When I first got into media relations, a few pitching best practices were hammered into my head on a regular basis. For example:
- Know who you’re pitching and what they’re after
- Tailor your pitch
- Don’t bcc a “mailing list” of pitch recipients (pitchees?)
- Don’t pitch journalists when they’re on deadline
When it came to print journalists, that last bullet translated to “don’t pitch journalists after around 2:30 or so.” I’ve stuck to that as much as possible since that time (of course, it varies for radio and television depending on when the show runs, and hence when people are around). However, a conversation I had recently with my colleague Karen Nussbaum has got me rethinking that approach.
New rules for timing pitches?
Here’s the theory:
The idea of print journalists’ deadlines has always centred around the 24hr news cycle, where stories were assigned in the morning, researched and drafted during the day and which culminated in a deadline for the story to be filed mid-afternoon. Trying to call a reporter anywhere near that deadline would result in you getting ignored or (sometimes) told off for not respecting their time.
In today’s media environment, stories are filed for the web throughout the day. Often they’re filed multiple times, with information being added as stories develop. As a result, the afternoon deadline has turned into constant pressure and ever-looming deadlines. For the media relations folks, that means:
- Journalists are always pressed for time (as one said to me a little while back when I asked if it was a good time to talk, “it’s never a good time – I’m always busy”).
- Afternoon pitching is no worse than morning pitching. In fact, it may be better as they’ve had a chance to clear out their inbox from the morning… and if everyone else is calling in the morning, you may have a better chance of getting through in the afternoon.
What’s more, the emergence of email as a pitching tool means initial outreach can be asynchronous- if journalists are busy they can read them later.
Is it time to re-think the old rules around when to pitch print journalists?
Public relations pros: does this picture fit with your recent experience?
Journalists: does this ring true for you?
Tags: media relations, PR, Public Relations
Good thoughts here, Dave. Another tip I’d add is to make your phone pitch just as concise as your e-mail pitch. Four words, same meaning – Get.To.The.Point
@Worob
PR at Sunrise Blog – http://www.worob.com
If I have a hot tip, I call the journalist to ask if they are interested. Then I follow up with an e-mail with details, links, etc…
When I have something I want to provide to one or two outlets before going wide, I send background in an e-mail and let them know they are getting an advance. I also let them know the date and approximate time I will send the actual release.
We send general releases via an electronic broadcast system (we developed, use and sell RIPPLe, a more robust version of My Emma). This allows us to see who is reading our releases. Additionally, journalists can opt out from messages pertaining to specific clients.
Dave, I believe that it’s a 24/7 news cycle now. And, in order to create buzz and get pick-up, it’s not just the print media that has the greatest impact. As Kris pointed out, electronic releases have a far greater reach, along with social media, and other Web sites where target markets visit. The marketing objective may be to reach the customer, and what better way to do it than to talk to them directly? Besides, electronic activity builds organic SEO, and ultimately, visitors coming to a landing page is an ideal outcome.
Elaine, I completely agree. I spend 80%+ of my time thinking about digital communications. However, traditional media is still important (as you’ll likely notice if you correlate web traffic with media coverage). I think it’s critical that we continue to evolve that side of our approach to communications along with the shiny online aspect.
I accept that, Dave. Those who work in PR exclusively still have to forge good relationships with select print journalists anyway. Now, they just add bloggers, etc. to that mix.