Timing Matters, When Should You Pitch to The Media?
One of the most common questions people want an answer to is the question of timing. When issuing a press release or pitching a story to the media, when is the best time? The answer, of course, is that it varies. It depends largely on the media representatives themselves. Each journalist, reporter, and media blogger has their own preferences, timeline, and personality. Some, for example, hit their email inbox first thing in the morning. Others, wait until later in the day. We’ve collected some of the best tips and advice to help you put the pieces together because, ultimately, it depends on your schedule and the person that you’re pitching to.
- The Early Bird Gets the Worm. Most media representatives are sifting through their emails first thing in the morning. They have deadlines in the afternoon and are often looking for story ideas or tying up loose ends in the morning. Sending your email in the morning, before seven or eight o’clock, means that it will be there when your media rep gets into the office.
- Ask if you’re unsure. Some media representatives are quite clear about when they respond to emails. For example, they might say that they don’t even check their inbox until after three in the afternoon. They might be in meetings in the morning or wrapping up their story for the day. Pick up the telephone and ask them when the best time is.
- A week before your launch. It’s important to give your media representatives at least a week to research and potentially write the story. If you have a product being released on Tuesday, don’t pitch a press release to them on Monday. Give them a full week.
- Research their deadlines. Some media representatives and journalists publish their deadlines. Visit their website or the website of the publication and read the submission guidelines. You can learn a lot by doing a bit of research, and it helps you time your release more effectively.
- Keep the season in mind. Seasonal stories may require a bit more advance time and planning. Make sure when you do pitch that your story idea isn’t conflicting with a big industry conference or other pre-planned events that are likely to have big media coverage.
Timing your press release and/or story idea is a balance of when it is good for you and when your idea is more likely to grab the media’s attention. There really is no good day; any day Monday through Friday is fine. However, the time of day and the lead time that you give the media representative can and do matter.
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