I recently had a meeting about ongoing public relations efforts for a Cincinnati client of ours with my colleague, Betty Hull. A large portion of our meeting involved discussing the best approach for timing media pitches near the large calendars she had drawn on the whiteboard that depicted the remaining months of 2013. Below are four questions we considered before selecting dates to notify media of various news and announcements.

1. Is it an Election Day?

• It would be best to avoid trying to pitch this time of year. Journalists will be focused on covering the election.

2. Is it near a popular holiday or vacation time?

• Again, it’s best to pitch when your journalist is actually checking his inbox.

3. Is another meeting or event pertaining to the project occurring around a date you are considering?

• It may be worthwhile to wait to include that news to add it to the pitch.

4. If you know the reporter, is there a big event he or she may be covering?

• If it’s possible to wait, it may be best to choose a time soon after, when he or she is not burdened with a big reporting assignment.

Of course there are other things to consider when writing the actual media pitch, but these four ideas about timing are a good start to ensure your news has the best chance of being placed.