If you’re planning to pitch a news story like a new product announcement, or an upcoming event or whatever to the national media , hold off a week or two.
Media everywhere are concentrating on the newest developments from Hurricane Katrina, from the horrible looting and shooting in New Orleans to the effects on local gasoline prices and what people are doing in their own communities to contribute to the rescue efforts.
In fact, I’d hold off pitching even great stories that don’t relate to the hurricane. Even if the media cover it, the story is apt to get smaller play than it normally would, simply because the hurricane devastation is attracting all the attention.
The exception to this would be lifestyle stories and soft features that would typically be found in the lifestyle section. It’s business as usual for those media people, and they’ll need a constant flow of ideas to continue publishing.