You’ve done the hard work: Your company has a major announcement, a game-changing new hire, or a milestone achievement. You’ve crafted a compelling press release and are ready to share it with the world. But before you hit “send,” pause and consider one of the most critical and overlooked elements of public relations: timing.
In the fast-paced digital world, when you send your news is just as important as what you’re sending. This is where many businesses falter, sending their news into a void and wondering why no one picked it up. As a digital marketing agency, KWSM specializes in turning great stories into strategic assets, and that strategy begins with timing.
A press release is more than just an email; it’s a strategic tool designed to land in a busy journalist’s inbox. If it arrives at the wrong moment, it’s not just ignored; it’s deleted. Understanding the rhythm of the newsroom is key to maximizing your impact.
“A press release isn’t just an announcement; it’s a strategic tool. Sending it at the right time respects the journalist’s workflow and positions your news as professional and relevant, not just more noise. This timing is a key part of any successful content distribution strategy.” — Jeff Soto, VP of Strategy & Client Relations.
Best Times of Day for Distribution
The time of day you send your release can make or break its success. While there’s no single magic minute, there is a “golden window” to aim for.
Most PR professionals agree that the best time to send a press release is between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. A variety of studies indicate this as well.
Here’s the logic behind that timeframe:
- Avoid the Morning Rush (Before 10 AM): Journalists, like most professionals, start their day by clearing a flooded inbox. Emails sent overnight or in the early morning are often part of a mass delete-and-triage session.
- Capture Peak Attention (10 AM – 12 PM): By mid-morning, inboxes are manageable, and journalists are actively looking for stories for the day. This is a prime window for optimal open rates.
- The “Before Lunch” Window: Sending just before lunch ensures your email is seen.
- Avoid the “After Lunch” Slump (After 2 PM): Open rates tend to fall off significantly in the afternoon. Journalists are on deadlines, in meetings, or winding down. Sending a release at 4:00 PM on a Friday is the digital equivalent of shouting into the void.
One clear yet common mistake is forgetting about time zones. If your news is nationally relevant, which time zone should you follow? The golden rule is to send based on your recipient’s time. 10:00 AM ET is the most common target, as it catches the East Coast media as they’re settling in and doesn’t arrive too early for the West Coast (7:00 AM PT). If your news is purely local to California, send it at 10:00 AM PT.
To stand out even more, avoid sending at the top of the hour. Thousands of companies schedule their email blasts for exactly 10:00 AM. Consider using unique send times like 10:07 AM or 10:52 AM. This minor tweak can prevent your email from being bundled with the deluge of automated sends.
Optimal Days for Sending Press Releases
The day of the week a press release is sent is just as important as the time of day. The consensus here is clear: mid-week is best.
- Best Days: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
- Tuesday: Often cited as the single best day. The “Monday madness” is over, and the week’s agenda is set. Journalists are actively hunting for new stories.
- Wednesday & Thursday: These days continue the momentum. They are solid, reliable days for news distribution. Some studies even show Thursday having the highest open rates as journalists finalize their stories for the week.
- Worst Days: Monday and Friday
- Monday: Journalists are returning to a weekend’s worth of emails and attending planning meetings. Your release, no matter how newsworthy, is likely to be buried.
- Friday: This is the day news goes to die. People are focused on finishing weekly tasks and preparing for the weekend. Many journalists leave early, especially before a three-day weekend.
An important thing to note is that weekends are almost exclusively reserved for crisis communications or major, embargoed breaking news (like a massive merger) that has been pre-negotiated with major outlets. For 99% of businesses, a weekend send is a wasted effort.
Seasonal and Monthly Timing Considerations
Beyond the daily and weekly cycles, you must consider the broader calendar. Your announcement timing can be completely derailed by external events, or benefit from proper press release planning around seasonal events.
“We always check the calendar. Is a major holiday approaching? Is there a huge industry event? Your news doesn’t exist in a vacuum. A core part of our 6-week digital marketing strategy is analyzing these media cycles to find the white space for our clients’ announcements, ensuring they don’t compete with the Super Bowl or a federal holiday.” — Taylor David, Director of Accounts.
- Major Holidays: Avoid sending press releases during the week of major holidays like Christmas, New Year’s, and Thanksgiving. Newsrooms are either closed, running on skeleton crews, or exclusively focused on holiday-themed content. Your holiday press release timing should be planned for the first week back after the holiday.
- Busy News Periods: Be aware of the wider news cycles. Is there a major election? A global summit? A massive natural disaster? If the entire media landscape is focused on one big story, your news about a new regional office will be ignored.
- Major Shopping Seasons: If you are a B2C company, timing your news around major shopping seasons (like Black Friday) can be smart. If you are B2B, it’s a “dead zone” where your news will be drowned out by sales.
- Industry Events & Publication Calendars: Is your industry’s biggest trade show next week? Sending your release during the show is a bad idea; journalists are on the floor, not in their inbox. A better strategy is to send it the week before the show and offer a “sneak peek.” Smart PR professionals check the publication calendar of key trade media to align their news with upcoming special editions.
Distribution Methods and Best Practices
You’ve picked the perfect time and day. Now, how do you send it? The method by which you send a press release is just as crucial.
- Distribution Service vs. Internal List:
- A press release distribution service (like Cision, PR Newswire) syndicates your release to hundreds of news sites. This is good for SEO and getting broad (but shallow) coverage.
- An internal press list is a curated list of journalists and editors you’ve researched who actually cover your industry. This is for building relationships and getting deep, meaningful stories written.
- The best strategy uses both: a personalized pitch to your internal list and a wire service for broad reach.
- The Power of the Pitch: Never just forward the press release. Your email to a journalist (your press contact) should be a short, personalized pitch that explains why this news matters to their readers. The press release is just the attachment.
- Use Professional Tools: While you can send from Outlook, managing a real PR campaign requires better tools, especially when considering the importance of different press release formats. An outreach CRM or a dedicated PR outreach tool helps you track who you’ve contacted, when they opened your email, and follow-up notes. This is what separates professional outreach from spam.
- Avoid “Free” Services: Be wary of a free press release distribution service. These sites often have little to no editorial authority and are magnets for spam. They can actually hurt your brand’s credibility.
- Include Accurate Contact Information: If a journalist is interested, they need to reach you now. Include a direct email and mobile number for the designated press contact in your company.
The Story Matters Most
You can optimize every second of your press release pitch timing, but it won’t matter if the story isn’t newsworthy. The best timing in the world cannot save a boring announcement. This is why learning how to write an effective press release is vital.
This is why every engagement at KWSM begins with a 6-week digital marketing strategy. We don’t just “do” PR. We first dive deep into your business to understand your why. We help you find the compelling, human-centric stories that journalists and customers actually care about.
“The single biggest mistake businesses make is sending a press release with no story. A new hire or an office move isn’t news unless you explain why it matters to the community or the industry. Our job as brand journalists is to find that hook. The best press release pitch timing in the world won’t work if the story itself isn’t compelling.” — Katie Wagner, KWSM Founder & CEO.
A press release is a powerful tool in your content distribution strategy, but only when the story is strong and the timing is smart. Before your next big announcement, CONTACT US today to help you build the strategy that ensures your story lands with maximum impact.
