I get a lot of pitches to write about domain name companies and their launch, latest products, new features, etc.
I have six tips on the best and worst times to get press, and the best way to pitch.
1. Friday is the worst day to put out news about your company (unless you want to bury it).
Friday is the slowest weekday for traffic to Domain Name Wire. Once the afternoon comes around it seems that every domain investor is already out relaxing on the beach.
2. Monday is OK, if you pre-brief.
Monday is a good day for traffic, but I recommend sending the news in advance. I usually catch up on emails and other stories on Monday morning. If you send something first thing Monday I probably won’t get to it right away — if it all.
If you want news to get out on a Monday morning it’s best to send it to me the week before. Which leads me to the next thing.
But honestly, I’d say Tuesday through Thursday are the best days to get out your news.
3. I’ll agree to an embargo.
As long as you let me know ahead of time, I have no problem agreeing to hold news until a certain time. It gives me time to write a more thoughtful piece about your news.
There are a couple caveats. If I know about it already or there’s a public filing already out about it, I won’t hold it. Ditto if someone else breaks the embargo.
Be conservative about what you’d like to embargo. A story about changing your logo isn’t worth an embargo (let alone a story).
4. Give me an exclusive or something interesting.
My first choice is an exclusive crack at the news. But I understand if you want to give it to other sites. If you do that, at least do it under embargo ahead of time. If I’m the fifth person to write about something and don’t have time to write my own angle on it, I’ll probably pass. It’s great if you can give me a new angle or an executive interview.
5. Watch for holidays.
This is a global business. Every once in a while I’ll get a pitch the afternoon before a major U.S. holiday. About half of my traffic comes from the U.S., so that’s strike one. Strike two is I probably have one foot out the door already. Strike three…I don’t know. I guess you don’t strike out. But it would be wise to keep a calendar of national holidays.
6. Don’t send me stuff that I don’t write about.
With rare exceptions I don’t write about coupons and special offers. Especially if it’s something like “$1 off a domain!”. I also don’t republish press releases, so don’t ask me “please consider publishing this on your site”.
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