What PR gets wrong about pitching independent media

Amanda Coffee is CEO of Coffee Communications and ex-Under Armour, PayPal and eBay.  

The rise of multi-platform storytelling, from newsletters to long-form video and live events, demands a different kind of pitch, one rooted in depth, perspective, and staying power.

In this conversation, Hope King of Macro Talk, a former business reporter at Business Insider, CNN, Cheddar, and Axios who also brings experience from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, shares how independence has reshaped her editorial lens. She unpacks what makes an executive interview worth her time and how communications professionals can better align with a format that prioritizes insight over sound bites.

Now that you’re independent, how has your reporting style or editorial lens changed compared to your time in traditional media?

Macro Talk‘s editorial lens is built to answer three questions: Where is the economy headed? What will jobs look like? And how should workers and business leaders prepare? In traditional newsrooms where I worked — Business Insider, CNN, Cheddar, Axios — I was tied to breaking news cycles and daily newsletters. Now I finally have time to thoroughly read, research, report, and most importantly, think. I’m not chasing a quick take or a day-of sound bite. I’m looking for deep insight and the big picture by piecing together how economic, societal, and technological forces shape one another.

Independence also lets me bring more of my pre-journalism background into the reporting. Before becoming a journalist, I was a VP of business development and product at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. That means I know both sides of the stories I cover — the employee navigating the system and the operator making the calls.

What’s a recent pitch or executive interview invitation that was an immediate ‘yes’ for you, and what made it stand out? 

Tom Eggemeier, the CEO of Zendesk, was an immediate yes. I say yes fastest to leaders whose companies sit at the intersection of the forces I cover — and Zendesk hits several: its products touch a huge swath of the economy, AI is going to reshape its future, and its private equity ownership structure raises another set of important questions. The other green flag: he hadn’t done many long-form sitdowns. That matters a lot to me. I’m not looking to recycle past conversations. That’s what separates journalistically-driven shows like Macro Talk from a lot of the podcasts out there.

What do you wish PR representatives and startup founders knew about pitching you a compelling interview?

Long-form podcasts require a special type of physical and intellectual stamina. We tape for an hour, generally speaking, and the conversations can travel from the macro to the cultural to the personal. Talking points will not work. When I sense a guest won’t be able to go the distance or the depth, I’ll suggest a re-pitch later — it’s not a no forever. The most successful guests are ones who have their own mind.

What do you think about your platform mix across newsletters, video, podcasts, and live journalism, and what role does each play?

Macro Talk is YouTube– and LinkedIn-first. Audiences crave nuance, and the long-form video podcast is the best platform for that. My target audience is on LinkedIn, and that’s also where the conversations about what I’m reporting on are happening, so I focus there too. I launched my newsletter as the final part of my news stack because video is harder to get started with — and because I was hoping to get into the beehiiv Media Collective, which I did! (There was never any question that beehiiv was the right platform for me, because I’m building a media company, not just a newsletter business.)

Each format plays to a different audience. Not everyone likes podcasts. Not everyone likes newsletters. But I would say the video podcasts are the brand — they show audiences who I am as a reporter and interviewer. The newsletter is more intimate; it’s the place where readers can really hear my voice. And live journalism is where I’m at my best, where I have the most fun. Great moderation means juggling crowd energy, guest focus, AV, and editorial questions all at once — and that’s before you account for the prep, which is a whole other Q&A. 

Which formats or channels are currently driving the strongest engagement or growth for you? 

LinkedIn. I’ve doubled my following there since the beginning of last year, and by only posting roughly once a week. It’s where the people talking about my coverage areas already are, and it’s the platform where I can be most authentic in my voice without the toxicity that comes with other platforms. YouTube has been a deliberately slower build. It’s a different visual and editorial language than the TV work I did at CNN and Cheddar, and I’d rather get the content right first.

What recent story or interview went the most ‘viral’ with social sharing? Why do you believe it was so popular?

A LinkedIn clip featuring Harness CEO Jyoti Bansal announcing the company’s $5.5 billion valuation. There was a big news hook, a big number, and a conversation that reflected what Macro Talk is fundamentally about — evolving stories like the tension between Silicon Valley and labor.

As AI increasingly shapes discovery and distribution, how are you thinking about building and maintaining trust with your audience?

Events, partnerships, transparency and doing more earned media myself. 

First, I love live journalism because it’s a shared experience AI can’t replicate. Across my video podcasts, newsletter, and stage work, my audience can also verify that I’m not trying to be someone different in any of these mediums. Second, I’m focused on building long-term relationships with the right brand and editorial partners, because telling important stories well takes shared investment, not one-off transactions. Third, I try to be transparent about how I work and think, because in an AI-saturated landscape, showing the origin of the work will become more crucial. 

And lastly, doing more earned media for myself and the Macro Talk brand will help people understand more of my human story — which feels especially important right now, as more women are stepping into media leadership roles and reshaping what these companies look like from the top.