The short answer
Reply fast, confirm the deadline, and answer exactly what was asked. Acknowledge the request the same day, confirm the angle and deadline, offer a named spokesperson or a written quote, attach approved assets, and have one senior person approve anything on the record. Keep it short: Muck Rack's State of Journalism 2025 found 69% of journalists prefer pitches under 200 words, and the same brevity helps replies.
On this page
Step 1: Acknowledge the same day
Journalists work to deadlines, and an unanswered request is a story that runs without you. Even if you cannot answer fully yet, reply the same day to confirm you are on it. The most likely reply time for email is two minutes, and half of all replies arrive within 47 minutes, according to a study of 16 billion emails (Kooti et al., 2015): a journalist waiting a day has usually moved on.
Step 2: Confirm the angle and the deadline
Before you commit a spokesperson, confirm three things in your reply:
- The angle: what the story is about and why they came to you.
- The deadline: the exact time and time zone.
- The format: a call, a written quote, background information, or assets.
Step 3: Offer exactly what was asked
If they asked for a quote, send a quote. If they asked for 15 minutes with an expert, offer a named person and two time slots. Keep it short: Muck Rack's State of Journalism 2025 found 69% of journalists prefer pitches under 200 words, and replies benefit from the same discipline.
Step 4: Check every fact before it leaves
Anything you send can be quoted. Names, titles, figures, and dates must be right. Leave anything you are unsure of blank until someone confirms it, and never let a template or an AI tool fill it in with a guess. In Cision's 2025 State of the Media, 72% of journalists said they worry about factual errors in AI-generated PR content.
Step 5: Get one approval
Agree who signs off on anything on the record, usually the head of communications or the spokesperson. One approver keeps replies fast; no approver invites mistakes.
Step 6: Follow up once, then thank them
If you owe them something, deliver it before the deadline. If they go quiet, one follow-up is fine: half of journalists in Muck Rack's 2025 survey said one follow-up is acceptable, ideally three to seven days later. When the story runs, send a short thank-you.
A reply you can adapt
Hi [journalist name], thanks for reaching out about [story topic]. We'd be glad to help before your [deadline]. [Spokesperson], our [title], can speak to [angle]. Would [time option 1] or [time option 2] work for a 15-minute call? I've attached [approved assets]. Best, [your name]
Use the interactive version: reply to an interview request, or send a quote to a journalist.
Doing this as a team
When requests arrive at press@ and several personal inboxes, steps 1 and 5 are where teams fail: everyone assumes someone else replied, or nobody knows who approves. Tutti labels each request as it arrives, drafts the reply from the full thread with every unknown left as a placeholder, and requires approval before sending.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly should you respond to a journalist?
The same day, and ideally within hours. Journalists work to deadlines; even a short acknowledgement that confirms the deadline keeps you in the story.
Who should approve a reply to the press?
One accountable person, usually the head of communications or the spokesperson. A built-in approval step, like Tutti's, makes this automatic.
Should you follow up if a journalist does not reply?
Once. In Muck Rack's State of Journalism 2025, 50% of journalists said one follow-up is fine, ideally three to seven days later.