If your email subject line screams “delete me,” journalists aren’t even opening it—no matter how...
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Kia Kokalitcheva is the Senior Editor of VC News at PitchBook
In this episode of Coffee with a Journalist, we sit down with Kia Kokalitcheva, Senior Editor of VC News at PitchBook. Broadcasting live from San Francisco, Kia opens up about PitchBook’s unique focus on data-driven journalism and the intricacies of managing pitches in the world of venture capital.
Follow Kia on her socials below:
LinkedIn: Kia Kokalitcheva
Author Page: Kia Kokalitcheva
Click below to listen to the full conversation and read below for highlights from the interview:
What Kia Specifically Looks For In Funding Announcements
[00:14:14] BB: When covering funding announcements, what are the most important elements you look for when considering a story? Is it the dollar amount, the brand founder story, the name of the leading investor, et cetera?
[00:14:46] KK: I would say it's more of an art than a science. I think here, we probably wouldn't even look at something under, let's say, 10 million of a funding round size, unless there is some sort of really notable thing about the founder or the lead investor. But by and large, we'll stay above 10 million and probably even higher than that in terms of writing standalone stories. Our newsletters do kind of collect a lot of the deal news. That’s been our standard so far, 10 million.
Yes, I mean, I guess I said it's more of an art than a science. A lot of it is sort of like what are people going to be talking about. What are essential deal news, right? If it is like an AI company, right now everyone is so interested in these things and wants to know about these companies and all these investments. We'll probably put a higher premium on that than a topic that's just kind of less sought after by our readers.
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Embargos vs. Exclusives and Kia's Personal Preference
[00:15:44] BB: Okay, good to know. Another audience asks here, "Do you prefer embargo or exclusive opportunities when covering VC funding? And if so, how much time do you want to have to write your story ahead of time before the news is public?”
[00:15:58] KK: That was a good question. I mean, exclusive is always the best, right?
[00:16:02] BB: Always the best.
[00:16:03] KK: I think pretty much any reporter would tell you that. Exclusive is always the best. But if you guys are doing an embargo with some other outlets, do reach out. Send them our way. We'll take a look. We'll figure out if it's a good fit. So don't be shy about that. Then in terms of lead time, I would say a week is probably a good rule of thumb because it gives you enough wiggle room to set up interviews, all the interviews you need for a particular story, and people's schedules might not align. It gives the reporter time to actually write the story, work with the editor, all that stuff. I would say reach out about a week ahead of time. That's probably like a good rule of thumb, I would say. Some reporters, some individual reporters out there might have slightly different preferences, but I would say that's kind of a good place to start for these things.
Then in terms of if it is embargo news and we end up passing on, wanting to write a whole standalone story about this, or you don't hear from us, circle back the day before because that's when we're figuring out the next day's newsletter and what should we include in the deal sections. So, yes, circle back the day before.
[00:17:16] BB: Circle back, okay. Circle back.
Rapid Fire Pitching Preferences
[00:17:16] BB: Kia, I have a handful of rapid-fire questions that are just quick to go for. Are you ready?
[00:17:25] KK: Yes.
[00:17:25] BB: Okay. Video or phone interview?
[00:17:28] KK: Probably phone if it's like an actual – like I'm interviewing you for a story because that way I don't have to feel bad that I'm looking at my keyboard or something else. Well, I'm on Zoom with the person. But if it's like I'm more of a meet and greet, and I'm not actually interviewing you formally, then Zoom could be good.
[00:17:46] BB: Okay. Bullet points or paragraphs in a pitch?
[00:17:50] KK: Oh, you shouldn't even really be having paragraphs, so I’ll obtain bullet points.
[00:17:55] BB: No, I know. I think we got to revise this. Yes. Yes, exactly. Images attached or Dropbox zip file?
[00:18:03] KK: Oh, attached. Oh, God. Do not make me click and go and open things.
[00:18:07] BB: I do not want to ever click anywhere. Tell me something else. I'm with you. I'm with you. Okay. Do you just want email or will you take a DM from somewhere?
[00:18:16] KK: I prefer email personally. I prefer to stick to chatting directly with founders and investors and other platforms before having PR business. Email is my preferred method so that I can keep those things organized. Otherwise, I'm just going to drop things. I'm thinking about the schedule, what news is coming up, all this stuff. If you DM me this press release, I am not thinking about it, so you lose.
[00:18:46] BB: Do you want one follow-up or multiple?
[00:18:49] KK: I think one.
[00:18:50] BB: You mentioned the one, [inaudible 00:18:51]. Yes.
[00:18:51] KK: Yes. I think one is kind of a max. I personally read nearly everything in my inbox. If you didn't hear back from me, it means I'm just not interested. But I understand one follow-up. I do sometimes get distracted, so a follow-up makes sense, especially if maybe you realize that you didn't include something that might be interesting, and you want to follow up with that information. But anything more than that, I've seen it, and I'm just not interested.
[00:19:19] BB: Direct or creative subject lines?
[00:19:22] KK: Direct. I'm parsing quickly. I'm triaging. I don't want to sit there and look at a riddle.
[00:19:30] BB: Yes, yes. Not at your lunch break either, no. Press release or media kit?
[00:19:35] KK: Oh. I mean, if by media kit you mean it has a bunch of other assets, sure. But if you just paste the press release in the email. For me, press releases are really just a cheat sheet, right? It tells me the names of the companies and investors, the numbers I need to include. It’s a cheat sheet. You could really just send me bullet points of that information if you want to.
[00:20:01] BB: I've thought about that, yes. You don't need to make a –
[00:20:03] KK: I'm probably not going to need five B-roll reels and all that kind of stuff, so don’t stress about it.
[00:20:12] BB: Is there a time you read pitches?
[00:20:15] KK: All day.
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