Journalists complain about receiving too many emails. Yet many rely on PR pitches to learn about the latest happenings in our niche. Good PR pitches for cool people, places and products help drive lifestyle media forward.

One FAQ I hear frequently from PR professionals: How and when should I send a follow up pitch?

The answer is, it depends. Journalist preferences vary widely. In general, the three golden rules: don’t follow up too soon, add value, and practice patience.

Here’s what to consider before following up on a pitch you’ve sent to a journalist.

Is it really time to follow up?

Journalists we’re interviewing for Pitchcraft are sharing that follow-up times are increasing. They don’t want follow ups cluttering their inboxes.

A couple years ago, a week or so used to be the norm for follow ups. Writer Daliah Singer told us she needs at least a few weeks to review and respond to pitches.

Unless your pitch is breaking news or highly urgent, wait a week or two, minimum.

Do you have something new to add with a follow up pitch?

“Just following up on this!” is a fast route to having your pitch ignored, again.

Instead, add some new information or more personalization. Share a few sentences (including links!) about how your pitch ties into a current event, recent data, TikTok trend or anniversary, for example.

Or, point out a specific point you enjoyed in a recent article they wrote that was on a similar topic to what you’re pitching, emphasizing why your story pitch is worth their consideration.

Do you know the journalist personally?

So many journalists are leaving staff jobs, either by choice or through layoffs, and working to build a business as an independent journalist.

It’s tough to keep up with the latest media moves, especially if you’re relying on databases that may quickly become outdated. That’s where relationship building comes in.

Knowing a journalist personally, even a little bit, gives you an advantage on knowing whether to follow up — or whether doing so could spell death for your pitch.

Dalton Johnson works through his inbox from the bottom up. If PR pros follow up to bump their email threads to the top, “they’re hurting themselves,” he says.

Have you worked with this journalist before?

We interview dozens of journalists for Pitchcraft each month. One line we hear again and again: Journalists are more likely to respond to pitches from PR pros they know.

This shouldn’t discourage you from cold pitching. With a well-crafted story line, good timing and a bit of luck, it’s possible to land a story with a journalist on the first try. But that’s the exception, not the rule.

Pitching journalists is like courtship. You have to date before you get married.

Are you ready to follow through?

As important as the art of the follow up is the craft of the follow through.

If you’re sending a journalist a follow up to a pitch, you’d better be ready to deliver the assets they need when they say the word.

Ensure your client is available for interviews right away, that you have high-res photos ready to go, and that any elements you mention in your pitch are prepared and fact checked.

Being reliable and following through on what you promise is a sure way to get in a journalists’ good graces, leading to more opportunities down the road.