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News UK: Speed Pitching for charities supporting Women & Girls

23 Jan

News UK London, SE1 9GF

Tuesday 23 January 2024 10:00 - 13:00

A close-up of reporters sat, writing in notepads on their laps.

Media Trust and News UK are teaming up to amplify the voices of under-represented groups and get their stories heard in the UK media.

We know how challenging it can be to get your story heard by the media. Navigating the complexities of approaching journalists and building strong media connections can be overwhelming. But fear not – we’re here to help you amplify your impact.

Media Trust is partnering with News UK to offer a series of Speed Pitching events for underrepresented groups in preparation for upcoming awareness activities. The first event will focus on supporting charities working with Women and Girls ahead of International Women’s Day.

The deadline to apply is Friday 24 November at 17:00. Places are limited to ten spaces.

Sign up here

How it works

The event will start with a one-hour masterclass delivered by a News UK Journalist, who will give an overview of the current media landscape and guidance on best practice when pitching your story to print media and radio. This session will include a Q&A to answer your questions about pitching and ensure that you are confident in your ability to get your story picked up.

You will then have the chance to put your learning into practice! In small breakout groups, you will deliver a 60-90 second pitch of your key stories to senior journalists from across News UK’s brands and get honest immediate feedback on how to improve the pitch to catch journalists’ attention – and maybe even a chance to have your story developed and published!

Each breakout group will consist of 2-3 charities and 2-3 journalists and will last for 15 minutes. This will be repeated four times, meaning that you will have the chance to pitch your story to up to 12 journalists.

Why participate?

  • Expert Training & Support: Get guidance to craft a compelling pitch that resonates with journalists.
  • On-the-Spot Feedback: Receive real-time advice from senior News UK journalists to polish your pitch.
  • Nationwide Exposure: Have the opportunity to gain UK-wide media coverage leading up to International Women’s Day 2024.
  • Showcase Impact: Highlight your work, raise your profile, and inspire others while creating lasting change.
  • Enhance Skills: Improve your media engagement knowledge and confidence for obtaining future media exposure.
Sign up here

The opportunity to pitch to journalists from major publications was amazing and really helped improve my confidence in pitching to the media and will help me step up more into the media relations part of my role. I feel more motivated to pitch stories to the media in the future and will be able to use the skills I gained in my current role and beyond.

Charity Speed Pitching Participant

Attendance Eligibility:

This event is for Women and Girls charities across the UK. Due to limited spaces, we can only accommodate one person per charity. You will be expected to come prepared with a 60-90 second pitch about your charity.

Please note that the event will be taking place in person at News UK’s office in London – attendees are expected to cover their own travel expenses. The venue is fully accessible, but please ensure to let us know of any support we can give or adjustments we can make in your application form should you be selected to attend.

To find out more, contact Project Coordinator, Niamh Mawhinney on niamhm@mediatrust.org

About News UK

News UK is one of the leading media businesses in the UK and Ireland. Our news brands include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday and The TLS. Our national broadcast brands include talkSPORT, Times Radio, TalkTV and Virgin Radio UK, and we have market-leading local stations across Ireland. Our world-famous brands provide news, analysis, opinion and entertainment to almost 40 million people each month. Spanning print and pixel, audio and video, events and experiences, our multi-format brands are home to a plurality of opinion, representing the diverse communities we serve. News UK is wholly owned by News Corp.