September is here and Autumn is on the horizon. So is Christmas - it’s 12 weeks away lol.
For most people that means Mariah Carey is warming up. For marketers, it means campaign planning should have already started.
We all know the chaos that hits in November and December—last-minute briefs, clients dragging their feet on sign-offs, and brands scrambling to “do something festive.” If you’re planning anything Christmas related, the best advice I can give is: start now, and get your stakeholders signed off early.
But here’s the other side of the story: journalists are about to enter their busiest time of year too.
Inside the Inbox: What 100 Journalists Really Think About PR Pitches
We asked 100 journalists across national, lifestyle, broadcast and trade outlets to tell us exactly what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to PR pitches.
📥 Pitch Volume: How Many Land Per Day?
42% – 11–25 pitches
25% – 26–50 pitches
15% – 1–10 pitches
12% – 100+ pitches
6% – Fewer than 5 pitches
👉🏽 Journalists are overwhelmed. Even at the low end, inboxes are full.
📧 Preferred Pitch Channel
91% – Email
5% – Social media (Twitter/X DMs only, occasionally)
4% – Phone calls (only if urgentpitches
👉🏽 Calls are dead. Stick to email unless you have breaking news.
🕒 Timing: When (Not) to Pitch
73% – No after-hours or weekend emails
64% – Avoid Fridays altogether
Best windows: 8am–4pm weekdays
📰 Subject Lines That Work
38% – Straight-to-the-point summary of the story
27% – Data-led exclusives
22% – Interview opp / expert commentary
13% – Creative/quirky subject lines
📊 What Makes a Pitch Worth Opening
78% – Includes relevant data/stats
72% – Short and to the point
61% – Offers expert commentary
44% – Includes high-res imagery
❌ What Makes Them Delete Immediately
82% – Irrelevant to their beat
68% – Overly branded/advertorial
57% – Too long, too waffly
31% – Asking for free coverage
🔁 Follow-Ups: Where’s the Line?
54% – One follow-up only
22% – No follow-ups ever
19% – Two maximum, but only if it’s major news
5% – Don’t mind multiple follow-ups
✨ Positive Examples Journalists Gave
“Exclusive access to new data.”
“A two-sentence email with the hook up top.”
“Expert comment that arrived the same morning as breaking news.”
“Pitch included images, stats, and a spokesperson in one go.”
💕 Cupid PR’s Takeaways for PRs
Write like a headline. If your subject line isn’t newsy, it’s not working.
Trim the fat. If your pitch takes longer than 20 seconds to read, rewrite it.
Arm journalists properly. Provide data, commentary, and assets upfront.
Respect time. Journalists don’t want to be pitched on Fridays or after 5pm.
Earn the right to follow up. One thoughtful nudge is fine, but spam kills trust.
September, October, Novemeber…
Ok so I jumped ahead a bit with Christmas, sorry. We still have Halloween, Thanksgiving and Black Friday yet.
World Mental Health Day – 10 Oct: Pitch timely cost-of-living stress angles, digital detox hacks, or mini “wellbeing check-in” campaigns.
National Pumpkin Day – 26 Oct: Swap the usual “jack-o’-lanterns” spiel for pumpkin-trivia, unexpected recipe spins, or quirky décor stats.
Bonfire Night – 5 Nov: Firework safety data, pet-anxiety surveys, or regional spending comparisons make great standouts.
Singles’ Day – 11 Nov: Beyond discounts—think “self-gifting wellness trends,” dating stats, or early gifting narratives.
Movember – all November: Data-backed men’s health tips, grooming habits round-ups, or workplace wellness promotions.
Cyber Monday – 2 Dec: Online safety warnings, delivery delay trends, or TikTok sale-behaviour insights.
Digital PR Search Shortcuts 🤓
🕵️♀️ Quick PR Search Hacks
Journalists don’t just sit in your inbox you can find them first. A couple of Google search operators every PR should have on speed-dial:
site:theguardian.com "Black Friday"→ pulls up every Guardian article mentioning Black Friday. Great to find reporters covering the beat.intitle:"call for experts" OR "expert comment"→ reveals live requests where journos are actively seeking contributions.site:linkedin.com/in "BBC journalist" AND Halloween→ handy for finding specific reporters talking about your topic."[brand/competitor name]" -site:brand.com→ shows who’s writing about competitors but not you yet👉🏽 PR tip: use quotation marks for exact matches and minus signs (
-keyword) to filter out junk.
📈 Ahrefs Tips for PRs
Ahrefs isn’t just for SEOs — it’s a PR goldmine if you know where to look:
Content Explorer:
Search “Halloween phobias” → instantly see which publications covered it last year, how many links each piece earned, and what headlines worked. Use this as a benchmark before you pitch.Link Intersect:
Pop in 2–3 competitors. Ahrefs shows you which sites linked to them but not you. Those are the journalists you should be pitching.Alerts:
Set up brand, competitor, or topic alerts. Example: “Cyber Monday scams” → get notified when it spikes in coverage, so you can jump in reactively.Best by Links Report:
Plug in a competitor’s domain. Filter by “last 12 months” → you’ll see which of their PR stunts actually pulled in links. Reverse engineer the angle.
👉🏽 PR tip: Don’t just track who covered a story. Look at why it got links (survey, data, quirky hook, expert quote). That’s your blueprint.
