Burson acquires Limbik to strengthen AI solutions

Journalists receive hundreds of pitches every week. Most never make it beyond the inbox. So what makes one worth opening, and (more importantly) worth turning into a story? 

Join Telum Media for the next webinar in our Practitioner Series, as Reuben Aitchison takes a practical look at what journalists actually want from PR pitches in 2026, what makes a story stand out, and how communications teams can improve their chances of earning meaningful coverage. 

Drawing on Telum Media's insights from more than 10,000 journalists across APAC and the Middle East, alongside current thinking from journalists, editors and leading PR practitioners, this exclusive event for Telum Media clients will explore why successful pitching starts long before the email is written. 

 25 August 2026, Online via Zoom
⏰ 9.00am - 10.00pm GST
⏰ 1.00pm - 2.00pm SGT / HKT
⏰ 3.00pm - 4.00pm AEST
⏰ 5.00pm - 6.00pm NZST 

In this session, we’ll cover: 

• What journalists actually want: Key insights from Telum Media’s Journalist Interest Survey and what they tell us about relevance, newsworthiness, evidence and good pitching etiquette.

• Finding the story before writing the pitch: How to move beyond an announcement, identify a meaningful “so what?” and build an angle around audience relevance.

• Understanding an outlet’s “content DNA”: Why knowing a journalist’s beat is no longer enough - and how to match your story to the person, publication, audience, format and moment.

• Building the story before pressing send: The evidence, data, human stories, spokespeople, access and assets journalists need to turn an idea into coverage.

• Getting to the point: What makes a subject line and opening compelling, how much information to include and how to make a pitch easy to assess quickly.

• Pitching beyond traditional media: How to adapt your approach for news creator-led formats, including the different expectations.

• AI and the rise of the generic pitch: Where AI can genuinely help with research and preparation - and where it risks making outreach less distinctive, less credible and easier to ignore. 

Register for Telum Media Practitioner Series: Perfecting the pitch

Anggi Ramadhani has started a new role as Communications Specialist at the Government Digital Transformation Acceleration Committee in Indonesia.

In the role, she supports strategic communications, government relations, stakeholder engagement, and public policy communications across Indonesia’s digital transformation agenda. Her work includes developing narratives, engaging media and key stakeholders, and coordinating communications across government ministries and agencies to align messaging around national priorities.

Anggi previously spent more than five years at APCO, advising clients across the technology, aviation, healthcare, and non-governmental sectors on strategic communications, public affairs, and stakeholder engagement.

Thrive PR has appointed Sophie Maguire to head its Melbourne operations, while Kyra Shakspeare and Lwindi Ellis have been elevated to lead the Brisbane and Auckland offices respectively.

The moves follow the recent launch of Acuity, Thrive’s corporate communications sister agency.

"I truly never imagined I'd be in this position when I walked through the doors as a 21-year-old in 2008,” Sophie said.

“I've had the opportunity to work with incredible people and brands, both internationally and here in Australia, but I've always found my way back to Thrive. It really does feel like a full-circle moment, and I'm genuinely excited to help shape the next chapter of our Melbourne office while building on the strong foundations already in place. Melbourne is Australia's cultural and sporting capital, and I see a huge opportunity for brands who want to be part of the conversations shaping culture."

In Queensland, Kyra added: "We are building a sharp, infectious energy, zero fluff, and utterly indispensable team. I want our clients to view us less like a hired agency and more like their sharpest internal comms experts.

“There's an unapologetic momentum up here in Queensland. We have shed the reputation of being a secondary market. We stand on its own two feet, and brands want an authentic presence here. Brisbane 2032 isn't just a distant sporting event on the calendar, it's an active, six-year golden runway that is fundamentally transforming how businesses talk about legacy, impact and global relevance today. Our role is to be the ultimate cheat code for clients on that journey, helping local brands scale onto the world stage and ensuring global brands show up with real local cred."

Lwindi’s vision for Thrive New Zealand is clear: she wants to grow the Auckland-based team, building on current momentum to provide NZ expertise to Trans-Tasman brands and locally based organisations.

"I was fortunate to have already worked with Thrive for six months before stepping into this role, which gave me a proper runway to understand the agency culture and get to know our global clients like BYD and Afterpay, so when the chance came to take the reins of the NZ business, I jumped at it. Thrive's an ambitious, creative and forward-thinking agency and I'm delighted to be driving its business here in Aotearoa,” she said.

(Pictured L-R: Sophie Maguire, Kyra Shakspeare and Lwindi Ellis)