Two more tips i would love to add:

1) If your company is not currently newsworthy enough alone try pitching broader topics. eg the raise of wearable tech. Startup hype in City X. etc

Help the journalist with intro to other (not 100% competitive) founders.

2) Ask the journalist what kind of article he wants to write and what role our startup will play in this article (or where he sees you).

If you understand roughly what kind of article a journalist is going for you can deliver by far better usable quotes.