--- title: "Coffee with a Journalist: Alex Sherman, CNBC - Blog" description: Gain insights from CNBC's Alex Sherman on pitching effectively, building PR relationships, and what drives successful media coverage in his interview. image: https://blog.onepitch.co/hubfs/Katie%20Atkinson%2c%20Billboard%20(2).png --- [![OnePitch](https://blog.onepitch.co/hubfs/raw_assets/public/OnePitch_May2025/images/onepitch-logo-black.svg "OnePitch")](https://onepitch.co/) - [Product](https://onepitch.co/product-features/overview/) - Media Lists - [MFY Media Lists](https://onepitch.co/media-lists/build) - [DFY Media Lists](https://onepitch.co/media-lists/dfy-media-list-submit/) - Resources - [AI Tools Hub](https://ai-hub.onepitch.co/) - [Contact](https://onepitch.co/contact-us/support) ## Coffee with a Journalist: Alex Sherman, CNBC ![Coffee with a Journalist: Alex Sherman, CNBC](https://blog.onepitch.co/hubfs/Katie%20Atkinson%2c%20Billboard%20(2).png) [Media Insights](https://blog.onepitch.co/tag/media-insights) [Coffee with a Journalist](https://blog.onepitch.co/tag/coffee-with-a-journalist) *[Alex Sherman](https://www.cnbc.com/alex-sherman/)* is a Media Reporter at CNBC*.*   In this episode, Alex takes us deep into his inbox to show a behind-the-scenes look at his pitch process, sharing what works and what doesn't when PR professionals reach out to him.   Follow Alex on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-sherman/)and [X/Twitter.](https://x.com/sherman4949)   Don't forget to check out [The CNBC Sport newsletter with Alex Sherman](https://www.cnbc.com/lander?id=sport-newsletter) and his new podcast, which will be released this month!   Click below to listen to the full conversation and read below for highlights from the interview:     [![CWJ View Transcription CTA](https://blog.onepitch.co/hs-fs/hubfs/CWJ%20View%20Transcription%20CTA.png?width=228&height=48&name=CWJ%20View%20Transcription%20CTA.png)](https://blog.onepitch.co/hubfs/CWAJ240%20-%20Alex%20Sherman.pdf)   ## ***Pitch Breakdown: Pet Peeves***   \[0:05:35\] AS: Yeah. I feel like I'm bombarded by pitches. Almost all of them I'm ignoring. Most of them irrelevant to what I'm covering. So, if there's something in the lead of the pitch or the subject line that happens to be something that I'm thinking about or covering or something that I'm always thinking about, then I'll read the pitch and it may or may not be something I'm interested in. But most of the pitches are not all that relevant. They seem to be half hazardly cherry picked from previous reporting I've done. \[0:06:10\] BB: Wait. What do you mean cherry – how do you mean? \[0:06:12\] AS: Yeah. One of my pet peeves with pitches is when comms people will say they'll do their pitch and then they'll say like, the fact, this was – I'm going to read you something, because it was in one of the recent examples I got as something that bothered me, okay, but I'm going to pull it up right now. Let's see here. Okay. \[0:06:33\] BB: Thank you for dishing it, by the way, Alex. This is what we like on the show. Go ahead. \[0:06:37\] AS: The pitch was about AI technology and how – so it was, it says, here's the beginning. “Hi, Alex. We're past the midway mark of 2024 and the media landscape.” Okay, I cover media, fine, is right for disruption, but which trends will drive activity across the sector throughout the rest of the year? Then it goes into trends and they're all more or less about AI, data integration, privacy, VR advertising opportunities. AI enhanced creativity and efficiency. I don't really cover any of that stuff. However, five months ago, I did write a couple of stories, because I went to Davos with CNBC about AI. So, if you were very lazy about trying to figure out what I covered, you may assume that I do cover AI, because I have written about it, but that doesn't mean that I care about it on a day-to-day basis. We have a whole team at CNBC that covers tech and AI. I'm just not part of it. Anyways, after all of this, there's a sentence here, which is, “Alex, given your previous coverage with a link to my own story of media predictions.” \[0:07:42\] BB: In case you forgot. \[0:07:43\] AS: Right. “Given your previous coverage of media predictions.” Link to my