How to Make the Most of Editorial Calendars

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By Kristina Houck, Research and Online Content Specialist

Most reporters receive dozens – if not hundreds – of press releases and story pitches every day. So how do you get your release noticed? Send it when you know a reporter is seeking stories on a related subject. That’s how editorial calendars can help.

Editorial calendars are a great tool for public relations professionals to use to learn what types of stories media outlets publish and when. Editorial calendars outline the major editorial features that are planned for upcoming magazine and newspaper issues. If used correctly, they can help PR pros increase their chances of coverage.

It’s important to note that not all publications issue editorial calendars. But the ones that do are free and easy to obtain. Many publications have PDF versions of their calendars that can be downloaded from their websites. Editorial calendars are often found in the “advertise with us” section and included in media kits geared toward advertising and marketing professionals. If you don’t find the editorial calendar you’re looking for online, contact an editor at the publication to request one.

Once you obtain an editorial calendar, review it to decide when you should pitch your story idea. Look for issues that will feature topics related to those in your press release or pitch.

Ensure your pitch is truly relevant. Don’t pitch a publication just because your news is slightly related to the topics in the upcoming issue.

Also be sure to pitch with the publication’s deadlines in mind. Knowing the publication’s deadlines is one of the benefits of using editorial calendars, so remember to plan ahead! Pitch at least three to four weeks in advance for weekly publications and three to four months out for monthly publications.

Lastly, pitch your story to the appropriate person at the publication. Even if you pitch relevant news for a specific issue ahead of time, your release can be overlooked if you send it to the wrong contact. If you are unable to determine which editor or reporter to pitch to, contact the media outlet and ask to be directed to the appropriate contact for your story.

So for quick review, here are three tips when using editorial calendars to pitch:

1. Pitch relevant news

Use editorial calendars to learn when publications plan to publish topics related to your story.

2. Be aware of deadlines

Plan to pitch at least three to four weeks in advance for weekly publications and three to four months out for monthly publications.

3. Contact the appropriate person

Determine which editor or reporter would cover your story.

Happy pitching!

Don’t Block Your Own Shot

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With newsrooms downsizing and the subsequent workload being shouldered by journalists lucky enough to retain their job, knowing a reporter's pet peeve could mean the difference between your news being covered or disregarded.

Here are a few journo pet peeves that you’ll want to be conscious of.

Sending a press release as an email attachment

As a PR professional, you have to assume every pitch you send is just one of over 250 emails a reporter receives per day. With this volume of emails, the two seconds it takes to open the attachment is two seconds too long and you can bet the house your email will be deleted. What’s more, attachments are known vehicles for viruses and phishing scams. They pose a real threat to everyone, but especially journalists. To increase the odds that your press release will get read, take the minute and a half to copy the text of your press release into the body of an email and format the accompanying image; it’s the golden rule when pitching.

Typos

Typos happen. However, make sure they don’t happen when initiating dialogue with literary professionals. These people spent countless hours, and big bucks, studying and perfecting their use of the English language. Overlooking simple rules – using “then” instead of “than” or mixing up “there” and “they’re,” for example – can be interpreted as careless. If you don’t care enough to get your press release right, why should a journo care to read it? Try thinking of all journalists as the fictional author Hank Moody from Californication, an individual whose personal mission it is to protect the written word. Proofread after you proofread.

Lengthy subject lines

Crafting your subject line can be a real balancing act. The key is to grab a reporter’s attention without your subject line getting cut off in their inbox by their email server. Typically, subject lines should be about 40 characters, including spaces. Write subject lines using the inverted pyramid model, placing less meaningful words, which may be cut off, toward the end. Emphasize the most important information, the attention-grabber, at the beginning of the subject line.

Late Friday pitching

Some argue that there is no best day to pitch journalists. With that said, journalists are people, too, and unless they’re weekend assignment editors for a news station, their weekend starts Friday at 5:01 p.m. It’s easy for journalists to disregard information over the weekend and when they’re cleaning up their inbox Monday morning, including your pitch in the list of highlighted emails destined for the trash folder is even easier. Unless you’re sending your news to a weekend assignment editor or a nightclub’s VIP manager, pitching on a late Friday afternoon should be reserved for breaking news necessitating an immediate release. Do yourself and your client a favor: get the news out earlier in the week and in the morning whenever possible.

Acknowledging these pet peeves won’t guarantee your press releases will get read, but ignoring them pretty much guarantees they won’t.

5 Reasons it Pays to Pitch the Competition

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When I suggest pitching your competitors, you might think I'm talking about pitching them overboard.

I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but including information on your competitors when you pitch your company/client to the media can be a best practice.

