Press Deadlines: The 2025 Guide

The best - and worst - times to pitch news stories to the UK press

When you send a news story pitch to a journalist at the busiest point in their day, they’re not going to have the time to read or deal with it when it lands.

And that means you’re relying on that journalist to find time later to go back to your email - reducing your chances of your message ever being read, let alone your idea being commissioned.

Pitching at a quiet time makes it much more likely your email will be considered there and then, which dramatically increases your chances of getting a “yes” to your pitch.

I always try to send my pitches at a time I know my editors aren’t too busy, which often means I get an immediate response.

But what exactly constitutes a “quiet time” - and how are you supposed to know when it is? That’s where this Get Featured 2025 guide to press deadlines is designed to help you.

Photo by Bank Phrom on Unsplash

I’ve spoken to senior journalists at most of the major UK news publications to get their up-to-date advice on when they’re busiest - so you never risk pitching at a “bad time” again.

The Get Featured 2025 guide to press deadlines

***EDIT: Check out the UPDATES section at the bottom for new publications, added throughout the year.***

When is it best to pitch to a journalist at The Sunday Times? And what time should you contact the Daily Mirror with a news story for tomorrow’s paper? This guide shares the answers to these questions - and lots more.

Below you’ll find advice on when to pitch news stories to the UK’s daily and Sunday national newspapers, based on their current daily schedules.

These schedules used to be fairly predictable, but they have undergone big changes as publications embrace online news and face mergers.

This guide is based on information shared with me by journalists currently working at all these publications, giving you up-to-date information on what their day looks like right now.

A few things before you dive in…

1. As far as I know this is the only guide of its kind - but it is not exhaustive. It will be updated throughout the year as I get new information. Any new updates will be clearly highlighted.

2. This is a guide to pitching news stories. What you won’t find here is advice on pitching to features sections and newspaper magazines - I’ll cover this in a separate guide for subscribers later in the year.

3. The media industry is going through an unprecedented time of upheaval and change, including changes to daily schedules. The timings below may change without warning. So, take this as a guide to aide your pitching, not a rulebook.

4. If you’re aware of any inaccuracies or updates - or would like to add information about timings at a publication not detailed here - please contact me:

***EDIT: The updated guide is now available to paid subscribers only - but there are plenty of other free Get Featured toolkits available, including my 5-step foolproof pitching checklist and how to pitch a story, not an idea.

You can upgrade your subscription now to get unlimited access to weekly media pitching advice, editor Q&A sessions and all the toolkits in the Get Featured archive, all for just £5 a month (or sign up for a year and get two months free!).***

Daily news publications