Another important research technique in a successful PR program is knowing the deadlines of the media you are targeting and the names of the editors or reporters to whom you will be sending your press releases. Before The Press Release Newspapers, magazines and TV stations receive hundreds of press releases a day. To be printed, you must stand out from among the rest. This doesn't mean sending your news release out on colored paper or including a gimmick with it. The type of news release you send depends upon your target audience and what you want to tell them.
Different media have different deadlines.
For example, a daily newspapers' deadline typically starts around 3 pm, while TV stations will do editing up until the 5 pm News. Call the city desk for the print media, the assignment desk for TV and the newsroom for the radio stations to find out their exact deadlines and the names of the key reporters or editors you are targeting. Once you know these deadlines, send your press releases in a timely manner to meet these deadlines and don't ever call your media contacts during these times. Read your local newspaper and you'll see the stories are written in short, concise sentences with the most important information at the beginning of the story. A press release always contains a single, understandable message with background about the message.