Writing Personalized Pitches That Get Replies and Build Relationships

Justin Joffe is the Editorial Director and Editor-in-Chief at Ragan Communications where he oversees the editorial strategy for Ragan across brands and products. In addition to his editorial duties, Joffe also advises the programming team on best-in-class conferences, webinars and workshops during a time of unprecedented change in the way that communicators and marketers learn and meet. He is also a freelance journalist and communications writer specializing in the arts and culture, media and technology, and ad tech beats. Before joining the Ragan team, Joffe worked for Muck Rack, PR News, and The Observer. Additionally, his writing has appeared in several publications including Vulture, Newsweek, Vice, Relix, Flaunt, and many more. You can find him on X @joffaloff.

Brian Josephs is a copy editor at VICE NEWS and freelance writer living in Brooklyn, NY who focuses on culture, politics, and sports. His work can be found in VICE, GQ, Pitchfork, Entertainment Weekly, and others.

Domenica D’Ottavio is a content marketer and digital PR manager at Fractl. Throughout her career, she has secured hundreds of top-tier placements for clients at publishers like the New York Times, the Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, Mashable, CNN, & TIME. Now in brand marketing for her agency, she has spearheaded dozens of top-of-the-line industry research studies to glean new insights into content, social media, marketing tactics, and digital pr strategies. Her advice and findings have been featured on the HubSpot blog, Moz, Search Engine Journal, Marketing Land, Marketing Profs, PR Daily, and more. In her free time, she enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding, travel, and Italian food.

Nicole Smith is a Senior Communications Officer for the International Rescue Committee where she leads global communications for gender equality, with a focus on amplifying programmatic work and research specific to women’s economic empowerment, gender-based violence, healthcare, and more. With more than 15 years of international communications experience, Nicole’s previous roles have focused on corporate thought leadership for female executives at IAC, Intel, and Microsoft, while prior contracting work has been completed for UN Women's Governance and National Planning Unit. Nicole cut her teeth in New York’s PR agency world and served as a Travel Contributor for About.com while living in Paris, France. She received her M.S. in Global Affairs with a concentration in Global Gender Studies and a specialization in Data & Analytics in 2020 from New York University. She received her B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications in 2006, also from New York University.