In order to succeed as a Public Relations (PR) practitioner, good relationships are vital. As Elevate’s Media Director, one of the most important groups of people for me to build relationships with are journalists.

Fortunately, I worked in journalism for a number of years prior to entering the world of PR, and looking back, there were a few stand out practitioners who really made an impact.

In my current career, I have looked to many of these people for guidance and mentorship and continue to do so to better understand how I can get the best results for clients when it comes to media relations.

A major part of this is understanding journalists’ or newsrooms’ schedules which is just as important as delivering quality media releases and other materials that fit the media outlet’s style, voice and audience interests.

By knowing a newsroom schedule, such as when journalists like to be pitched to, when they will be MIA due to meetings, or simply when they like to have lunch, we will have a better chance at achieving coverage for the client, while building relationships with journalists.

But, don’t just take it from me! I reached out to a number of wonderful journalists from a selection of media outlets across Australia, and asked them, “Why is it important for a PR person to know a newsroom’s schedule?”

 

 

Print and online media:

Mackenzie Scott – Journalist at The Australian:

“I think knowing a newsroom’s schedule is really important for both sides of the journo/ PR relationship.

On my end, as a journalist, it allows me to forward plan my section and pitch forward to other areas of the paper, rather than scrambling to push content through of a Friday afternoon.

It also means that we can work more collaboratively to get from point a to b if everyone knows the lead times and deadlines involved.

For PRs, I think that it (a schedule) might better allow you to inform clients of what to expect and have a better sense about timeline planning (i.e. exclusive vs general mailout).

Whenever I meet a new PR rep, I always make sure they know my deadlines and the type of content I am looking for, for each publication.

It works really well and would recommend it to others.”

Jo Abi – Content Producer, 9Honey:

“Mondays and Fridays are busy, busy, busy.

Make contact ANY OTHER DAY, and the mornings are always a crazy rush to put the day up (publish the stories for the day), so between 11am and 3pm is ideal.”

Catherine Lambert – Arts Editor / Herald Sun:

“Primarily, to understand deadlines, taking into account the time it takes to arrange a photo and write the words. A lot of pitches come in way too late for us to use them.”

Brisbane Based Print / Online Journalist:

“Knowing a newsroom's schedule is key to the timing and manner in which you pitch stories. For example, many print/online newsrooms will want to get interviews done and stories written in the days leading up to an event day, rather than the day itself.

…Radio and TV people will also want to know about things ahead of time but are more likely to want to do interviews or live spots on the day itself.

More broadly, if you're pitching a story to a journalist at 3pm and their deadline is 4pm, that story is not getting written. You need to approach journalists with plenty of time, because your story is not the only story around on a given day, and you need to give it space to be seen.”

Valentina Todoroska – Lifestyle Editor, 10 Daily:

“Knowing a publication's schedule can help you to more organically put forward a suitable client who may fit in with editorial plans as opposed to pitching in the dark.

Allowing your client or their product to fit more seamlessly into a piece of editorial that aligns with the website's editorial direction or outcome will help to get their messaging across.”

 

Broadcast Media: 

Monique Dews – News Director and Breakfast News Reader, 973FM Brisbane:

“Every newsroom is different, but considering the question from a radio newsroom specifically, it’s important to remember they are a “lean operation”.

In some cities, you can have a one-or-two-person newsroom. Journos are multi-tasking, in finding, writing and delivering news each half hour.

It means they can’t always answer the phone on the half hour, or top of hour, as they are physically on air. So, call around quarter to, or quarter past.

If you have a breaking news angle, call between 6am and 9am, but if the press release is not super time sensitive, call after 9am, when we get a breather.

Radio newsrooms are often not manned overnight too.

If you send an email, be prepared to send it again, as things can back up, and get accidently deleted.

When you do call, keep it really short and snappy and get to the point.”

Sally Eeles – Executive Producer, Seven News Brisbane:

“It’s always good to know that the lead up to our TV news bulletins are a hectic time (from 3pm onwards).

Journalists are working on stories; producers are working on bulletins; many camera crews are helping to edit or getting ready for live crosses.

So, 3pm onwards (and even close to this time) is NOT a good time to arrange a shoot as everyone is busy and late breaking news will always be the priority.

However, this time may be a good time to touch base with the COS as they use this time to plan for the days ahead.

It’s also good to know that mornings are hectic, as they are filled with conference calls and meetings to determine who is chasing what for the day.”

Olympia Kwitowski – Producer / EP for Radio:

"From a producer’s perspective, I’d say timing your pitch is so important...

We would start our day with a meeting to set out the agenda hours before the show starts. We begin at 9.30am, and the Drive show would go to air at 3pm.

Every show is different obviously, so always ask their schedule if in doubt.

Producers want stuff to put to air and they need PRs and appreciate PRs who make life super easy for them.

As a production team, working with the journalist or host, we’d select the stories we want to run, and then we’d chase them up. For the Drive program, our talent is locked in usually by 11am, and a second production meeting with the host is done a few hours later (around 1pm-ish), to ensure nothing new has popped up since and to deal with any breaking news.

If say for example, a natural disaster has happened and you have an expert who can discuss this, we’d ask you to call them as soon as you can, and confirm the expert is available… Nine times out of 10, if you do this your client will get air time.”

In a nutshell, PRs should plan to contact producers at least five hours before the show goes to air.

Some no-no’s for PR people.
I’ve personally received calls from PRs via the talk back line while the show is on air, who are pitching something for THAT DAY! THIS IS BAD BAD BAD!

I’ve also received calls from PRs just 10 minutes prior to the show going live, who then start trying to give me their full-blown pitch. That’s a huge no-no and can instantly de-value you personally, and see you blacklisted in the future as you are seen as someone who has not done prior research, or even has any idea of what show you are pitching to –
PRs, please do your homework. Know when the show starts.

I recommend sending an email a day or two before, and then following it up with a quick phone call the next morning, and do this early at say 9am, or when you know the producers first get in. When speaking to a producer, you want to take up as little of their time as possible because being a producer is all go, go, go, so before calling, have your pitch ready.

If you are pitching for a charity and they have a special day – i.e. Red Nose Day - you know when this will be, so pre plan the story with the producers well in advance.”

Business to Business Media:

Doris Prodanovic – Food & Drink Business: 

“I think it’s important for PR teams to check in with newsrooms and their publication schedules because there’s always an opportunity to find the right angle to fit a story in and knowing when the best time is to showcase it.

PR and news should be on the same team and mutually benefit each other, so it’s important that PR teams also know the publication they are targeting and understanding their audience.

Ultimately, understanding the publication schedule and understanding the publication audience goes hand in hand.

As journalists, we are sent a lot of releases, and sometimes we might see an angle that could work well for our publication, and we’ll engage in a back and forth with the PR to see how we can showcase a story. However, other times, a pitch can miss the mark completely and the release goes straight in the delete folder.

An example for Food & Drink Business would be that we often have hospitality / food service releases sent to us, but we do not cover this industry, so we won’t run the story.

In terms of advice, I think most journalists and editors are happy to brainstorm how to showcase a story in a publication with the PR team, but only if the original release / intention from the PR recognises the audience that particular publication targets.”

 

So, there you have it. Newsrooms appreciate what we do and are happy to work with us, but we need to consider their needs.

At Elevate Communication, we value journalists and the amazing work they do. We prioritise getting to know the journalists personally and building relationships with them to provide them the most relevant stories, at the most appropriate times.

If you enjoyed this post, take a look at our piece which explores the flipside, ‘what to do when a journalist calls’.

If you are interested in finding out more or understanding how we can support you with media relations, get in touch today.