How to Pitch Matt Hussey

1) What’s the best way to pitch you? 

Sadly no one has come up with a better way to send large amounts of information than email, so email is currently the best. However, I must add that email is low on my list of priorities so there may be some wait to receive a reply. I ask, nay, implore that you don't keep sending more emails after the first. I check my inbox from oldest to newest - my current unread list is 206 emails long - so the more you send the longer it takes to receive a reply.

2) What’s the best time to pitch you?

Early morning

3) What kind of stories interest you?

I'm interested in stories with a soul. There are a million tech stories out there, and a million outlets who would love to write about your product. However, I'm looking for something human, emotive, I'm looking to know more about the people who build things and why. 

4) What tips would you give someone pitching you?

Keep it short, don't dump everything on the first email as I'm easily overwhelmed. Make it personal to me. I rarely, if ever read generic press releases. Understand what The Next Web is, how it talks to its audience and try and understand where and why it would be a good fit.

5) What will you never write about?

The Uber for... 

6) What's the best pitch you ever got?

Would you like to come to Kazakhstan and check out our tech scene?

7) Do you prefer to receive news in a press release or a different format?

A short paragraph introducing who you are what you want to talk about and why you have chosen to speak to me - BEYOND MY JOB TITLE.

8) How do you feel about embargoes?

It's an industry thing, we live with it. Although recently one publication will always break them so they seem increasingly difficult to maintain.

9) What are some of the biggest mistakes that people make when pitching you?

Generic press releases, getting arsey because I haven't replied. It's not that I'm ignoring you, it is quite simply that I've not got round to reading it yet. I manage a team of 11 people across nine different time zones. I barely have enough time to do my laundry. 

10) What's the biggest misconception/s that you think people have about the media?

That we're all a bunch of arseholes that only write about the big companies. We care deeply about covering companies and ideas that can make the world a better place. It's just sometimes we're a bit short on time and there aren't enough hours in the day to cover the news, write about things we care about, engage with the community and respond to email.