I recently signed myself up for a listing as a freelance writer in a national media database. Since then, I've received several random story pitches from PR people. It's a little weird, as I'm usually the one doing the pitching, but it's been interesting so far. It's actually a great glimpse into the PR world I work in, although from the other side.

I received one pitch by e-mail today that actually interests me. The problem is, the story is targeting holiday shoppers. Well, it's already the holidays. I'm currently writing stories for publication in February and March and pitching stories for issues well beyond that. In the magazine world, it's already springtime.

Note to those of you who would like to get media coverage for your business or organization: A well-written pitch will get you far. A well-written, well-timed pitch will get you in print.

I wrote back to this PR agent—she was, after all, the first of these random spin doctors to actually use my name in the pitch—and said thanks for the idea. I asked her to remind me of this story next summer, when I'm actually pitching holiday material.