Timing is everything

I was talking to a PR the other evening about switching from journalism to cheffing (and back again) and concluded that the common denominator is working to a dread-inducing deadline.

Good timing is an art, though, and I think it’s worth considering when to send information to journalists. First thing in the morning might seem like a good idea but it’s generally when people are on the move, flicking through their phones and an email ‘read’ is often an email forgotten.

I counsel mid-morning, when the initial tasks of the day are done, the coffee is drunk and there’s scope for an eye-catching email to get noticed and, even better, acted on.

However, I have noticed a curious practice of getting a release that I want to discuss but – when I hit reply for a quick discussion – I get an OOO message. Why send out information when you’re not around to respond? It seems daft to me. Perhaps someone could enlighten me?

And on the subject of timing, now seems like a good moment to mention that I’m joining the Telegraph titles from 18 October for the next few months as food editor, covering for the lovely Amy Bryant while she’s on maternity leave. I’ve had a couple of months off the deadline treadmill and I’m looking forward to that news buzz again.