Earned-Media Fact Sheet: Prepare Before You Pitch

ReputeLabs editorial · A JC TECHLABS BRAND

A journalist asks a simple question. Can you answer it with a fact, a source and permission to share?

An earned-media fact sheet gives that question somewhere useful to land. For founders, technical leads and communications teams, it can be a small, maintainable document rather than a glossy presentation. Its purpose is not to make every statement impressive. It is to make the approved facts easy to understand and check.

This is an editorial preparation method, not a description of a ReputeLabs software product or a promise about a service deliverable. Adapt it to your organisation and agree any engagement scope separately.

1. State what is happening, without the adjectives

Begin with a short account of the development or expertise you want to discuss. What has changed? Who might find it useful? What can you explain that is relevant to that audience?

Separate an announcement from an ambition. Something planned is not something delivered. A claim such as “available now” needs a current basis, not a sentence copied from an old launch document.

If the story only makes sense after adding “revolutionary”, go back to the underlying facts.

2. Give each material claim a source

A practical fact sheet can use five fields:

This is a suggested editorial structure, not an industry certification or a ReputeLabs platform feature. Internal source references should stay internal unless they are approved for release. The version sent outside the organisation should contain only cleared material.

For technical stories, definitions matter. A test result should not become a claim about every deployment. A capability planned for a later release should not quietly become a present-tense feature.

3. Separate facts from proposed language

A spokesperson quote is not approved merely because it sounds plausible. Mark draft wording as a draft, obtain the speaker’s approval and keep the approved version identifiable.

The same care applies to customer names, partner descriptions, photographs and other organisations’ marks. Confirm permission before including them. If you cannot substantiate a statement or clear its use, omit it rather than inventing a substitute.

4. Prepare the questions, not just the opening line

List what a journalist is likely to ask: what changed, who it affects, what the limits are and who can explain the detail. Agree who can speak and which questions need a follow-up.

“Let us verify that” is a better answer than a confident guess. Spokesperson preparation should make room for uncertainty, not erase it.

5. Keep a clear approval boundary

Record the document owner, version date and person authorised to approve the external copy. When a material fact changes, re-check the affected statements and replace the old external version.

For teams used to release notes, think of this as a lightweight publishing discipline: one current version, a named reviewer and no unapproved changes slipped into the handover. A tidy document cannot guarantee coverage, but it can make the preparation more accountable.

6. Respect the decision you do not own

A fact sheet supports a conversation. It does not buy an editorial decision.

Editors and publishers decide whether and when to cover a story. Keep paid promotion distinct from earned editorial coverage, and never describe outreach completed as coverage secured. The ReputeLabs service principles explicitly rule out guaranteed media placement.

A considered starting point

Before the next pitch, ask: can we substantiate this, are we authorised to share it, and is someone ready to answer the next question?

ReputeLabs, a JC TechLabs brand, offers PR & media relations, including PR strategy, press materials, media outreach and spokesperson messaging. Deliverables and approval responsibilities are agreed before work starts. Discuss your PR brief.

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