It’s Friday afternoon around 3pm and you have finally finished the press release that you worked on throughout the past week. You have major news regarding your company and spent time crafting the headline, the lead, and the perfect quote. The problem is it’s Friday afternoon and you know if journalists and reporters are anything like you, they aren’t going to be looking at their email. So when should you send the press release?
That answer varies widely based on who you ask. Some will argue for a certain day or time while others will argue that it depends on the news organization where you are sending it. Finally another group will say that there is no best time or day and to just send it. The hard part is knowing which group is right. Let’s take a look at some data from Journalistics and BusinessWired and see what they have to say.
- SpotlightPR—SpotlightPR suggests that the best days to send a press release are Tuesday-Thursday. Why? Because just like everyone else, a reporter’s inbox is full on Monday when they get back to work so it would be easy to overlook your press release. On Friday, reporters are looking to finish their work and head out the door, so they may not even glance at your press release. The data also suggests sending your press releases at the beginning of the day to increase the likelihood of it being read.
- Journalistics—Journalistics doesn’t suggest a particular day or time, but they suggest that you learn the needs of the news organization and what time they prefer press releases. A question to ask would be how much lead time does that particular news organization need? Journalistics also reminds us that if a press release has a specific deadline for compliance, that a company will need to keep that in mind.
- BusinessWired—The survey that BusinessWired completed is a little older (2010) than other research, however, the data agrees with SpotlightPR that Tuesdays are the best day to send a release and that it is better to send the release in the morning. BusinessWired surveyed over 100 PR professionals for their answer.
So let’s go back to you toiling away that Friday afternoon, what’s your answer? If your news can wait until Tuesday, hold off on sending the press release. If your news has to be sent out that afternoon in order for your company to be compliant, go ahead and email it. Lastly, if you know the news organization, their lead times, and preferences, use your best judgment about sending your press release. Remember when you are emailing the journalists to put the headline in the subject line and make sure that it is eye-catching. Finally, be persistent with submitting news stories. If your first press release doesn’t get picked up, keep trying in the future with different news stories. Continually sending valuable information is a great way to have the reporter view you as a trusted news source.
What’s your opinion on the best time to send a press release? Share your thoughts with us.
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download a free copy of the PR Checklist – a 24 point list of Press Release Dos and Don’ts here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/pr-checklist/