You have important company news that you want to share … your staff has spent hours crafting an attention-grabbing press release …
So now the question becomes what is the best time for press release distribution?
You want to send out your release at a time when the most people can view it. So exactly when is that?
When to Send a Press Release
Deciding the best time to send a press release comes down to two important considerations:
- Day of the week
- Time of day
First, let’s take a closer look at what day during the work week is the best time for press release distribution.
In determining what day to send your press release, it is as much a question of which days are bad for press release distribution as which days are good for press release distribution.
That means there are certain days during the week when your press release is much more likely to be ignored. By far, the worst work day to send out a press release is Friday.
This is a terrible day for getting your news read for two crucial reasons:
- People are already looking forward to the weekend and won’t give your news the consideration it deserves
- People are also busy trying to wrap up their work for the week and are less likely to take the time to read your news
The second worst work day to send out a release is Monday. This is a bad day because people are generally feeling overwhelmed with the work they need to complete that week and thus are less likely to take the time to read your release.
That leaves Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The good news is that these three days are equally effective for sending a press release. So you have three days to choose from, and you can’t go wrong with whatever day out of the three you select.
Why Does Time of Day Matter When Determining the Best Time for Press Release Distribution?
Time is an essential consideration for several reasons. First, if you send out your release too early, for example, well before the work day starts, it is likely to be skipped over instead of read as your audience rushes through old notices to get to fresher news.
And, of course, if you send out your press release too late in the day, it is likely to be missed altogether. It won’t be read that day, and the following day it will be skipped over due to it already being “old news.”
So when is the best time for press release distribution? The best time to send a release is a range that extends from the start of the work day in the area where you are sending the release to about two hours after that time.
This is the “sweet spot” for press release distribution. But it, by no means, is the only time you can send a release. Another good time is early afternoon, right after lunch, for example from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
When distributing a press release, one more thing to remember is any applicable industry regulations. For instance, in many countries, financial releases must be sent either before the markets open or after they close.
If this is true in the location you are sending your press release, you will obviously be limited in when you can hit send and will just have to go with what is allowed.
Another example would be regulations concerning political releases and how close they can be sent to an election. Just be sure to do your research about regulations before sending a press release.
One other thing to be aware of when sending out a press release is what is happening in the world that day.
You don’t want your release to get lost because of a major news event. So check news sources before hitting send. Make sure the market isn’t soaring or falling. Ensure there hasn’t been a natural disaster or a big political scandal.
You want your news to stand out, not get overlooked.
Of Course, the Way You Distribute Your Press Release Also Impacts Readership
Once you decide on a day and time to distribute your press release, there are two main ways to send the release out.
You can do it yourself via email or you can use a press release distribution service, like PressReach.
Press release distribution services, like PressReach, offer optimized lists and proven-effective distribution systems that will ensure higher viewership of your releases.
If you choose to send out your own release via email and by posting it on your website, your viewership will not be as high.
Here are some tips for increasing the number of people who read your press release when you handle distribution yourself:
Stay away from the appearance of Spam. Certain subject lines just look like Spam. They make outrageous claims. THEY USE ALL CAPS. They have exclamation marks bleeding off into the sunset!!!!!!!!! They try to get your @ttention with symbols and so forth. Avoid looking like Spam. The surest way to get your email deleted is to resemble the one thing that every person who has an email address hates … Spam.
Avoid the use of $$$$ and @@@ and other symbols. Yes, it will draw attention to your email … enough attention for your subscriber to whisk you off into the trash quicker than you can say “Delete button.”
Keep the subject line under 50 characters. The shorter you can convey your subject line message, the better. Depending upon the interface and configuration of your subscribers’ inbox, they may miss out on any information that comes after the 50-character mark.
Don’t mislead your audience. Whatever you do, avoid trickery. If you have to resort to some kind of gimmick to get them to open your email, you will ruin your credibility and trust in the marketplace. Don’t get your subscribers to open your email under false pretenses. Trickery will work once, but it won’t work twice … because they’ll no longer be on your list!
Grab attention. You want to avoid a boring, uninteresting, uninspiring subject line. The important thing to remember is you want your audience to be interested enough to open your email and read your press release so try to present your news in a short but eye-catching way.
Of course, if you really want to maximize the impact of your press release, then using a cost-effective distribution service, like PressReach, is often the best solution.
Not only have these press release distribution services done their homework on the best day and time to send out a press release, but they also have optimized their distribution system.
Companies gain fast, direct exposure to the audiences they most want to read their press release and don’t have to worry about all the variables that go into sending out the press release – like the best time for press release distribution. It’s all done for them.
Featured Image: Megapixl © Flynt
