Agency and client names have been anonymized. This is a quarterly recap email I sent to the full pitching team at the start of Q2, comparing Q1 performance to Q4. Data was compiled from the agency's live pitching tracker (Biteometer), Trello, and manual tracking.
Team,
Q1 is in the books. Before we get into Q2 planning, I want to take a clear-eyed look at what we accomplished, where we fell short, and what I think we should focus on next quarter. This isn't a victory lap or a lecture. It's a snapshot so we're all working from the same data.
All numbers below come from the Biteometer. If something looks off, flag it and I'll check.
| Client | Total Bites | Published | Declined | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Client A] | 70 | 7 | 12 | Bloomberg x2 |
| [Client B] | 66 | 10 | 14 | Top converter |
| [Client C] | 44 | 6 | 8 | Bloomberg, Wired |
| [Client D] | 33 | 2 | 7 | New account, ramping |
| [Client E] | 27 | 2 | 6 | Strong podcast traction |
The headline is good: we generated 50% more bites in Q1 than Q4 (603 vs. 402). Published placements were up 24% (57 vs. 46). Interviews booked ticked up from 16 to 19. We hit Bloomberg three times in Q1. Those are real wins and you should feel good about them.
But there's a number I want us to pay attention to: our conversion rate dropped from 11.4% to 9.5%. We're generating more activity but converting less of it into coverage. More on that below.
Interviews dominated Q1 (181 bites, up 74% from Q4). Event meetings nearly doubled (87 vs. 47), which reflects a strong conference season and good in-person relationship building. Op-ed pitching was up 58% (57 vs. 36), and newsjacking almost doubled (25 vs. 13).
The event meetings number is worth calling out specifically. That's not just "we showed up at more events." That's the team actively converting conference presence into real reporter conversations. Keep doing that.
[Client B] had the best conversion rate of any account this quarter: 10 published placements from 66 bites (15.2%). That's well above the team average. Worth looking at what's working there and whether we can apply it elsewhere.
[Client A] generated the most total activity (70 bites) and landed two Bloomberg hits, but their conversion rate was 10%. Not bad, but given the volume of pitching, there's room to be more targeted.
We're pitching more, but a smaller percentage is turning into coverage. Need to be honest about whether we're pitching things that aren't ready or reporters who were never going to cover.
One in five bites ended in an explicit decline. Rather see us pitch fewer, more targeted reporters than spray wider.
More reporters went silent after initial engagement. Follow-up cadence might be a factor. If someone shows interest and we don't get back within a day, we lose them.
Good quarter overall. The volume growth is real and the Tier 1 placements speak for themselves. But we have room to get sharper, and I'd rather we fix the conversion issue now than let it become a trend.
Flag me if any of these numbers don't match what you're seeing on your accounts. Happy to dig in on anything.
-- [Account Manager]