Journalists say their biggest peeve when being pitched via email is receiving requests to cover stories that are irrelevant to their beats, according to recent research from Fractl.

The report was based on data from a survey conducted in 2019 among 500 journalists, writers, and bloggers who work either full-time or as freelance contributors for major online publishers.

Respondents rank receiving email pitches that are irrelevant or that indicate the person hasn't researched the journalist's work as the most offensive mistake senders make.

Other top pet peeves are receiving pitches that indicate the sender hasn't researched the publication, too many follow-ups, pitches that are too self-promotional, cold-calling, mass email blasts, pitches with generic angles to common stories, a lack of cooperation/transparency, a failure to personalize, and receiving a copy of a press release.