Memorial Day Pitching?

A former boss of mine used to say that holidays were the best time to pitch media because they were slow media days and reporters would be less inundated with pitches from PR pros.  I even argued in a recent post that reaching out to media out of regular office hours could be a good way to reach those reporters that keep irregular hours.  So it would stand to reason that I support pitching on holidays.  But I don’t.

The rationale behind routinely pitching (certain media members) outside of regular hours is that certain reporters and editors keep irregular hours: For example, some freelancers with day jobs habitually check email and conduct business late at night or on weekends.  Additionally, there are news desks and reporters that support weekend programs, so you need to do your homework.  In other words, when reaching out to media, you must discover how they work and when they’re most active in order to create relationships.

Holidays, by contrast, are breaks to routines.  To target a reporter on a holiday is more of a last-ditch, one-off effort.  That’s not to say that you can’t produce some results that way, and certain opportunities are time-sensitive, but overall it’s not the best way to begin a relationship, which should be the ultimate goal when practicing media relations.

Instead, spend the down time reading, researching and preparing.  When you find someone you think might be interested in your client (if you’re a PR pro) or your business (if you’re an entrepreneur), wait until after Memorial Day to reach out to them.

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