“Exclusive” is the most overused word in a pitch. To an editor it means one thing: nobody else will publish this story before we do, and nobody else will get the same material.
What counts
- First access to the news, with a clear embargo
- Material nobody else receives — data, a customer, a document
- Time with the spokesperson before anyone else
What does not
Sending the same release to six outlets and calling each an exclusive. Editors talk to each other, and they remember.
