Embargoed until you open this post

Lots of embargo questions came up in two webinars I did last week, so let’s address them.

(If you’re not familiar with embargoes, see the explainer below.)

The most common embargo mistake

Many pitches I see assume slapping the word “embargo” somewhere in the email guarantees every journalist will dutifully obey and wait to publish.

You may have gotten away with it to this point, but let’s remove the risk of a major backfire.

That’s because journalists aren’t obligated to honor your embargo. In fact, if your news is juicy enough, they may have an incentive to publish ASAP. So, your initial email should leave them needing more details from you before publishing.

That’s why your first email should tease your news just enough so they reply and agree to the embargo date. Only then do you send them everything.

If you always send a complete pitch in the first email and claim it’s under embargo, you may be signaling journalists you’re guilty of the next-most-common mistake:

Some journalists say PR people overuse embargoes and find them annoying. Is this true?

When PR pros find something that works, in general, they tend to overdo it. See mass email pitching and press release wire services. Embargoing information fits this trend.

Embargoes work – and journalists welcome them – when you’re releasing complex news that requires time for thorough reporting. For example:

• Thorough studies or data dumps
• Complicated new products that require time to try out
• Major announcements with lead time needed

In these cases, the embargo assures journalists they’ll have time to be thorough. They won’t break the story first, but no one will beat them to it.

The problem? PR pros routinely apply embargoes to, basically, everything else. Low-value or routine announcements, or anything simple to grasp. Embargoes in those cases just slow down journalists and make you look self-important.

Doing it right

Follow the two principles above, and embargoes level the playing field for interested journalists. They win because they get the story correct from the start, and you win because you maximize coverage.

I often refer Inner Circle members to my hourlong class called “Exclusives, Embargoes and Exceptions.” You can get access to that class, and 100+ others, if you join the Inner Circle. Register here to be notified when we open for new members.

Explainer:

An embargo in PR is when you share news with journalists before it’s available to the public, but only if they agree not to publish it until a set date and time. It gives them time to research, prepare coverage and ensure accuracy. It’s an honor system – the only penalty if they “jump” the embargo and publish early is losing your trust for future big news.