Podcast
“Coffee with a Journalist” features candid conversations with top tier editors, reporters, and journalists who share their publicist pet peeves, pitching best practices, outlook on the future of journalism, and more.
“Coffee with a Journalist” features candid conversations with top tier editors, reporters, and journalists who share their publicist pet peeves, pitching best practices, outlook on the future of journalism, and more.
Today on the podcast, we’re joined by Alex Knapp, a senior editor at Forbes. Alex covers, and manages, stories surrounding healthcare, science, and cutting edge technology. He’s been with Forbes since 2011 starting as a social media editor before becoming an associate editor in 2015, and finally rising to the ranks of senior editor in April of 2020.
During the show, Alex answers an audience question, talks about his inbox organization, what types of pitches he loves to receive, and more.
Today, we’re joined by one of Fortune’s newest writers, Megan Leonhardt. She covers the intersection of finance, policy and regulations. Prior to Fortune, she was the senior money reporter at CNBC and a writer for Time’s MONEY Magazine.
During the show, Megan shares more about one of her first jobs involving pitching, her new beat at Fortune, what information she wants from sources, and more.
We have a very special episode for our listeners today. Joining us on Coffee with a Journalist is Carlo Versano and Jill Wagner from Cheddar. Carlo is a senior writer and producer, and Jill is an anchor for Cheddar’s daily news. Together, they also co-host the daily podcast, Need2Know, which features, “all the news, analysis and (un)necessary commentary you need to start the day.”
During the show, Carlo and Jill give us the inside scoop about their pitching preferences, what it’s like to work for a digital and broadcast outlet, and more.
Today, we’re speaking with Sasha Lekach, a tech reporter at Mashable. Sasha covers everything transportation and tech for Mashable, out of their SF office. That means self-driving cars, electric vehicles, mass transit, ride-hailing apps, and more. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News, SFGate, and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune.
On the episode today, Sasha talks more about her inbox filtering system, the different ways her stories come to life, answers an audience question about pitching, and lots more.
This week we’re joined by Nathan Ingraham, deputy managing editor of Engadget. In his role, Nathan keeps track of the site's daily news operations and also covers Google, Apple, gaming, apps, and weird internet culture. Prior to Engadget, Nathan was a news editor and reporter for The Verge.
During the episode today, Nathan shares more about his role and responsibilities as deputy managing editor, the best way to approach him if you want to work together, why he appreciated brevity and camaraderie, and more.
Today on Coffee with a Journalist we’re joined by Shannen Balogh, a reporter at Insider. Shannen covers payments and fintech on the finance team at Insider. She is interested in the future of how we pay and get paid, and the role that startups and incumbents play in payments innovation. She started at Insider as an editorial fellow in September of 2019 before becoming a junior reporter in March of 2020.
On today’s episode, Shannen shares more about using labels in her inbox, where she gets inspiration for her stories, the percentage of relevant pitches she receives, and more.
This week we’re joined by Rebecca Bellan, a transportation reporter at TechCrunch. Rebecca covers all things transportation for TechCrunch including the tech and the people behind how people move throughout cities, and how companies bring sustainable mobility to the world. Previously, she has held positions at Forbes, CityLab, and The Atlantic.
During the episode today, Rebecca talks about pitch subject lines, the annoyance of follow ups, the uniqueness of writing about technology, and more.
“I speak from the perspective of someone who was a guest on this lively show. Beck Bamberger does a great job of setting a relaxed tone that produces an entertaining and informative conversation that makes a download worth the time for the listeners, particularly for public relations professionals. I recommend giving it a whirl”
“PR pros - if you aren’t listening to this podcast you need to! Each week this podcast goes behind the scenes with well known journalists and gives you insight into what they are working on, tips for pitching, what they do and don’t like. You sometimes learn personal info which you can leverage in your pitches. We all know that cutting through the weeds and getting a reporters attention is getting harder and harder but this podcast gives you the tools to get a reporter to respond and get your client the coverage they want!!!! Make sure you add this to your list of favorites.”
“I have listened to several episodes of this podcast and have found them extremely valuable.
The journalists on the show share tips about what they look for in pitches, the dynamics of their
team/outlets, how they compile their stories, and what their thoughts are on the changing
journalism landscape.
All PR pros should be listening to this podcast! It’s been so helpful.
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