Magazine lead times: What’s a lead time and how to work with them

Timing is everything in PR. It can make or break whether a story gets picked up or shelved. To get the timing right, you need to understand when magazines plan and publish their content. Lead times tell us when we need to pitch by and give us an idea of when a publication might be working on a certain season, issue, or topic. They help publications stay organised and guide you to pitch at just the right moment.

So, shall we get to know them?

Long lead print

These are your monthly printed magazines like Red, House & Garden, and Country Living. 

They’re working to longer lead times but that doesn’t mean that they have more time to plan, curate, and execute content. It means they’re working further in advance. Anywhere between 3-5 months in advance. 

When pitching to these longer lead publications, think about what season you’re going to be pitching for, and the kind of topics that they might be talking about and featuring. 

For example, if you’re pitching for a seasonal day such as Mother’s Day, make sure you’re tailoring your product selection and pitch to this gifting event, and factor the time of year into your planning.

Remember, for long lead magazines you don’t have to have your products released in order to pitch them ahead of their release, so long as you have the imagery and pricing, you can include them in your pitch planner.

A top tip is to go and look at the advertising or media packs for the relevant publications, as sometimes they include their content and topic plans for the next few months Another hack is to look back on previous issues from a similar period, as the same themes do tend to show up again. You can do this via Readly.

Short lead print

Your weekly printed magazines. Titles like Grazia, Stylist and The Sunday Times Style. 

These publications are on a shorter timescale by a margin, working 2 weeks to 2 months in advance. 

The same rules apply in terms of thinking about the timeframe you’re pitching for. But the shorter lead time does mean you have a chance to be more agile and a little more reactive with the content and features that you’re pitching. 

With the shorter lead times, it’s a good opportunity to flex your pitching skills and to think a little more outside the box. 

Daily print

Daily printed publications like The Guardian, the i and The Daily Mail. 

News cycles move fast. With daily publications usually operating 1 to 2 weeks in advance, there’s some flexibility, but keeping your finger on the pulse is essential. 

Dig down into what’s current and what’s coming up, it’s your chance to get really granular in your pitches and go deep into what you’re pitching and how you’re positioning your brand. 

Online publications

Did we save the best ‘till last? If your definition of best is similar to fast-paced, then yes, we did. Online publications are their own beast entirely. There are varying deadlines but they are typically between one month and one day in advance, plus there is the opportunity for updates, and with so many articles, features, and shopping galleries being worked on at one time, it means there’s more opportunity, but it also means there's more to stay on top of.

Some online outlets exist solely in the digital space, while most print publications also have a digital version.

Online publications are powerful. They were once overlooked in favour of good old print, but nowadays, online is recognised as a whole world of PR opportunity in itself. Not only is it great for SEO (hello domain authority), but it’s also a chance to get into bigger publications that might have had limited space in their print runs. Suddenly you can nab a feature in the likes of Cosmopolitan or Vogue, and there are more ways to get your brand in there than ever before. 

So, what about those lead times? They vary from one day to one month in advance. 

Which doesn’t sound like the most helpful advice in the world, but you have to have your finger on the pulse. Some opportunities will have a date or deadline on them, but the best advice we can give is to get in there quickly. If you’re pitching to an online publication, have your assets ready to roll and get the email sent as soon as you can get it together. 

We’re not saying rush it, but we are saying don’t sleep on it. 

Additional lead times

There are a few other lead times you will want to get into your diary that are less common but great PR opportunities. 

Biannual or annual publications - look at their past issue release dates to see when they might be working on the next issues, and check whether they’re print or digital to adjust the lead times to suit. 

Podcasts - Podcasts typically book block recording sessions, so lead times are less relevant here. Send the pitch and see when they are next recording.

Radio and TV - Work with the online lead times here unless you have been explicitly told otherwise.

Lead times are always changing and you need to stay on top of your A-game to make sure you’re hitting those deadlines and not missing out on opportunities. The good news is that PR Dispatch does a lot of that legwork for you. The timely press opportunities in our database paired with Pitch Tracker means you won’t be fumbling around for an Excel spreadsheet you thought you made. If you are ready to power up your PR, watch our 3-minute demo now.