How to time your holiday media pitches

PR pros know that the timing of sending/receiving pitches could mean the difference between a story getting written and published—and it going straight in the trash.

If a story is pitched too late to be published while it is still relevant, a journalist most likely won’t even pass it along for approval. If a pitch is sent to early, it will get put on the back burner and could be forgotten.

When it comes to pitching stories with a holiday angle, timing can become a bit more tricky.

When is the ideal time to pitch?

There is a sweet spot when it comes to pitching holiday related stories for optimum exposure. Carrie Hyman, hospitality director at TARA, Ink says that it could depend entirely on what type of story you’re pitching.

“It truly depends if you’re pitching long or short lead media. For long lead I like to begin pitching holiday stories as early as September (three months in advance); for short lead online or broadcast media I begin pitching my offers or gift guides six weeks in advance and continue to chase up regularly,” Hyman says.

Zlata Faerman, owner of ZlataPR, notes that the timing of pitching could depend on what type of publication being pitched.