert comment. Reporters need people who can explain a topic clearly on short notice, and a good quote often comes with a mention of your book or firm.
- If you're promoting your own small company: start local. A hiring push, a new lease, or a first export order is real news to a city business reporter.
How to build a business media list
A list of 30 well-chosen names will do more for you than 3,000 random ones. Here's a way to get there.
Decide who needs to read the story
Is it customers, other businesses, local residents, or people in your industry? The answer tells you which kind of outlet matters most.
Pick the closest part of the beat
Filter by the business beat, then narrow by topic. Retail, small business, workplace, and economy reporters all sit under business, but they won't all want the same pitch.
Choose by role
Reporters write the news. Editors decide what gets assigned. Columnists want opinions and arguments. Freelancers place stories at several outlets. Producers book guests for TV, radio, and podcasts. Match the role to what you're offering.
Read before you add
Open each person's last few articles. Keep them if they've written about companies your size, in your field, within the past few months. Drop them if they haven't. Job titles and beats change often, so what someone covered two years ago tells you little.
Note one detail per person
Write down one article of theirs that connects to your story. You'll use it in the first line of your email, and it's the fastest way to show you aren't sending a mass blast.
How to pitch a business reporter
Business reporters read pitches the way they read company statements: looking for what's missing. Make yours easy to trust.
- Lead with the number or the news. Put your strongest fact in the subject line and again in the first sentence.
- Say why now. Add one line on what changed this week, this month, or this season.
- Offer access. A founder, an executive, or a customer who'll speak on the record is worth more than a polished statement.
- Be ready for hard questions. Expect to be asked about revenue, funding, margins, or headcount. Decide ahead of time what you'll share. "We don't disclose that, but here's what we can say" is better than silence.
- Consider an exclusive. Giving one reporter the story first can earn a bigger piece. Be clear about the terms and keep your word.
- Keep it short. Five or six sentences, plus a link to more detail.
Become a source business reporters call
Not every mention comes from pitching your own news. Business reporters need outside voices for almost every story: someone to explain why prices are rising, what a new rule means for small firms, or how shoppers are behaving. If you or your client can do that clearly, say so.
Send a short note that names two or three topics you can speak on, what gives you standing to speak on them, and how quickly you can respond. Keep your comments plain and specific. A reporter on deadline will pick the source who answers in an hour with one clear sentence over the one who sends three paragraphs the next day.
When to pitch business journalists
Timing on this beat follows the business calendar.
- Earnings season. Public companies report results four times a year, in the weeks after each quarter ends. Reporters who cover big companies are swamped then, so small-company pitches get less attention.
- Major economic reports. Days with jobs, inflation, or interest rate news keep economy reporters busy. They're also a chance for you if you can offer fast, useful comment on what the numbers mean for real businesses.
- Seasonal stories. Holiday shopping, tax time, back to school, and year-end outlooks come around every year. Reporters plan these weeks ahead, so pitch early.
- Your own news. If you have a launch or an announcement date, reach out before it, not after. Old news is hard to place.
Common mistakes when pitching the business beat
- Making big claims with no figures. Words like "leading," "fastest-growing," and "disruptive" mean nothing to a reporter without numbers behind them.
- Pitching the wrong desk. A markets reporter won't write about your bakery's second location. A local business reporter might.
- Treating coverage like advertising. You can't approve the article, choose the headline, or ask to see it before it runs. If you need that control, you're looking for paid placement, which is a different thing.
- Dodging basic questions. If you won't say anything about size, growth, or customers, there's little left to report.
- Sending one email to a huge list. It saves an hour and costs you the replies.
- Going quiet after a yes. When a reporter asks for a photo, a figure, or a call, answer the same day. Deadlines are short.
Where business journalists are based
Business media clusters in a few cities. New York has 16,000+ journalists in the database across all beats, and London has 9,000+. If your story has national or financial weight, many of the reporters you want will be in one of those two places.
Don't stop there, though. Across all beats, the database has 111,000+ journalists in the United States and 20,000+ in the United Kingdom, and many of them work for regional outlets. If your company has a base, a store, or customers in a specific place, a reporter there has a built-in reason to care.
After the story runs
Coverage keeps working after publication day if you use it. Share the article with customers and partners, add it to your website and sales materials, and send the reporter a short thank-you without asking for anything. Then keep a simple record of who replied, who covered you, and which angle worked.
The reporters who covered you once are the most likely to cover you again. Send them a useful update a few times a year, even when you aren't asking for a story, and you'll have a small group of business journalists who already know who you are.
Build your business journalist list
Media coverage is how a business gets exposure, and it starts with reaching the right reporter. JournalistHunt has 27,000+ business journalists you can filter by topic, type, location, and outlet, inside a database of 200,000+ journalists. There's a 3-day free trial, and plans after that are $49, $79, or $149 per month. You can compare them on the pricing page.