You've got a killer product. Maybe you're twenty-two and just closed a seed round, or you’re a teen coder who accidentally built a viral app. Honestly, it doesn't matter how good the tech is if nobody writes about it. Getting featured in a major outlet is basically the holy grail for growth. But here is the thing: most founders waste weeks emailing "generic" tips accounts at huge publications. They spam the TechCrunch tips line or the Forbes general inbox and wonder why they're met with dead silence. It’s because you aren't looking for a "publication." You are looking for specific reporters who tend to cover young entrepreneurs. These are the people whose entire beat is built around the "Next Gen" or "30 Under 30" ecosystem.
They’re looking for you. But they’re also drowning in a thousand pitches a day.
The heavy hitters in the "Gen Z" beat
If you’re looking for the big names, you start with the people who have built their entire reputation on scouting young talent. Take Alexandra Wilson at Forbes. She was a massive force behind the 30 Under 30 lists for years. She isn't just looking for a press release; she’s looking for a narrative. These reporters want to know how you think, not just your MRR. Then you have someone like Taylor Lorenz, who, while often focusing on the creator economy, is the gatekeeper for understanding how young founders leverage social platforms to build massive businesses.
If you're in the startup trenches, you've likely heard of Rebecca Szkutak. Formerly at Forbes and now a veteran venture capital reporter, she has a long history of digging into the early-stage founders that others miss. She knows the difference between a "paper unicorn" and a real business.
Why the "Young Founder" angle is actually a double-edged sword
Let's be real for a second. Being a "young entrepreneur" is a great hook, but it’s also a bit of a cliché. Reporters are kind of bored of the "dropped out of Stanford" narrative. They’ve heard it. A lot.
To get the attention of reporters who tend to cover young entrepreneurs, you need a "second act" to your pitch. It can't just be your age. Are you solving a demographic crisis? Is your supply chain radically ethical? Someone like Jessica Mathews at Fortune covers the intersection of climate and business. If you’re a young founder in the ESG space, she’s a much better target than a general "startup" reporter. She wants the "how" and the "why," not just the "who."
Finding the niche specialists
The mistake most people make is aiming for the Editor-in-Chief. Bad move. You want the person who just got promoted to a "Junior Reporter" or "Associate Editor" role. They are hungry. They need scoops to prove themselves.
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- Business Insider (Insider): Look for reporters like Callum Burroughs or Ben Pimentel. They cover the London and US tech scenes respectively and are known for breaking stories on early-stage rounds.
- TechCrunch: Mary Ann Azevedo is a powerhouse in fintech. If you’re twenty and building a neo-bank, she’s the one. Anna Heim covers international startups, particularly in Latin America.
- The Information: This is high-level. They don’t care about your "inspirational story" as much as they care about your unit economics. If you pitch someone like Jessica Lessin’s team, you better have your numbers straight.
It’s about alignment.
I remember talking to a founder who spent six months trying to get into The New York Times. He finally realized that a single mention in Term Sheet (Fortune's newsletter) or Pro Rata (Axios) would do more for his fundraising than a profile in a lifestyle magazine. Dan Primack at Axios is the king of the "quick hit" for founders. He’s looking for the deal. The data. The hard facts.
The "Twitter-First" strategy
Most of these journalists live on X (formerly Twitter) and Threads. They aren't reading cold emails as much as they are watching their feeds for interesting takes. Reporters who tend to cover young entrepreneurs often post "MSWL" (Manuscript Wish List) style queries.
"I'm looking for Gen Z founders in the AI-safety space," they’ll tweet. If you aren't there to reply in five minutes, you missed the window.
Don't just follow them. Engage with their work. If Andrew Ross Sorkin writes something about the macroeconomy that affects your industry, chime in. Don't pitch. Just add value. It sounds slow, but it’s the only way to not end up in the spam folder. Honestly, the "pitch" should feel like the third or fourth time they’ve seen your name.
What your pitch is missing (and why they’re ignoring you)
Stop using ChatGPT to write your pitches. They can tell. It’s obvious.
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The prose is too perfect, the structure is too symmetrical, and it lacks "soul." A real reporter wants a human story. Mention a specific article they wrote last week. Mention why you disagreed with one of their points. That shows you actually read their work.
Reporters who tend to cover young entrepreneurs are looking for "The Shift." What is changing in the world that makes your company inevitable?
- Bad Pitch: "I am a 19-year-old founder building a new social app for Gen Z." (Yawn. Everyone is.)
- Good Pitch: "I noticed you wrote about the loneliness epidemic in college students last Tuesday. I’ve spent the last six months building a platform that specifically addresses the 'third space' problem you mentioned, and we just hit 50k users at three state schools."
See the difference? You're a solution to a problem they've already identified.
The regional secret
Everyone wants the "big three": NYT, WSJ, Forbes. But you're sleeping on regional business journals. The Austin Business Journal, BostInno, or the Silicon Valley Business Journal are hyper-focused on their local ecosystems. The reporters there—people like Catherine Carlock (formerly Boston) or Cronin J.L.—are the ones who feed the national desks.
If you get a front-page story in your city’s business journal, a national reporter is ten times more likely to pick it up. It’s called "social proof" for PR.
Actionable steps to get on their radar
Don't just sit there. Start building your "Target 20" list.
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First, go to LinkedIn and search for "Startups Reporter" or "VC Correspondent." Filter by the publications you actually read. Look at their last five articles. If they haven't written about a person under 30 in the last year, they aren't your person. Cross them off.
Second, use a tool like Muck Rack or even just basic Google News alerts. Set an alert for "young founder" or "student entrepreneur." See who is writing those stories right now. Those are the reporters who tend to cover young entrepreneurs in 2026.
Third, fix your digital footprint. If a reporter Googles you and your LinkedIn hasn't been updated since 2023, they’ll assume your company is dead. They need to see activity. They need to see that you are a thought leader in your specific niche, not just a "kid with an idea."
Lastly, when you finally do send that email, keep it under 200 words. Seriously. No attachments. No "About Us" PDF that takes five minutes to download. Just a link to your site, a clear hook, and a "soft" ask for a 10-minute chat.
The goal isn't a 2,000-word profile on day one. The goal is a relationship. Reporters move around. The person at the local paper today might be at Wired next year. If you treat them like a human being instead of a "placement," you're already ahead of 99% of your competition.
Next Steps for Founders
- Identify your niche: Don't just look for "business" reporters. Find the person who specifically covers your vertical (Fintech, EdTech, Climate).
- Audit your "Why Now": Can you explain in two sentences why your story matters this week? If not, wait until you have a milestone (funding, launch, major partnership).
- Build the "Press Kit" quietly: Have high-res headshots and a clean "fact sheet" ready in a Google Drive folder. Do not send it until they ask, but have it ready so you don't look like an amateur when they do.
- Engage authentically: Start following your Target 20 on social media and comment on their work with actual insights, not just "great post!"