Too much hustle and bustle this holiday season? Bah, humbug. The slowest news time is upon us.
You may have heard that “timing is everything” and that is even more true in media relations. But how do you know when is the best time to send a news release?
Most news organization won’t tell you this, but the slowest time of the year are holidays – with the week between Christmas and New Year’s the mother of all slow times. That’s because almost every office is closed or short staffed, so that no news is generated during that week.
You know those slow news days: it’s when the news covers about five parades, four soup kitchens and the atest celebrity weddings or divorces as major stories.
During these slow news times, journalists are hungry for news stories. A savvy publicist will take advantage of this and keep some ideas just for this time.
If you hit a great angle on a slow news day, you may find yourself looking at your own picture and a 30-inch story in your morning paper. You can even get coverage in major markets such as New York and Los Angeles; in some ways it’s easier, because the daily papers in those cities are huge, and have a larger “news hole” to fill.
But also, community and neighborhood papers in those large markets are extremely receptive, even if you don’t get into the biggest paper in town. And small town or ethnic papers are often desperate for your news. The more complete, concise, and well-written your release, the better its chances of being used.
Here are some great ways to get some coverage:
1) Surveys and polls – Reporters love these if you have a good sampling of people. Surveys and polls are quick and easy to report on. Why not conduct one during the holiday sales season and announce the results during the slow week? If you are a business coach, how about a survey on what business owners fear most for the upcoming year.
2) Trends – Did you see a trend this season? Was there something that flew off your shelves that you didn’t expect to? Then let the media know.
3) Tips – These are great fillers — especially for newspapers when the paid advertising space has dwindled down after the holiday frenzy. Think of four to seven tips that relate to your customers or clients needs and write them in a news release format.
The key here is not only to give them newsworthy tidbits, but actually be available for interviews and questions when other people normally are not. You’ll be the hero and remembered in the future.
Another great thing to do during this time is to give the reporters who cover your topic a call and talk to them. Perhaps set up a time to meet or take them to lunch. This wouldn’t be used for pitching, but to build a relationship and find out more about what the journalist is looking for.
The holidays are the slowest news times of the year. When government offices are closed, so are most of a reporter’s sources. Take advantage of it.
In fact, take out your calendar and begin circling government holidays. If the government isn’t making news, reporters are scrambling to find something to cover. Pitch even an average story on a day when the media is starving for news, and you’re much more likely to get coverage.
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