How to sell to Founders at Media & publishing companies
Founders in the media and publishing industry prioritize audience growth, specifically measured by unique monthly visitors. They respond to outreach that demonstrates a clear understanding of their content strategy and how a solution can enhance engagement or streamline operations. Highlighting relevant industry trends or shifts can make your outreach more compelling.
Written and maintained by the SoloRiff team, who build outbound software and run outbound with it. The figures below are our own: we measured 563 media & publishing company domains over public DNS on 2026-09-03. Last updated 2026-09-03.
What actually hurts
- content saturation
- declining ad revenue
- audience retention challenges
- operational inefficiencies
The playbook
- 01
Identify recent content partnerships
Research media companies that have recently announced new content partnerships or collaborations. Use tools like PR Newswire or industry newsletters to find announcements. This indicates they are open to new ideas and may be looking for solutions to enhance their offerings.
- 02
Analyze their audience engagement metrics
Check their website and social media for engagement metrics such as shares and comments on recent articles. Tools like BuzzSumo can help identify which content resonates most. Tailor your messaging to address how your solution can further boost their engagement.
- 03
Craft a narrative around industry disruptions
Focus on recent disruptions in the media landscape, such as shifts to digital-first strategies or subscription models. Mention specific examples that relate to their operations. This shows you understand the challenges they face and positions your outreach as relevant and timely.
- 04
Address common objections about ROI
Be prepared to counter objections regarding return on investment, especially if they are hesitant to invest in new tools. Provide insights on cost-saving efficiencies or potential revenue increases based on industry benchmarks. This will help alleviate their concerns about financial commitment.
- 05
Propose a specific time for a call
Suggest a specific date and time for a call, ideally within a week, to discuss how your insights can align with their growth goals. Be clear about the agenda, focusing on their unique challenges. This direct approach can increase the likelihood of a positive response.
Can media & publishing companies even receive your mail?
We measured the DNS of 563 media & publishing companies, sampled evenly across company sizes, to see how many authenticate their own email. It matters in both directions: a domain that does not authenticate is a domain whose team is used to mail going missing — and if your own domain is in the gap, yours is the mail going missing.
Publishes a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject — the domain actually asks receivers to act on failures.
The gap is the finding: 24.2% of 1–10-person companies against 82.9% of the largest — 59 points apart. Small companies are where the unauthenticated domains are, and small companies are who most cold outreach is aimed at.
Where does your domain sit?
Same three lookups, run live against your domain. Nothing is stored and nothing is emailed to you.
How this was measured
Company domains were sampled within employee-count bands, then queried over public DNS for SPF (TXT at the apex), DMARC (TXT at _dmarc.) and MX. One domain per company, deduplicated. Anyone can reproduce any single row of this with dig.
DKIM is deliberately absent. A DKIM key lives under a selector that cannot be enumerated from outside the domain, so a company with flawless DKIM under a name we did not guess would be counted as having none. That would measure our guess list, not the industry.
Domains with no MX record are excluded rather than counted as failures — parked and redirect-only domains would otherwise drag every figure down and make the result an artefact of the sample.
Sampled within bands, so this describes the population of companies, not of employees: a 10-person company counts once, as does a 10,000-person one. Each band is at least 60 domains; bands below that are not published. Figures are percentages of the sample, not of the whole industry, and we publish no company names — only counts.
Measured 2026-09-03. Re-measured monthly.
The full census across every industry — sortable, with sample sizes, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Subject lines that fit
- Boost your audience engagement
- Navigating media disruptions
- Transforming your content strategy
Questions
- Why do founders in media ignore cold outreach?
- Founders often receive numerous pitches daily, making them selective about engagement. They prioritize communications that demonstrate a deep understanding of their unique challenges and industry context, rather than generic sales pitches. Personalization and relevance are key to capturing their attention.
- What content strategies are founders currently exploring?
- Many founders are exploring subscription models, premium content offerings, and partnerships to diversify revenue streams. They are also focused on leveraging data analytics to better understand their audience and tailor content accordingly. Highlighting solutions that support these strategies can resonate well.
- How can I make my outreach stand out to media founders?
- To stand out, use specific examples of how your insights or solutions have helped similar companies overcome challenges. Incorporate industry trends and data that align with their goals. A personalized approach that speaks directly to their current needs will increase your chances of engagement.
- What timing is best for reaching out to media founders?
- Timing can vary, but reaching out early in the week, particularly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, tends to yield better responses. Founders are often busy with weekly planning on Mondays and may be less responsive. Aim for a clear, concise message that respects their time.
Or have it run itself
SoloRiff does every step above on its own — finds the companies, finds the people, writes each of them individually, and handles the replies. Drop your URL and watch it work before you sign up for anything.
Try it on your site