Many factors decide the life or death of media coverage. From editorial schedules, connections with top journalists, topics in a publication, and the target audience, these factors have an influential impact on press releases.
However, PR professionals should also consider a basic determinant: timing a press release or a media pitch. Once a communication professional has selected a newsworthy story, crafted a press release, and created a keyword-optimized headline, it is important to select the right time and day to send out the release. The likelihood of a story going viral is pegged on timing a press release.
What’s the Best Day to Send Out a Press Release
The best days to send out a press release are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. These three days work best for two reasons. First, Mondays are relatively busier for journalists and influencers. As many seek to settle from a weekend, they are tasked with boatloads of email pitches, last week’s news, among other tasks. Often, press releases sent on Monday are buried in a mountain of emails and they are easily deleted without a second look.
Second, Fridays are the least productive weekdays. Journalists are busy wrapping-up projects that are needed before the weekend. Since priority is given to projects that cannot wait until Monday, there is a high likelihood that a press release sent on Friday won’t be viewed.
What’s the best time to send a press release
The best time to send out a press release falls between 10 am and 2 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Research has shown that editors open more than one-third of all emails they receive in this time period.
With open rates around 20.5%, mornings( between 6 am and 10 am) are less effective. However, for PR pros that want to target early risers, sending out press releases between 8 am and 9 am is key.
Since many companies send out press releases on the half-hour or the hour, communication pros should pick unique times between 10 am and 2 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. For instance, communication experts can send-out emails at 11:09 to stand-out from the competition. What’s more, it is important to consider a recipient’s time zone.
Important Factors to consider when sending a press release
Before sending a press release, a media pro should consider two basic principles. These are:
#1. A Story’s Newsworthiness
To ensure credibility, media reps should send-out stories that are loaded with news value. Not only will future press releases be considered by the recipients, but journalists will look out for a brand’s press release since they are always newsworthy.
#2. SEO Optimization
To increase the reach of a press release, it is important to incorporate SEO optimization in a press release distribution strategy. By targeting appropriate keywords, adding keyword-rich and related backlinks, and including keywords in the press release’s headline. Not only is SEO-optimization simple, but it is also highly cost-effective.
There are a number of strong media relations agencies, but we recommend 5wpr and Hunter PR.