story. “I'd be more than happy to connect you with blah, blah, blah, blah on the emerging trends.” A couple of things there, which is, right, one, you don't need a link to my own story. I'm aware of what I cover and what I don't. \[0:07:59\] BB: I remember. \[0:08:00\] AS: Two, I don't cover media predictions. That doesn't even make sense. Nobody covers media predictions. Once a year, I write a story, every year where I talk to a bunch of media executives. \[0:08:14\] BB: Once a year. \[0:08:14\] AS: Anonymously. Then I aggregate 10 or 12 or 15 of their predictions for the previous year, but this is once a year, I do it at the same time, every year at the end of the year. Not only does it not make sense, but it's something I'm doing once a year. Also, it doesn't relate to what anything you just said. Like the predictions thing I did doesn't have anything to do with this random person in my mind. I've never met this person. I don't know what they do to talk about these fairly random trends in my mind. It's not random of this person, because it's what they do on a day-to-day basis, but to me it is. There's nothing about that pitch that is good in my mind.     ## ***Pitch Breakdown: Short and Relevant Pitches***   \[0:09:07\] AS: I got it this past week, which was – the name of the company, A Digital Wealth Management Platform is closely following the NFL's decision to allow private equity to invest in the teams. Head of private investments, a woman's name is available to discuss the topic. She can share insights on the decision. Its implications for investors and any ripple effects if it may have on college sports. End of pitch. What was that, two, sentences? Here's the thing, which is that I happened to be working on a story about NFL team evaluations that is going to go along with this big launch of the CNBC sport vertical. I was literally writing the portion of that story about how private equity may affect the evaluations. \[0:09:50\] BB: I mean, that's just great. \[0:09:53\] AS: I get this pitch and I'm thinking to myself, as I'm writing it. You know, I need a voice for this. I need an expert here. \[0:09:59\] BB: Ta-da. That's just wonderful, serendipitous timing, like that's amazing. Yeah. \[0:10:04\] AS: Wonderful, serendipitous timing. But that's almost always how these pitches work. It's almost – it doesn't necessarily happen the moment, like that one, but for me, it usually is a situation of I'm writing a story, I realize I need a voice, let me check my inbox to see if I've gotten any recent pitches about this specific topic. So, that's the order of operations of how the pitches work for me. It is very rare that you are going to pitch me a story flat out. I'm going to be like, “Oh, that's a good story.” The order of operations here is I've come up with the story or my editors and I've come up with the story. I've already chosen that. Then I need someone who is an expert in this particular area and how am I going to find this expert? Well, that's where the pitch is coming. It's either somebody I know or it's somebody like in this one, this is a really niche thing. Private equity investment in NFL teams, like that isn't someone that I run with in circles all the time. It is perfect for a pitch. It's someone like, “Well, who is an expert on this?” So, that's where email pitches can really help.   ![Line for blog](https://blog.onepitch.co/hs-fs/hubfs/Line%20for%20blog.png?width=5052&height=192&name=Line%20for%20blog.png) ### Want to pitch Alex and other journalists like him?   Click below to sign up for OnePitch and use these insights in your next pitch!   [![Create Account](https://blog.onepitch.co/hs-fs/hubfs/hub_generated/resized/7052357d-9f75-4e56-84e8-25dfef6dcee5.png?width=250&height=52&name=7052357d-9f75-4e56-84e8-25dfef6dcee5.png)](https://onepitch.co/plg-signup-v1/step-1) ![Line for blog](https://blog.onepitch.co/hs-fs/hubfs/Line%20for%20blog.png?width=5052&height=192&name=Line%20for%20blog.png)   ## ***What Else to Consider When Pitching Alex***   \[0:13:28\] BB: Are there relationships you wish to build with publicists ever in person or otherwise? Yeah. Tell us. \[0:13:36\] AS: Yes. Certainly, if you're the corporate comms person at a major company that I'm covering like I always want to know that person, because they are the gatekeeper to me in order to make introductions to other people that work at that company. But I have relationships with plenty of external comms people that represent interesting people who can help me. They obviously, all of them have a portfolio of different clients. Some of them will be of interest to me and otherwise won't, but it's very helpful to know those people, because not only can they help me set up the introductions to certain people, but also, they can act as a proxy for that person if I can't get on the phone with them. I can always try their comms person and either they can get that person on the phone for me or they can perhaps get information directly from that person if that person tied up. Then I use that person as a backdoor chain hole into getting direct information. I absolutely want to have relationships with communications people. I do have relationships with many communications people. That's really helpful. It's helpful for me to know who their clients are so that I know who to go to. It's also helpful, because we're now establishing a relationship where they have a very firm sense of what I am interested in and what I cover and to go back to your earlier question about CNBC, like what am I interested in? It's the highest profile themes and figures in the world of media entertainment and sports. We are not a trade publication. The stuff we do doesn't tend to be all that niche. It's big companies, big figures and the biggest story is that those people are thinking about and working in. Those are the people who I'm talking to and interviewing on a day-to-day basis. That is the world that I run in and live in. \[0:15:24\] BB: Got it. Okay. Note to everybody. No AI pitches. I'm sure. No. No. We don't need that. \[0:15:30\] AS: You don't need that. Not for me. \[0:15:31\] BB: Yeah. You're touching on it a little bit more, but I want to further go into this on sources. Yes, PR people, you could be helpful if you're touching these realms and such the biggest of the biggest and that's where you play. But are ever like is there a rolodex of the sources you want to hear? So, for example, people say, yes, if you have a PhD in molecular biology from Cambridge, yeah that's who I need to talk to, because I'm writing science for time, whatever. Do you have like a source book that you're looking to fill? \[0:15:57\] AS: Not really. It's more ad hoc than that. \[0:16:00\] BB: Got it. Okay. \[0:16:02\] AS: It's very much a case-by-case basis. I think if I were a more organized person that may be beneficial to me, but I'm not. So, it's very much like one story to the next for me. Then I'm figuring out like who I need to talk to real time every time. I'm doing it. I'm figuring it out. Then I'm on to the next thing. \[0:16:23\] BB: Damn. Speaking of then, the day in the life of, are you reading pitches constantly? Are you reading your inbox constantly or how does this function for you? \[0:16:33\] AS: Yeah. I'm vaguely aware of the pitches. I'm definitely not reading them like, well. That's why in the example I gave you from your colleague, it was like two sentences, like great, good. I'm not going to read a pitch that's like forever long. \[0:16:49\] BB: Well, you did have some samples in there too. They were like paragraphs, paragraphs. \[0:16:54\] AS: Yes. I was just sort of like my eyes plays over at that point. It is all – I will say, like a lot of comms people take a strategy where they throw something at the top, that personal to me to get my – \[0:17:07\] BB: How are you doing, Alex? I hope your dog is good or whatever. Yeah. \[0:17:10\] AS: Yeah. A lot of it is like, I’ve heard public about being in San Francisco 49ers fans. So, like I get that a lot, sort of like, go niners thing or whatever. That's nice. I get that does catch my attention. I'll probably read at least read on to the next paragraph at that point, but I still may not read like paragraph nine at that point, if it's not something that I'm interested in. But look, again, by and large, while I am aware of these things, because they are coming from my inbox and I need to like be sifting through my inbox for important stuff and not important stuff. I do see them. I'm not really reading them unless I'm focused on doing a story where I need it, because again, this goes back to the order of operations thing. I'm not getting story ideas from pitches by and large. I already have the story idea.   ## ***Rapid Fire Pitching Preferences***   \[0:18:018\] BB: Let's go Alex, if we can to our rapid-fire session and let me know your answers here. Are you ready? \[0:18:24\] AS: I'm ready. \[0:18:25\] BB: Video or phone interview? \[0:18:27\] AS: You kind of hit me with a hard one in a rapid fire. Okay. If this is a person that I would like to have a long-term relationship with, then video. If it's a person where it's like, I'm on deadline. I need to sign I'm working on a story. So, like again, your colleagues pitching me, phone. I don't need video. Phone or even email for that matter, like yeah, I think that's what I did with this one. I don't even remember if I spoke to your colleague on the phone. I just said, “Yes, this is good. When – meet the person on the phone, I need to turn this around quickly. Yeah, a long-term relationship video. Short-term story, deadline, whatever phone or email. \[0:19:03\] BB: Oh, God. I just did the very millennial thing. Did you see that? By the way, okay, I did this. This is like, you know phone where it’s like – \[0:19:09\] AS: Yes, right. I do it too. \[0:19:12\] BB: Yeah. Oh, God. Okay. I just caught myself on that. Okay. Bullet points or paragraphs in a pitch? Unless it's two sentences, maybe. \[0:19:19\] AS: Correct. Right. So, bullet points or short paragraphs. I would say either one of those is fine. \[0:19:23\] BB: Short paragraphs. That answers our next thing. Short or long pitches? Short as we've covered. How about images attached or a Dropbox zip file? I don't see that's really relevant for you, but you tell us. \[0:19:33\] AS: Yeah. I can't imagine that that would be relevant. No, I would say in generally that doesn't make much sense. Yeah. \[0:19:39\] BB: You don’t need those things. Okay. What about an email or a DM to somewhere, X or Instagram or anywhere else you can LinkedIn, whatever? Do you ever want that or is it all inbox? \[0:19:49\] AS: If it's just a generic pitch, then I would rather be in my inbox. I actually find it a little irritating if it's like DM this, it’s sort of like, this is too intimate for this. The DM to me is like I get something urgent. I need to get in contact with you now, otherwise I'd rather stay in the inbox, because then it's just too many different forms of – I had to check my LinkedIn, my Twitter DM, like – \[0:20:14\] BB: It’s too much, too much. \[0:20:15\] AS: Yup. \[0:20:15\] BB: By the way, we had someone on here. I'm not going to reveal who is a freelancer. She is like five inboxes, because she writes about – and I'm like, no. \[0:20:23\] AS: Yeah. don’t do that. You can't do that. \[0:20:26\] BB: Okay. One follow-up or multiple? \[0:20:28\] AS: Oh, great question. \[0:20:30\] BB: Especially, because it disappears every 90 days. Go ahead. Yeah. \[0:20:33\] AS: One follow-up. A hard one follow-up. \[0:20:36\] BB: One and done. \[0:20:37\] AS: Multiple follow-ups is another pet peeve of mine. That was one that you genuinely know, like if I have gotten back to you twice, why do you think I would get back to you a third time? This is another thing which I know different reporters do, like please do not take my ignoring your pitch personally. Any of you, like that are listening to this, it is not personal. It just means that I'm not interested in that topic at this time, but I can't respond to all of you telling you that, because it would take my whole day. So, right. I will find you if I need something. Yeah, one follow-up is more than enough. \[0:21:12\] BB: Noted. Any press release or media kit? Is that ever relevant? \[0:21:16\] AS: Oh, well, I mean, a press release is often relevant depending on the story, for sure, but usually that's a thing that we would have already had a back-and-forth personal email about where I would say like, “Hey, is there a release with this?” That usually doesn't come unless it's obvious that I would need a press release. 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