Industry Recommended Press Release Times
There is no time like the present – unless you are trying to determine the industry recommended press release times. It is important to recognize the best time of day, the best day of the week, and even the worst day of the year for sending out your press release. Choosing the right time may be the best way to get your press release noticed.
Finding the Best Time for a Press Release
When does the publication go to print? You want to be sure that you send out your press release with plenty of time for the media outlet to include the story in the upcoming printing.
What are the individual lead times for the different locations? Many media outlets require that information be presented weeks before the deadline of the event or the requested release of the story. This gives the outlets the opportunity to work the story into the rest of the content. Be sure to follow up on press releases sent out weeks ahead of the event so that the information will be fresh on the journalists mind.
Are you promoting before or after an event? Once an event has taken place the timeliness of the news value begins to drop. The press release summing up the event should be ready to go before the event actually happens so that it will still be newsworthy when the media outlets find it.
Know the Industry to Time Your Press Release
Most press releases are sent out to the media between 8 am Eastern and 9 am Eastern. Although this could allow the press release to make a deadline, it also means that it could get lost in the noise of all the other press releases. You may want to look at testing your press releases around the non-peak hours to see if that helps garner more attention. Setting the time to be slightly after the top of the hour can help. For example, setting it at 9:04am would offer a little cushion compared to setting at 9am.
Experts predict that most press releases are sent out on Tuesday – although every weekday except Friday can be a good time. Fridays are considered the least recommended and weekends are almost non-existent – although the shift in technology may create opportunities in these areas.
Certain days of the year are never good for press releases. The number one day to avoid is April 1st. Media professionals are naturally skeptical during this day. Try to avoid timing your press release to fall on this date. Issuing press releases on major holidays can also cut down on the attention your press release might otherwise receive.
The “when” of your press release will be determined by a number of different factors. The deadline for the publication will be important, which is one of the reasons you should invest in finding out about each publication or outlet you want to approach. The timing around your event or story will also factor into your press release. The industry peaks and holidays can also come into play when finding the best time to send out your press release.
Because of the uniqueness of your story, the individual outlets, and the changing technology, you may need to run some trials to find the best time for your niche-specific press releases.
