Timing vs. Timely, Flattery vs. Insights, Short-term vs. the Long Game: What really counts in your pitching strategy
With 6.4 public relations professionals for every working journalist and 72% of journalists saying less than a quarter of pitches they receive are relevant, getting your pitch beyond the Inbox is a task easier said than done.
For PR pros, pitching is an everyday part of the job. But just because it’s familiar doesn’t mean it’s straightforward. Every pitch comes with its own set of considerations which will determine when, where, and to whom. If you’re stuck on how to craft the perfect pitch, read our recent blog “Pitch perfect: Top tips on how to break through crowded journalist Inboxes.”
Getting into a journalist’s Inbox is only half the battle. You’ve then got to make your pitch standout and obsessing over the finer details of the pitching process still matter – targets, tone, timing, they aren’t always where PR pros should be spending the majority of their time and energy.
We’re taking inspo from a recent PR Daily article to explore what really deserves your attention – and what you can afford to worry less about – when it comes to securing media coverage.
1. DON’T chase the ‘perfect’ time to hit send
When it comes to pitching, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach for timing.
It’s one of the most frequently asked questions in PR: “What’s the best day of the week to send a pitch? Is morning better than afternoon? Should Mondays be avoided altogether?”
There’s really no definitive answer. Every journalist has different routines, deadlines, and preferences. Not to mention that for global agencies, every journalist may be on a different time-zone!
A pitch sent at 9am might land at exactly the right moment for a journalist who’s just arrived at their desk, while another might still be on the morning school run.
But DO be timely – consider seasonality, geography, and relevance
While there’s no universal pitching window, that doesn’t mean timing should be an afterthought. It’s far more important to consider whether your story is timely and relevant to the journalist you’re targeting.
PR questions become “Is it a national holiday in their market? Has their working day started? Does the story resonate with audiences in that particular geography? Is there a wider industry conversation or seasonal event that makes your pitch particularly relevant right now?”
The focus should always be on ensuring the pitch itself is timely and relevant.
For IBA, “think global, go local” has always been the mantra.
We have a team of Pitch&Place specialists to make sure we have personalization down to a T. We have our own database of 120,000 global publications and 800,000 named journalists and we carefully analyze each target journalist’s subject matter, editorial calendars, and past output before drafting timely and relevant pitches.
2. DON’T rely on flattery – there’s more to a personalized pitch
Personalization has become an important part of media outreach – it helps establish relationships and build credibility. But there’s a distinct difference between demonstrating genuine knowledge of a journalist’s editorial coverage and simply adding a complimentary opening line.
Telling a journalist you’ve enjoyed their recent coverage is unlikely to make your pitch stand out if the rest of the email has little relevance to their interests.
DO rely on knowledge, insights, and research!
Research should inform the entire pitching approach.
You have to look beyond just their latest article headline. Research the topics a journalist regularly covers, the angles they tend to favour, the subject matter experts they interview, and the types of stories their publication looks for.
It’s where tactics such as trendjacking and social listening come into play. Trendjacking is the art of creating content that aligns with real-world industry challenges or events. Social listening is the process of monitoring and analyzing what journalists are speaking about and engaging with on social media to gain insights into customer pain points, market trends, and brand narratives.
Remember the smaller details too. Understanding a journalist’s preferred language, knowing how they like to be contacted and, most importantly, getting their name right (Dave or David?) all help demonstrate that you’ve done your homework.
3. DON’T make every interaction just about coverage
It’s tempting to measure the success of media relations by the number of pitches sent, responses received, or pieces of coverage secured – maybe even chase the vanity metrics of high UVPMs!
But focussing solely on immediate results can mean overlooking one of PR’s most valuable assets: building long-term journalist relationships.
It can take a number of months to start to see real traction from a new campaign, so unless you have a world-changing announcement, set expectation with keen C-suite and sales execs not to expect instant success.
DO build relationships – play the PR long game!
Remember, all journalists are human beings, and meaningful media relationships aren’t built overnight – they certainly don’t just begin and end with an email. We’re not here to establish new friendships, but trust happens through good relationships, and a good relationship with a journalist will be the building block for any PR campaign.
To gain credibility with your target audience, you need to establish trust, and a journalist will only write about companies they know, from sources they trust.
Don’t just focus on getting your next pitch opened. Think about how you can build a relationship that will make the next one even more impactful.
Beyond the Inbox: It’s about working smarter, not pitching harder
Ultimately, successful media relations isn’t about sending more emails, obsessing over the perfect time to press send, or squeezing in another personalized opening line. It’s taking a more considered, strategic approach to every interaction, and it’s the five things that an AI bot won’t tell you about!
Because getting into the Inbox is just the beginning – it’s what you do next is what really counts!
Georgia Harris PR Lead Themes at IBA International
