Pitching articles to journalists is a critical part of any PR strategy, but knowing when to send your press material is equally important. The average day of a reporter can be hectic and unpredictable at best and getting your news in front of them when it matters can often be the deciding factor in getting published or having your email ignored entirely.
Although there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to the question of when to pitch a press release, there are some general guidelines that can be applied to most situations.
Ideally, you want to target journalists at the quietest time of the day before the news cycle kicks in. This typically means early morning to lunchtime. The best days to plan your release are between Tuesday and Thursday. A short window, yes, but there are several key reasons for this. Weekends and holidays aren’t recommended for obvious reasons and on Friday there is a tendency for many to shift into weekend mode.
While there is no clear consensus on whether Monday is a good day to pitch or not, some research suggests more than half of journalists prefer to receive pitches on Monday over any other day.
Aside from these key points, there are several effective ways to time your announcement and grab the attention of time-poor journalists and editors.