How to pitch your news to TechCrunch: Expert advice from Anna Heim

The tech media landscape has shifted more in the last 18 months than in the previous decade. The middle ground of tech comms has become flooded with AI-generated content, traditional newsrooms are closing down, and journalists are doing more with less.

To find out what actually gets a tech journalist’s attention in 2026, we sat down with Anna Heim, a freelance reporter at TechCrunch, and their main representative in the EU.

How to pitch to Anna Heim and other freelance tech journalists

Pitching a freelancer involves navigating specific time zones and external editor schedules that are different from typical staff writers.

“It’s not like I'm sitting at my desk and looking for a story," explained Anna. An early morning email from Europe won't be picked up right away because her editors are in the United States. "I can't just grab a story on the go.” So, for tech PRs, strategic timing is more important than speed.

This also means that fully formed ideas are easy for her to approve internally. But equally, news pitches require longer lead times of “at least two weeks,” and subject lines that lead with the news instead of starting with “Press Release”.

This has become increasingly important since smaller newsrooms mean journalists have to produce more from the same amount of time. Anna explained that she writes "eight articles a month for TechCrunch", and many high-tier freelancers are in a similar situation.

Don’t just rely on a funding hook

Funding news is always a reliable hook in tech PR, but it’s also one of the most misused. The investment itself is rarely the story. What matters is the context around it.

As Anna explained, “it’s not about the size of the funding, unless the size of the funding is the news," says Anna.

To be successful, you need to find a story that fits a global tech beat instead of niche trade news. Anna agrees that "1 billion seed round" is an obvious headline, for every other tech funding announcement, "it needs a bigger story behind it”. What problem is being solved, why now, and why should the wider world care?

“You need to focus on two things - why should people care and why is this important?" Many updates are better suited for trade news and are "just not news for TechCrunch."

And if you don’t have funding news to share? “Use the data you're sitting on as a startup.” If you are doing something truly unique in the market, then you no doubt sit on a heap of data that would be interesting to most tech journalists. “This might get your CEO interviewed for soundbites,” said Anna.

If it doesn’t result in immediate coverage, then Anne still “might dig up that report and write about it when you least expect it." So, bide your time and keep journalists warm.

Personal pitches always beat AI

Using data to build credibility is an effective approach, but so many pitches lose that credibility by relying too much on AI.

Any expert comments, bylines, or case studies that sound like they were written by AI are a fast track to being ignored.

"I like it when the founders introduce themselves, and I can feel that it's been written just for me and not them using ChatGPT. If it's quite personal and I can get a sense of what the story is, it's really helpful."

Be more flexible at events

This need for a genuine connection also applies to tech events, which are still a great way for tech companies to meet journalists and secure media coverage.

At major trade shows like Viva Technology or TechCrunch Disrupt, the most valuable conversations happen in small windows on the floor rather than 30-minute, tightly scheduled blocks.

Anna says that it can be "really hard" to fit people into her plans as they "insist on getting something into my schedule" because she keeps her time open. She prefers being able to see what's on stage or simply walk around. She says it's better to "agree that I'll find time to meet your client loosely at some point" because being flexible often leads to a much better outcome.

This approach gives a reporter the space for a meaningful interaction, which is more likely to produce interesting soundbites for feature articles they’ll be writing.

Quick wins for your next pitch

Spending time with Anna gave us a real understanding of what it actually takes to get a story noticed at a global publication today. It reinforced what we already knew - while the industry moves fast, the value of a well-timed, authentic, and human-centric story stays the same.

If you missed the webinar, no worries. You can watch the full recording here. 

Want to stay ahead of the next tech comms reset? Follow TFD for more virtual sessions with comms leaders, journalists, investors and more.