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A briefing from Jessie Hewitson, Business and Money Editor, The i

Home PR Insights A briefing from Jessie Hewitson, Business and Money Editor, The i

Event summary: Top tips for pitching the Business and Money desks at The i

We’ve spoken to Jessie Hewitson, Business and Money Editor at The i. Read on to find out who to contact and when to make sure your email lands with a bang, and the stories that will prick up their ears.

Three top tips

  • The new Wednesday i Money supplement covers personal finance news, house buying stories and renter issues.
  • As The i is digital first, the news team doesn’t have the traditional print deadlines, meaning lead times are more fluid.
  • Humanising a finance story with a case study showing how people are being impacted is a popular move with the team.

Audience

  • Age varies from print to digital. Digital readership tends to be younger.
  • Jessie says The i enjoys a larger readership outside of London compared to The Times and The Sunday Times.
  • Readers come from all walks of life with a broad range of salaries.

Make note of the business pitching hours for each of the key business desks, and more. Find out:

  • Their key areas of interest
  • When to include surveys or research in pitches
  • Top tips on how to secure coverage

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Who to contact

  • Jessie Hewitson is the Business and Money Editor.
  • Grace Gausden is the Deputy Money Editor and handles mortgages, energy, and savings.
  • David Connett focuses on the business pages as Deputy Business Editor.
  • Laurie Havelock is the Business and Money Reporter and is responsible for pensions, investments and cryptocurrency.

How to contact

  • The preferred method of contact is via email. 
  • Journalists are happy to meet for a coffee but don’t waste their time – come prepared with a good story and detailed content. 
  • They are happy to receive follow ups but three attempts with no reply means no interest.

When to contact

  • The i has daily news meetings at 10am, so pitch before then.
  • Grace and Jessie plan the news pages up to a week in advance when possible. However, as they are digital first lead times are often fluid meaning there is space for big late stories.
  • Do not pitch after 4pm.

What to pitch

  • Business and finance are central to The i.
  • The i newsteam preferring fresh stories that they can develop, rather than those that have already been widely reported.
  • Jessie needs three to four headlines for her daily 10am meeting. Exclusive stories are always appreciated.
  • Pitch as much detail as you can. The more background information you provide the more attractive your story will be to the journalist.
  • They want their newspaper to be relatable to and easily understood by people from all walks of life.
  • Catchy headlines, good visuals and relevant data are essential to a good pitch.
  • Hot topics for the business team this year and next include energy, pensions, property and how people spend their money.
  • Small businesses are also a key focus – Jessie feels they tend to fall in between personal finance and business.
  • The new i Money Wednesday paper supplement section focuses on personal finance news, first time buyers, renter issues, mortgages, and prospects for the housing market.
  • Stories that investigate how financial issues are impacting the man on the street are especially popular.
  • Interviews with experts or the people featured in the case studies are extremely helpful.
  • The team are also keen to hear about stories that go beyond, and have nothing to do with, the cost-of-living crisis and energy problems.
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