What Is the Best Day and Time to Send a Press Release?

Introduction

There are many factors that can decide the effectiveness of your media coverage, and when it comes to press release distribution, one of the most frequent questions we get is when is the best day and time to send a press release.

So before we dive into the details, and if you’re looking for a quick answer:

What is the best day to send a press release?

The best day to send a press release is Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.

When is the best time to send a press release?

The best time to send a press release is between the beginning of the workday and the early afternoon, in the recipient’s time zone.

Tips for sending a press release, including common pitfalls

In our experience, the best day and time are not the only important factors for the success of a press release. Things like cultural factors, the affinity of the media outlets to your industry, the newsworthiness of the release, and your relationship with key journalists can make a huge difference and should not be overlooked.

  1. Generally, it’s best to send a press release Tuesday to Thursday between the beginning of the workday and early afternoon. If possible, try sending it in the first half of the week. The most common pitfall to avoid: never do PR distribution on a Friday. 
  2. Try to schedule a press release well in advance. Most outlets have a press release schedule and might not arrange a last-minute PR distribution. Always try to send a press release ahead of your public announcement deadline.
  3. Before you hit send, make sure that it’s not a public holiday for the recipient, and keep an eye open for extended weekends. For example, if Tuesday is a public holiday, it’s safer to send the press release on a Wednesday instead of Monday.
  4. I would also avoid sending a press release in the very early morning. Emails tend to pile up, and you want your media pitch to be at the top of the recipient’s inbox at the beginning of the workday.
  5. Be mindful of industry regulations. For example, in most countries, financial releases need to be done before the markets open or after they close, and political press releases before or after election days, etc.
  6. Timing matters. Before sending a press release, always consider the overall market sentiment and news industry coverage. For example, it will be challenging to make headlines if you send press releases for an ICO during days with significant price movements or other breaking news. Always send your press release when it’s most newsworthy.
  7. Be aware of timezone differences, local holidays, and local customs. For example, in Saudi Arabia, the workweek begins on Sunday and ends on Thursday, with Fridays and Saturdays being the official days of rest.

What we’ve learned from email campaign data

  1. Always check your email deliverability. You want to ensure that your scheduled emails arrive in your recipient’s inbox.
  2. According to email delivery benchmark data from Freshmail, an average open rate for a press release should be somewhere in the 18% – 30% range, depending on the industry. If you find your open rates significantly lower, you need to rethink your approach. The newsworthiness of the release and affinity of the journalist to your industry are often the most critical factors.
  3. Email open rates for a press release will vary by day. Thursdays have the highest open rates, approximately 25%, and as expected, email open rates hover just above 2% on the weekends. This is just a reference based on global averages across industries, so we’d recommend experimenting a bit until you find your sweet spot.
  4. Email subject lines are perhaps the single most crucial factor. According to the data, 35% of people open email solely on the subject line, and 69% report email as SPAM based on the subject line alone. Ideally, you’d want to A/B test your subject lines until you are confident that they work well.