Confused about how to use embargoes? Our guest writer, Hugh Morris, worked frequently with embargoes as a journalist, and continues to do so in his senior communications role at Rathbones.
Read on for his tips on how to execute them well.
The anatomy of an effective embargo
During my decade or so as a journalist I received press releases embargoed every which way. Sometimes the embargo was three weeks off – for others, it was 20 minutes. I even received some embargoed in the past. Some were verbal, but most written, in caps and in bold. And some I had to agree to before I even saw the release (how sensitive is that news or how little does the PR trust you?).
Embargoes – when news is issued in advance and journalists are obliged to hold off publication until a prescribed time – are incredibly useful to PRs. An embargo helps them control how and when their stories break. It helps them coordinate news outlets, and set up friendly journalists with exclusives without torpedoing additional coverage. But the flipside is that an embargo done wrong can be devastating, bury the story, emanate incompetence, and leave journalists distrusting in the long term.
Now that I’m on the other side of the tracks I’ve been part of the creation of embargoes, from ideation, through confusion, to execution. So let us consider the anatomy of an effective embargo: the whys, hows and whens.
Why have an embargo?
The alternative to an embargo is chucking out your release as and when it’s ready, whether that’s 4.30pm on a Friday or not. The fact is, the window during which journalists pick up news that is not urgent and breaking is quite small: they are primarily focussed on what is needed now and next. By issuing a press release under embargo you allow yourself more time for both your news to gain traction, and the journalist to be able to write it up.
It also means that you can manage when the news breaks. Different publications have different deadlines so, if you’re aiming for print at a particular paper (say, the Evening Standard rather than The Times), you would pick an embargo that aligns with that.
If you want the story to set the day’s agenda, be across the morning nationals and first up on the Today programme, it is typical to issue an embargo for a minute after midnight. This gives news publications the opportunity to write the story up the day before and schedule to go live overnight. All is equal, everyone has the story up for the morning digest, and you can spend the day chasing and/or fielding additional enquiries.
How to communicate an embargo
With simple clarity. No need to threaten journalists with a fate worse than death, or indeed have them agree to the embargo before seeing the news – this creates another barrier to engagement. But, equally, it must be clear that there is an embargo. I recall several times where I couldn’t tell a) whether there was an embargo, or b) when it lifted.
This is also your opportunity to reach out to a friendly or key contact and offer them a head start on the embargo, or exclusive additional material, such as an interview, that does not appear in the standard release.
It is worth bearing in mind that too great a lag between the exclusive landing and an embargoed release and you risk general dislike or, worse, disinterest.
When to lift an embargo
The golden question. First, never issue an embargo on a Friday, and don’t lift one on a Monday. The weekend is a long time in news and either the world will have moved on or your journalist friend will have forgotten about the story. I’d recommend Tuesday sell-in for Thursday publication, but it depends on the nature and complexity of the news.
Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all as all publications will have different preferences. Indeed, I have started to see that some trades see no value in embargoes, instead planning content well in advance anyway, while digital editors are more interested in catching the commute-home audience than the early crowd. So, ask the question.
In terms of general timings, I would advocate for the 00:01 approach. It is familiar to journalists, it gives them clarity as to when they should publish online and whether it will make the day’s paper. For a PR who fancies 10am, the day is in full swing already and your news may be lost in the bustle. For another who thinks 3pm is best, the day is nearly past and your news will be old by the time the next 00:01 embargo rolls around.
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