Timing is everything, especially when it comes to PR campaigns. The right timing can make or break the success of your efforts. In this article, we’ll delve into the art of nailing the timing of your PR campaign to ensure maximum impact and engagement. Whether you’re gearing up for a product launch, company announcement, or event promotion, hitting the right note at the right time is crucial. From aligning with industry trends to capitalizing on seasonal opportunities, there are multiple factors to consider when strategizing your PR timeline.
Stay tuned as we uncover the key strategies for optimizing the timing of your PR campaigns, ensuring that your message reaches the right audience at the most opportune moment. Join us on this journey to seize the power of perfect timing and elevate your PR game to new heights.
Here’s how to nail the timing of your PR campaign for ultimate success:
1) Send out a press release only when you are ready
Companies generally only have one shot at capturing the eye of a media outlet. This is not to say that you can only send an email pitch once. Rather, it is to say that if you mess up on your first attempt, a media outlet won’t pay attention to you next time. For this reason, it is imperative to make sure that the story that is getting presented is powerful and captivating.
When it comes to discussing new products, media outlets generally want products that are already on the market or about to launch. Unless your company already has some authority in the market, publications will not be drawn to a product if it is still in development. If you don’t even have a working prototype that you can use to demonstrate, then pitching this product is a waste of time. It is vital to only announce important things when everything is finalized. If you make the mistake of sending something that needs to be edited over and over again, media outlets will lose interest. Don’t expect them to wait for you to finalize your product description or launch your product.
How timing affects coverage
Of course, the chances of media coverage also depend on your timing. When your product is ready, you should pitch it to media outlets at least 1-3 weeks ahead of the launch. This gives them time to consider the topic, write about it, edit it, and publish it. It is the same for events; if a media outlet does not get sufficient notice, they will most likely overlook your pitch. However, there are other announcements like funding, partnerships, new hires, etc. that are not time-dependent. At the same time, it is also important not to wait too long if it is something important that should be announced. After all, if you wait too long, your news may become irrelevant.
Timing is essential because it helps create a compelling narrative that people can relate to. This is especially the case if you want to connect your story to a bigger news story that is affecting your target audience at the moment. In order to do effective newsjacking, you must send your pitch out at the exact moment when the news story you want to leverage is most relevant.
2) Choose how to reach out
When contacting the media, it is also essential to know how to reach out. You need to decide whether you will reach out with an exclusive, focused on only one journalist, or an embargo, requesting multiple journalists to wait until a specific time to break a story.
These approaches are both important because the news will be perceived as being necessary for large publications. As mentioned before, you should be thinking about the timing of your news weeks before you are ready to announce it . This way, publications have enough time to prepare and edit a story about your company. It also gives you a chance to reach out to journalists in a personalized way.
Exclusives are very attractive to journalists. This approach makes them feel special because no one else has the same story; they get to break the news to the public. However, the downside of exclusives is that you cannot reach out to more than one media outlet at a time. If you plan to use this tactic, pitching an exclusive to more than one media outlet will guarantee that you give yourself a bad reputation among the media. No one wants to be known for not keeping their word. If you offer an exclusive to more than one outlet at a time, that is the exact reputation that you will earn yourself.
Finally, embargoes also work to get the word out there because they allow journalists to know your news beforehand. This gives media outlets time to write a more detailed story, rather than rushing through it. That means you can have several stories published by various publications all at the same time. This approach helps you impact the market on a larger scale and makes you appear more credible.
3) Sending timely follow-up emails
You need to remember that you are not the only company that the media outlet will be writing about. These outlets can get up to thousands of emails a day. It is unreasonable to assume that the email pitch that your company sends will be at the top of the list. For this reason, you need to give media outlets some time to review the material and consider whether they want to write about it.
Additionally, it is highly possible that your email might be buried under the hundreds of emails that journalists receive every day. If you don’t hear back and you get the feeling that someone has missed your email, there is a way to fix that. You can send out a follow-up email to remind the media outlet or journalist that you’re waiting to hear back. However, you should try not to send it less than 24 hours after sending the initial email. This is because, if journalists see multiple emails from you over a short time, your persistence may be seen as annoying.
4) Share on social media to further coverage
Social media platforms have become a good way to get and receive news these days. Once a journalist has written a news article about the company, the journalist will let you know when the story will be published. It is also important not to harass them at this stage because publishing dates may get pushed back. Media outlets don’t owe you any explanation as to why the article has been published yet.
Once the story has been published, it is time to celebrate the new media coverage. Beyond that, you should share and promote the story on social media to get the word out even further. However, there is generally a two-week grace period to “shamelessly” self-promote the media coverage. Any longer than that, and your story becomes a bit stale.
Regardless of what step your company is in when creating your successful PR campaign, timing is vital. Pushing a press release when the product/service is ready, communicating with journalists effectively, and promoting earned content will make your company more relevant.
How Pressfarm can help with your PR campaign
When you have to factor in so many things, creating a well-timed PR campaign can be challenging. This is exactly why public relations agencies like Pressfarm exist. The PR specialists, expert writers and certified designers can help you everything that goes into a successful PR campaign.
More specifically, Pressfarm can help you create quality content like professional press releases, engaging guest posts and eye-catching media kits. With all of this content, you can make a splash in your industry. Moreover, if you need help distributing this content, Pressfarm can help you put it in front of the right eyes. By submitting your content to the right media outlets and startup directories, Pressfarm can boost your online visibility. This distribution strategy is designed to help you feature in relevant search results across search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing!
Finally, as a client, you get customized media lists as well as access to a media database of 1 million+ journalists, bloggers and influencers. With these contacts, you can connect with the best storytellers in your niche. With a PR package from Pressfarm, you can craft a memorable brand story and reach a wider audience.