Title: Timing Is Everything in a News Cycle
Headings: Timing Is Everything in a News Cycle
Timing Is Everything in a News Cycle
What is a news cycle and when should I contact a journalist?
Newspapers
Blogs
TV Stations
Radio Stations
How and When to Break Your Story
Reaching Journalists After 6:00 P.M.

Content: The oldest trick in the book is to release a bad story after 5:00 p.m. on a Friday, knowing that almost every reporter and editor has gone home. You may have noticed that the Federal government will always release a story about a potential government shutdown at exactly this time. While that's been taking place inside the beltway for years, the trick doesn't work as well today given the ability of news outlets posting breaking news digitally. Even the biggest newspapers only have a skeleton crew working nights and weekends. The advantage of releasing a story on a weekend is that if you can get through to the journalist, they'll have more time to talk to you. Reaching Journalists After 6:00 P.M.
If you have good news to report, it's never a good idea to announce news (or pitch your client or company to be a part of a news column) after business hours. Reporters are scrambling to make a deadline and your voicemail or email will be ignored, or worse—you'll reach them and they'll be annoyed. It's best to contact journalists mid-morning, once their regular staff meeting has ended and they're ready to start their workday. The more time-sensitive a story is, the more you should lean toward radio, TV, and blogs, which are engineered to break news faster than newspapers. On the other hand, the more complex and important a story is, the more you should lean toward newspapers because they specialize in the bigger, more comprehensive stories.