When you send a press release changes how much coverage it gets, sometimes more than what the release says. This guide covers embargoes, the days and hours that work, how far ahead to pitch, and the timing mistakes that quietly kill otherwise good announcements.
What an embargo actually is
An embargo is you giving a journalist the story early on the understanding that they will not publish it before an agreed date and time. It is a convention, not a contract, and it works because both sides benefit: they get time to write properly, you get coverage that lands on the day you wanted.
Instead of FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE at the top, you write:
EMBARGOED UNTIL 09:00 GMT, TUESDAY 14 MARCH 2026
Always include the time zone. “Embargoed until 14 March” is ambiguous across markets and someone will publish it at what they consider a reasonable hour, which may not be yours.
When to use one, and when not to
| Use an embargo | Skip it |
|---|---|
| Coverage must land on a specific date | The news is minor and nobody will hold it |
| You are briefing several journalists and want them to publish together | You are pitching one person who will publish when they publish |
| The story needs real reporting time — data, interviews | It is already public somewhere |
| A launch, results or a regulated disclosure is tied to a date | You are using it to seem important |
Embargoing something trivial is the fastest way to be ignored next time. Journalists notice when a hold was unnecessary.
How far ahead to pitch
- Two to five days for most announcements. Enough time to check facts and write, not so long the story goes cold.
- One to two weeks if the story needs an interview, original data or a site visit.
- Same day only if it is genuinely breaking — and then it is not really a pitch, it is a heads-up.
Pitching on the morning of the announcement means competing with everything else in the inbox with no time to do anything about it. It is the most common timing mistake.
Days and hours
- Tuesday to Thursday are the working days. Monday is planning and catching up; Friday afternoon is closing and nobody starts a story.
- Morning, in the journalist’s own time zone. Between about 8am and 10am local puts you near the top of the day’s inbox.
- Avoid the hour before a known deadline for the publication you are pitching, if you know it.
None of this matters as much as relevance — a good story on a Friday beats a weak one on a Tuesday. But between two equal pitches, timing decides.
Dates to avoid
- Major public holidays and the days either side
- The week between Christmas and New Year — skeleton newsrooms
- Budget days, election days, major sporting finals — business desks are fully committed
- The day a much bigger story in your sector breaks. If a competitor announces a large funding round the morning you were going out, move. Your story has not got worse, but the attention available for it has.
Publish, then pitch
The sequence matters and most people get it backwards.
Have the release published, or scheduled, before you pitch. A journalist who is interested will want to check the detail, and sending them to a live page is far better than attaching a document. If it is embargoed, tell them the publication time and send the draft.
Pitching with nothing published means the first thing you ask a busy person to do is take your word for it.
Following up
Once, after three or four days, in the same thread. Two lines:
Hi [Name] - following up on the below in case it is useful. Happy to send the figures or put you in touch with [name] if you want to go further with it. Either way, no problem.
Then stop. A second follow-up costs you the relationship for every future story, which is a bad trade for one announcement.
Frequently asked questions
What does embargoed until mean on a press release?
It means the recipient has the story early but has agreed not to publish before the stated date and time. It replaces “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” at the top of the document, and it should always include the time zone to avoid a journalist in another market publishing early.
What is the best day to send a press release?
Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday morning, in the journalist’s time zone. Monday tends to go on planning and clearing the weekend backlog, and Friday afternoon is when publications are closing rather than starting new stories.
How far in advance should I send a press release?
Two to five days ahead for a straightforward announcement, one to two weeks if the story needs an interview or original data. Sending on the morning of the announcement gives a journalist no time to work on it, which is why same-day pitches rarely produce coverage.
What happens if a journalist breaks an embargo?
Usually it is a mistake rather than bad faith, and the practical response is to publish immediately so everyone else is not disadvantaged. An embargo is a convention held up by mutual interest, not something you can enforce, so build in the assumption that it might not hold.
Should I publish the release before or after pitching journalists?
Publish or schedule it first, then pitch with the link. An interested journalist wants to verify the detail immediately, and a live page does that better than an attachment. If the news is embargoed, send the draft and state the publication time clearly.
Next
Timing only helps a release that is worth reading. Our guides to writing a press release, headlines and getting coverage without an agency cover the rest. When yours is ready, submit it or see the plans.