Here are at least five reasons:

1. They will look at your competitors anyhow
Any journalist worth his or her salt is going to dig around to see what other company, venue or event is similar to yours. Save them the time while also putting your competition in context. [TIP: Never say anything distasteful or disparaging about your competition.]

2. You need other examples to show a trend
Trends are newsworthy--they're current and topical, but one company's experience is not evidence of a trend. Go ahead and share data in your pitch like market growth statistics or scientific research to substantiate a trend, but also share examples of other companies or events that prove out your point. If the reporter does the story, typically he or she will lead with your client/company as the primary example. [TIP: It takes three exampeles to support a trend.]

3. Profiles are the exception, not the rule
Journalists occasionally profile companies and leaders, but typically that is a once per publication opportunity, and even in a profile of a successful company or CEO, you'll see the reporter cite examples of similar companies or the experiences of similar executives. If you don't have a stand-out product, service, event or leader to submit for a profile, try positioning your story in terms of trends in your industry (see #2) and seek to be the lead example. [TIP: This is particularly effective in more mature industries or with products or services that are viewed as commodities like financial services.]

4. It enhances your credibility
When journalists see that you've included competitor information in a pitch, the very fact that you acknowledged other companies builds your credibility and shows you understand the information they need to do their job.

5. It works
When I have used this technique, I've had journalists respond telling me how much they appreciated it. Plus, it has produced coverage, and each time, the coverage focused on my client, and the effort and extra work paid off.

It's not always the answer but can be an effective technique when needed.

Part 2: The Pressures of PR in 2010

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If you’ve always thought that PR is just putting out press releases, think again. The press release is the least of it, folks. That said, it’s where clients often put the bulk of their attention.

Clients want coverage, of course. That’s how they most often measure the return on their investment, but when they don’t take the media’s needs into account and emphasize press releases over targeted story pitches or newswires instead of exclusives, they are putting their PR professionals into a box and, therefore, confining the reach and results of their own campaigns.


As your agency, we work on media relationships continually, we study the media landscape, and we identify coverage trends to ensure we’re able to be most effective for you. We understand the need to do more with less, but we cannot afford to shortchange any of our relationships or cut corners on best practices in our interactions with others on your behalf.

To understand the pressures of PR in 2010, we’ve collected below, in their own words, what journalists expect from PR professionals today. With thousands of pitches coming at them every week, trust us when we say that you cannot succeed with cookie cutter approaches, un-researched pitches or weak news angles.

And if you haven’t already, we also suggest you read Part 1 of this two-part post on the challenges journalists are facing today as well as our previous post about what makes a good story. After you’ve read through these comments, please share with us below whether this re-affirms what you already knew about PR or if it has caused you to adjust your perceptions.

NATIONAL BUSINESS NEWSPAPER:
"If you're pitching a small startup that's not publicly traded, tell me why it's part of a bigger trend. Product pitches aren't likely to succeed. I don't really care for press releases announcing a new product debut at a conference or trade show.”

"It must be something done by a big company or an action of a small firm that affects the bigger players. I don't want product announcements or minor management activity."

REGIONAL BUSINESS:
"The best PR pros are candid. In these difficult economic times, I still expect truthful answers to questions about a lack of funding or other problems. Don't be overly aggressive and keep trying to pitch deals I am not interested in."

NATIONAL NEWSWIRE:
"I never do a story based on a single pitch about a company, person or product. The best PR pros frame their pitch as part of a trend."

"I would cover a show that a celebrity is appearing in, but I wouldn't write about a charity that person is promoting. I prefer exclusive pitches, but they don't have to be just for me. However, I don't want something that's already been exclusive to someone else."

NATIONAL TV NEWS BUREAU:
"I look for character-driven topics with really amazing people. I want exclusives. Don't pitch my show if you're also trying to be on other networks too. Links to video of your client is very helpful. I can also use b-roll."

NATIONAL NEWS MAGAZINE:
"The best PR people provide exclusive information and a unique angle to the story. We'd never write about a particular product and sometimes get those types of pitches. It's obvious when PR people don't read the publication and suggest things we'd never cover."

NATIONAL FINANCIAL NEWSWIRE:
"Give me a unique insight into what you do and give us access to people who aren't normally available for interviews. If we won't use the pitch, we'll let you know quickly, so you can offer it elsewhere. Don't include us in shotgun blasts that go out to everyone.”

MAJOR MARKET DAILY NEWSPAPER:“"I don't do stories about individuals hired to run a company. I want to be connected with experts who have knowledge of a specific issue in the news. Don't be cute. Be succinct. Tell me in the pitch what the news is. Don't pitch me ‘Joe Blow' who can talk about the economy or the markets."