Worst pitch of the week: Follow ups

Follow-ups are tricky—but here’s when to hit send, when to chill, and how your subject line can save you.

Let’s talk about follow-ups.

This one’s tricky because every editor and newsroom operates a little differently. So, take this as just one editor’s opinion (mine) and not the gospel truth.

There’s no hard rule for when or how to follow up, but here’s what works in general:

If you’re pitching breaking news or anything with a time element, make that clear in the subject line. Bold it. Put it first. Keep the message short—because when I see a long pitch, I flag it for later… and sometimes, “later” never comes. A better move? Send a brief message explaining the urgency and importance. If I’m interested, I’ll ask for more.

For everything else, if it’s not urgent, give it at least a week before following up. Less than that? It’s usually too much. Silence doesn’t always mean “no”—sometimes it means I’m mulling it over. Annoying, I know. But if I replied to every pitch right away, I wouldn’t have time to actually do my job.

Also, I shouldn’t see your name in my inbox more than twice a week, unless we’re actively working on something together. I get that you have multiple clients and deadlines, but use your subject line wisely. If it’s an invite, label it INVITE. If it’s bar news, say that. But please don’t overuse “EMBARGO” or “BREAKING” unless it’s truly warranted. If everything’s breaking, then nothing is. We’re all human humans. We all understand what’s important and what’s not. I understand clients have different expectations, and to them, every news release is the pinnacle of their careers, but try to bring some perspective as an agency or as a rep. Don’t be the rep who cried “BREAKING.”

The bottom line is that editors are human. We know not every client is launching the next iPhone. Perspective helps. And if you’re thoughtful about how and when you follow up, I promise it makes a difference.