When generating leads, content marketing is considered three times more efficient than other strategies. Meanwhile, about 60% of marketers have developed a content marketing strategy.
Nearly 80% of 
content marketers incorporate press releases into their content marketing strategies, too.
A press release can help you boost brand awareness, build a buzz, and establish your credibility. It’s not enough to start distributing press releases, though. You need to time it right.
When is the best time to send a press release? Keep reading to find out.
With this guide, you can make a more informed decision when developing your content marketing strategy. Then, you can stand out from the competition and attract more people to your business.
Bad timing, on the other hand, could get your press release tossed in the trash bin.
Improve your content marketing strategy before you start distributing press releases. Read on to learn more!
The Best Day and Time for Distributing Press Releases
The best day to send a press release is Thursday. Press releases sent on Thursdays had an email open rate of over 22%.
Meanwhile, the worst day of the week to send a release is Friday. Press release emails sent on Fridays have an open rate of only 15%.
However, other experts argue that Tuesday, followed by Wednesday, is the most popular day to send a press release.
Try sending your next release Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Then, use your email marketing platform to determine which day had the highest open rate.
Once you determine the best day to send your press release, you’ll need to consider the timing.
Most people check their emails first thing in the morning. This gives them the chance to determine what they missed from the previous evening. Consider sending your press release as early as possible.
Try sending your press release between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. The email open rate for these press release emails was over 45%.
Sending an email after lunch, however, could hurt your open rate. After lunch, the open rate drops to 15%.
Make sure to consider the recipient’s time zone before you start distributing press releases. You can automate your emails to send each press release at the right time. Automation can help you gather the information you need to make informed decisions in the future.
Remember, reporters are busy people. If you wait until the end of the day, they might not want to read your message. They’ll likely wait until the next morning.
Your press release email could get lost in a sea of other emails as a result.
Why It Works
Why is it best to send a press release on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday?
For many journalists, Mondays are the busiest days of the week. They have to riffle through all the emails they received over the weekend. It’s likely they’ll prioritize other tasks on a Monday morning.
If you send an email on a Friday afternoon, journalists will likely wait two or three days before checking their email. Your email could end up buried or sent into a spam folder.
Once Tuesday rolls around, journalists will start skim-reading through the emails they didn’t mark as urgent. These emails often include press releases.
Why is Thursday considered the best day of the week to send a release? It’s possible that by the end of the week, journalists have completed most of their bigger tasks. By Thursday, they finally have time to read their unopened emails.
On a Friday, however, they likely have their mind on the weekend. Most people push non-priority tasks to the next week.
Remember, most people check their emails first thing in the morning. In fact, 61% of reporters prefer pitches in the morning. Unfortunately, these reporters have an average of 300 emails waiting for them every day.
Sending your email early will ensure it’s at the top of the journalist’s inbox. Otherwise, it might take a few hours before they finally reach your message.
What to Avoid
First, try to avoid sending your press releases on Mondays or Fridays.
It’s likely journalists have the most emails waiting for them on a Monday morning. By Friday, they’re likely not focused on reading press releases. Instead, they’ll let that task wait until the next week.
Sending an email on a Monday could risk the chance your press release will remain unread for some time. If your press release is time-sensitive and urgent, you could miss your chance.
You should also avoid writing press releases to send over the weekend.
Most journalists don’t open their work emails over the weekend at all. If they do, it’s for urgent emails, not press releases.
You should also avoid sending your press release at the end of the day or at night.
Journalists are likely ready to go home and sleep. They won’t check their work emails. Your email open rate could drop as a result.
Meanwhile, your email could get lost in the journalist’s inbox as they receive other messages.
Avoid Sending Releases Too Far in Advance
Before distributing press releases, consider the content. Is the piece newsworthy now? Should you wait a little longer before sending the press release?
It often depends. First, consider the nature of your news. Think about current events that are occurring in your industry, too.
If there’s a lot going on within your industry, journalists might not consider your piece newsworthy at the moment.
You also need to consider whether or not the news is confidential.
If you want the journalist to wait before publishing your release, use an embargo. You can add “EMBARGOED until [Date/Time]” within the title.
You should use an embargo for:
- Mergers
- Acquisitions
- Funding announcements
- Partnership announcements
- New leadership announcements
Otherwise, consider whether or not you want to schedule the press release for immediate release. Immediate release events might include breaking news.
For a product launch, consider distributing press releases one to two weeks in advance.
For a conference, grand opening, trade show, or another event announcement, send it three weeks in advance.
If your press release is in response to ongoing news, release it immediately.
Avoid Unnecessary Stress
Trying to find the perfect press release send date and time can feel stressful. You don’t have to work through the process alone. Instead, consider hiring a press release distribution agency.
An agency will already have strong connections with journalists within your industry niche. They can leverage those connections to benefit your business. With their help, you can increase the chances that a media outlet will pick up your story.
Otherwise, you could waste time experimenting, trying to find the perfect time to send your releases.
Avoid wasting valuable time and effort trying to get the timing right. Instead, leverage an agency’s years of experience and expertise. They’ll know when to send your press releases to the right publications.
With their help, you can reach more readers, boosting brand awareness and recognition.
Helping Your Press Release Stand Out
Journalists receive hundreds of emails every single day. It’s not enough to send a press release at the right time. You need to make sure your email stands out from the bunch, too.
One of the most important steps you can take when drafting your email is improving the subject line. After all, the subject line is the first thing a journalist will see. If your subject line doesn’t stand out, the journalist could toss out your email.
You’ll miss a chance to gain media exposure as a result.
Instead, make sure your subject line is engaging and promising. Highlight the value you’re offering the journalist and their readers.
Make sure your content is relevant to the target audience, too. If the reader won’t find it interesting or appealing, the journalist won’t.
Before you hit send, make sure to proofread through everything. Typos and grammatical errors can impact your credibility. Journalists might ignore press releases that are full of mistakes, too.
Use these tips to learn how to submit a press release properly.
Make sure your contact information is included and accurate as well. Otherwise, the journalist might struggle to follow up.
As you begin distributing press releases, track your success. What time and data are helping you get a response? Tracking your data will help you make more informed decisions in the future.
You can find the perfect press release send date and time. Then, you can send out and distribute more releases, helping you reach more customers.
Timing Is Everything: How to Decide When to Send a Press Release
Timing is everything, especially considering how busy journalists can get throughout the week. If you want to send a press release, you need to time it right. Finding the best press release send date can increase your chance of media exposure.
Then, you can reach more customers, generate brand awareness, and set your business up for success.
Need help finding the perfect send date and time for your next press release? We’re here to help.
Explore our pricing today to get started.