Haystack

Features

Media outreach automation

HaystackReviewed August 24, 2026

The main cost in good outreach is judgment: who genuinely covers this, what can the company contribute, and why is the message timely? Software should protect those questions instead of bypassing them.

What Media outreach automation should do

The workflow should research from a defined opportunity, build a narrow list with explicit reasons, prepare messages that respect each writer's work, and halt automation when a conversation begins.

A practical workflow

  1. Describe the contribution in editorial terms.
  2. Find coverage connected to the subject and verify the author.
  3. Write the match reason before generating the pitch.
  4. Review and send through the connected Gmail account.
  5. Stop on reply and keep the conversation with a person.

Where the automation needs a boundary

Avoid purchased lists, irrelevant beats, fabricated familiarity, automated reply handling, and repeated follow-up after a decline. A missing reason for contact should remove the recipient from the queue.

How to evaluate the software

CheckA useful standard
List provenanceEvery contact traces to relevant public work.
Individual rationaleThe match exists before the draft.
Send controlsDaily caps and suppressions apply across jobs.
Conversation handoffAutomation stops when a person replies.

What to measure

Measure relevant replies, information requests, conversations, placements, and relationship quality. Also review negative replies, suppressions, and no-response patterns by opportunity type.

Frequently asked questions

How many media pitches should automation send?
Use the smallest list supported by clear relevance. Set a conservative daily cap and increase only when reply quality shows the matching process is sound.
Can the work require approval?
Yes. Haystack keeps consequential publishing and sending actions behind the approval or autonomy rule chosen for that job.
Which channels can Haystack act through?
Haystack can publish approved pages to Webflow, send approved outreach and nurture through Gmail, and publish approved LinkedIn posts.