PR pros often ask me or talk amongst themselves about when to pitch. Are Mondays OK. Will anyone read on Fridays. Will my pitch always be accepted if I send it at 11:11 on a Wednesday and make a wish. With few common-sense exceptions (avoid holidays, weekends and the afternoons of the days before those), I don't think you need to worry about it. Every reporter has their own rhythms in their work and their personal life and PTO. You're never going to know it all. I don't even know it all and it's my life. Focus more on the content of your pitch and the recipient of your pitch than the time. You'll have better results 100% of the time. Promise.
Adam Kiefaber
4mo
While I agree that it is best to not overthink it, as an ex-reporter I never liked to get a good pitch at the end of the day (4-6pm). We are all trying nail deadlines and wrap up our days to get home. Just a heads up to those post-market breaking news pitches. If you are a PR pro and find yourself in that spot, try to determine if you are able to give your trusted media contact a heads up that something big is coming their way (sometimes you can’t). Generally, I used to get this question a lot as a reporter, and my answer was always “sure” to whatever time they asked was OK. Are Mondays OK? “Sure.”
Bhaskar Majumdar
4mo
Effective Media Pitching: Insights from 24 Years of Experience. Having started my journey with Orkut and now comfortably managing podcasts, blogs, Twitter chats, and more, I’ve gathered some key insights into effective media pitching, especially in the Indian context: Avoid Mondays (especially mornings): Most media houses have their weekly editorial meetings on Monday mornings to plan the week. Avoid Fridays (especially evenings): Friday is the closing day of the week, and it’s best to avoid pitching then. Avoid Weekends: Journalists have their own lives too, so it's best to respect their time off. Official Hours Only: Preferably share pitch notes, messages, or calls during official hours unless it’s breaking news. No Personal Emails: Don’t send any pitch notes to journalists' personal email IDs. No Bulk Mails: Avoid sending bulk emails. Many media houses do not entertain emails marked to more than 10 people. Clear and Newsworthy: Always have a clear headline. The first paragraph of the pitch note should be crisp, short, and newsworthy. These practices have helped me build strong and respectful relationships with journalists over the years. I can share more
Brad Smith
4mo
One thing I'd add: In a 24/7 news cycle, it's always deadline somewhere; one can take advantage of that reality, at least in terms of media relations and the general interest media ... one can actually turn a time zone differential into an advantage; if your institution and its SMEs are on the West Coast, for example, you may have success reaching the late night or over-night media opportunities on the East Coast (your SMEs' competition is already in bed, so to speak); conversely, if you're on the East Coast, reach out to the early morning opportunities on the West Coast. Similar opportunities can be pursued outside of North America, of course.
Parry Headrick
4mo
FALSE: You just have to pick up the phone and call in favors to your reporter besties, even if there’s not a strong news hook. Easy-peasy. That’s why it’s so important to brag about “which reporters we know” in new business pitches and job interviews.
Zakary Paget
4mo
I couldn't agree more. If you put in 95% of the work ahead of actually picking up the phone or clicking send on that email you've helped give yourself a chance to succeed far more than sweating about any specific time. - Craft a compelling pitch that is newsworthy and well suited to the reporter's interests/beat - Anticipate and address their initial questions/concerns in the upfront - Offer a meaningful next-step value-add (i.e. unique content, access to a thought leader) - Whenever possible, pitch with enough of a time cushion to give the reporter flexibility Worry about the 'when' once these steps are ready.
Brian Kramer
4mo
If anything, just pitch with enough time planned ahead so that a reporter can write the story.
Scott Moody
4mo
Know what's awesome? When you agonize over the right day and time to pitch a specific person, finally land on what you think is most strategic, fire it off, and immediately get an OOO reply from that reporter.
Mikey Collard
4mo
I'm a big believer in Friday-morning pitching. Have had a lot of success with it over the years. :)
I agree with Brian. As an editor, I am always going to prioritize responses to pitches that have obviously been well-thought-out and consider our publicly available editorial calendar. Even more so if you've offered me plenty of time to arrange the story and have your SME/s lined up. There is no rhyme or reason to when I am answering email, I simply get too many of them to have that. I will say: do not resend the email repeatedly and often. Please!
I once pitched a reporter at 8pm (10pm their time) and had a response in 5 minutes. Granted, it was time-sensitive and definitely of significant news value, but I also knew he was a bit of a night owl (interactions with him often came at night). Would I do it again? Yes, for him, but not for others. Thanks Allison Carter for sharing light on the editor's view.