Megan Farokhmanesh, Wired

This week on the podcast, we sit down with Kelsey Ramirez, an associate, strategic initiatives, at Fox Business, where she edits the team’s coverage about personal finance. During the episode, Kelsey discusses her strategy for managing and prioritizing emails using color-coded tags, what she likes to see in a subject line, timing preferences for exclusives, and her favorite newsletters for staying inspired and on top of the latest headlines.

Our guest on today’s episode of Coffee with a Journalist is Joni Sweet, freelancer writer covering travel, health, and wellness with bylines in Forbes, National Geographic, TIME, Trip Savvy, Lonely Planet, and more. During the episode, Joni discusses her relationship to PR folks and pitches, including a preference for personalization, how she organizes her work with a busy inbox, and what effective PR engagement looks like for her. Let's dive in to the conversation!

Our guest on today’s episode of Coffee with a Journalist is Anthony L. Fisher. Anthony is the senior opinion editor and a columnist for The Daily Beast, and also writes the “Calling Balls and Strikes” newsletter on Substack. During the episode, Anthony discusses his strategies for managing pitches, the Daily Beast's style preferences, and insight into his role, workflow, and time management strategies. Let's get into it!

Our guest on today's episode of Coffee with a Journalist is Beth Gilette. Beth is a beauty editor at Cosmopolitan where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. During today's episode, Beth discusses her go-to e-mail organization tactics (hello folders and specific rules), her favorite story she's ever written and how it came to be, as well as why sit-downs with PR pros help her learn more about who they represent, and how they tick, and vice versa. 

Our guest on today’s episode of Coffee with a Journalist is Ilona Limonta-Volkova, host of Money Memories, an NPR podcast, and contributing writer on fintech at Forbes. During the episode, Ilona discusses her podcast and the types of guests she features, plus her dream guest, the art of staying pithy in pitching, and the best way to connect with her.

Our guest on today’s episode of Coffee with a Journalist is Tim Crino. Tim is a senior editor at Inc. where his coverage focus is on cybersecurity and data privacy. He also oversees Inc.'s book reviews, collaborates on strategies for Inc. Video, and edits Inc. Insider, a print section that curates expert advice from entrepreneurship's brightest. During the episode, Tim discusses how PR folks can get in his email’s “good folder” (and what that is), how he vets angles and news to cover, as well as how he stays organized and on top of his stories.   

In this week's episode of Coffee with a Journalist, we sit down with freelance journalist Farrell Evans. Farrell covers a range of topics like business, golf, history, and race for outlets including Inc., Sports Illustrated, the History Channel, Andscape, and more. He'll walk us through how exactly to catch his attention in your pitch to him as well as what to call out in your pitch, what he looks for in a solid publicist, and more.  

Our guest on today’s episode of Coffee with a Journalist is Monica Pitrelli, editor of CNBC Travel, part of CNBC. Monica covers news, trends, and financial matters for high-yield travelers around the world. During the episode, Monica discusses how she organizes her email inbox across time zones (she’s based in Singapore), how she puts her stories together, and what makes a great source for her coverage.   

Welcome to this week's episode of Coffee with a Journalist, where we sit down for a chat with the talented Maya Goldman, health policy reporter at Axios. Maya takes us through her email inbox routine and shares insights into the kind of sources she prefers to work with, the timing of pitches, and much more. She emphasizes the importance of a direct yet conversational approach in pitches and the benefits of providing exclusive or embargoed information. Join us as Maya provides a glimpse into her world of healthcare journalism and offers valuable tips for publicists looking to work with her.

In this episode of Coffee with a Journalist, host Beck Bamberger is joined by John Hyatt, a staff writer for Forbes. John specializes in covering billionaires, finance, deal making, money and politics, and white-collar crime. During the conversation, John provides insights into his coverage of the wealthiest individuals in the world, how he produces the annual Forbes 400 list and the Forbes world billionaires list, and also sheds light on his inbox, the type of pitches he receives, and how publicists can effectively engage with journalists. Additionally, John shares details about his typical workday, his experience as an intern during COVID-19, his interest in investigations and valuable sources, and some rapid-fire preferences in media pitches. Don’t miss this engaging conversation offering a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a Forbes staff writer.