Memorial Day is near. We figured it was good opportunity to address weekends, holidays and PR, a topic often missing from the usual convos.
The First Rule: Don’t do it
The first rule is that you NEVER email/phone journalists during the weekend or immediately before and immediately after a holiday.
- Many journalists will spend time getting their stories ready right before a holiday so they can have some peace of mind. Don’t think for a second they want to be bothered
- Once they’re back in the office, it will most likely take a day (maybe two) before they can “clear” their inboxes
- Journos will often monitor email during weekends and holidays, but don’t count on it. They’re doing so in case something major breaks, not because they hope you’ll email them a press release
The Second Rule: Tricky Friday
Friday is where stories go to die. Friday afternoon might as well be Sunday — Friday morning is “dead” enough. If you’re trying to get something covered right before the weekend, you should have started pitching on Tuesday.
Anything you send out on Friday morning will show up on Friday night if some of your targets are in Europe, a clear infringement of Rule #1.
On the other hand, because Fridays are quiet, journos might have some time to talk. Assuming you have a scoop / exclusive and that you have a relationship with that journalist in particular, maybe they will be up for a quick chat. If you’re lucky.
Stick to Tuesdays and Thursdays for important announcements — why do you think there is such a thing as DVD Tuesday?
The Third Rule: Stay in Touch via Social Media
We said it on Quora that Twitter is a great place to be on Friday night. It’s true: exchanging tweets at 11:30 p.m. on a Friday night is an engrossing experience. Your personal and professional contacts are starting their weekend — they’re finally starting to relax and kick back.
- Assuming you’re not the annoying type, use weekends for social interaction via Twitter & Facebook
- One or two tweets per contact is OK. Three or more isn’t, unless there’s an actual conversation taking place
- Be yourself, not a RoboFlack that likes to stalk journos on Twitter
Weekends and holidays are sacred, so make sure to treat them accordingly.
If you have any follow-up questions, feel free to use the Ask functionality on Tumblr or email us at leglevy ‘at’ gmail dot com.
Image credit: Carl Wycoff @ Flickr