This article is sponsored by Propel.
Not every day is treated equally when it comes to PR pitching. In fact, there are specific days that have better chances of getting your story published in the press. Knowing when to pitch can make all the difference between being ignored and getting picked up by the media.
Rather than choosing a day and hoping for the best, PR measurement tools can help answer questions and remove the guesswork. Data-informed PR strategy is the new normal that all PR professionals should embrace in 2022 to achieve the best results.
New Research on the Best (and Worst) Days to Pitch Journalists
A recent PR study, the Q2 Propel Media Barometer, analyzed nearly 400,000 real story pitches sent to journalists in 2022 to find out more about the state of media relations today.
What is the framework for the “perfect” pitch? It includes analysis of emoji use, subject line length, total pitch length, pitching activity by day of the week and more.
Some of the highlights from this report include:
- The most engaging subject lines were 1-5 words long.
- Pitch leads between 50 and 79 words had the highest average journalist response rate (4.16%).
- The most engaging pitches were fewer than 150 words.
- Journalists responded to pitches with and without emojis about the same amount.
- The majority of pitches are opened within the first 10 minutes of landing in a journalist’s inbox.
- Journalists and PR pros are both engaging with pitches the most on Wednesday.
Prevailing Wisdom: Pitching Early in the Week
It is widely believed that sending PR pitches early in the week will give you the best shot at getting your story placed in the media. See an example from the barometer report below, which shows that PR professionals send most of their pitches within the first half of the week (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday).
This may be true for a variety of reasons. For one, early- and mid-week pitching leave more time over subsequent days to follow up or act on a backup plan if you don’t hear a response — maybe they weren’t interested, but maybe they just didn’t have time then.
Another reason is, just like in other professions, early-week ambition tends to be at a much higher level than end-of-week initiatives. Journalists may be more actively searching for stories to run early in the week that they can then carry out and plan coverage for in the days that follow.
Why You Should Try Friday Pitching
This study shows that PR professionals are sending the most pitches early in the week. It also shows that, on average, journalists are responding to the greatest number of pitches on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The report also shows a counterintuitive trend holding strong: Friday pitches have the highest chance of a journalist response out of any day of the week.
How so? If you refer back to the chart above, you’ll see that Friday has the highest percent of journalist responses (12%) relative to the number of pitches PR professionals send that same day (8.5%).
In January, the Q1 barometer showed the same trend in the 2021 Friday journalist open rate relative to the percent of pitches sent:
Even though these numbers show relatively low pitch activity early in the week, they also show a much lower chance of Friday pitches getting lost in the stack of countless others.
How to Measure Your PR
Measuring your PR can make a world of difference in campaign results. Doing so will show you exactly what’s working and what isn’t across your PR strategy.
After all, who would predict Friday to be one of the most promising days to send a PR pitch? With the right tools, you can use data to quickly and easily make smarter decisions along the way.
Propel PRM is now available as the first free all-in-one PR tool suite that makes PR measurement easy. With Propel, you never have to wonder how your pitches are performing or what ROI came from your latest campaign.
Learn More About Propel PRM