When it comes to securing media coverage for your law firm or accountancy practice, understanding lead times is crucial – timing really is (almost) everything.
Pitching the right thing at the right time is the difference between securing some great PR and wasted effort.
Approach a publication too late in the cycle and you will have missed the boat – articles will already have been commissioned. Send your press release on the wrong day, or time of day and it will be overlooked.
The actual lead time will depend on various factors: the type of publication, the type of piece and external factors – which may be more difficult to anticipate. It can take several months for the fruits of ones efforts to become apparent which explains why some (but not all) PR agencies insist on a contract of at least six months. One thing is for sure though, the more time you plan your PR strategy, the better your results will be.
National print magazines: four – six months plus
Monthly print magazines such as Red, Good Housekeeping and GQ have a lead time of at least four months and often over six months so consumer brands will launch festive product campaigns in early summer. In the same way, an accountant keen to pitch a “spring clean your finances” feature to a consumer magazine will need to pitch the theme to appropriate editors in August.
Weekly magazines : one – two months
Weekly magazines including leading business titles such as the Construction News and The Caterer as well as consumer ones will typically work one to two months in advance so the accountant’s “spring clean your finance ” idea could be re-pitched in October or November. That said, if a magazine has an online version, the turnaround could be considerably quicker. Editors will play around with the schedule to ensure that by-line articles with a strong news hook are squeezed in at short notice particularly if their magazine has, as most do, an online edition.
National newspapers : two hours to four weeks
For obvious reasons, the lead time is highly relevant to a newspaper. If you’re a lawyer keen to secure comment on a decision handed down in a landmark case or a new piece or legislation, there’s no point issuing comment the day after the announcement. After all, journalists are there to break a story! In order to stand a chance of being picked up, the comment ideally needs to be issued within a couple of hours. On the other hand, for general features, reporters will tend to work one to four weeks in advance.
Finally, remember that there are no guarantees, even if you have got your timing right. Occasionally a hard-won commission may get bumped by a major news story (such as a high-profile royal divorce or death) which throws schedules off. Although rare, an editor may be required to pull a feature by behind-the-scenes events which are out of their control.
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