Best Day and Time to Send a Press Release [A Guide for 2024]

Writing a press release is a great way to share your news with the world. However, composing the release is just the first step of the process – you need to know where and when to distribute it. We determined the best day and time to send a press release, and we’re here to explain the reasoning behind it. Keep reading to find out exactly when you should send out press releases to get the best results.

What Is the Best Day to Send a Press Release?

Choosing the right day to send your press release might be the determining factor in whether your release gets media coverage. You shouldn’t rush to send out your release as soon as you have it written; be mindful of when it can receive the most attention, ensuring that your hard work isn’t wasted.

According to multiple sources, it is generally accepted that the best day for sending a press release is Thursday, followed by Tuesday and Wednesday. These days were chosen based on email open rates, which were determined by the A/B test conducted on email accounts of people working in the publishing industry.

On Thursday, the open rate is 27%, the highest throughout the week. This is followed by Tuesday, with 19% of emails getting opened by journalists and editors.

When Not to Send

It is a common misconception in the marketing industry that press releases should go out on a Monday—this is not the case. Mondays can often be busy and overwhelming in the world of publishing, so the choice of the first day of the week won’t be helpful if you’re sending a press release via email. Journalists come to work on Monday with a full inbox, so it’s unlikely that they will pay any attention to your release—they sometimes have over 1000 emails in their inbox on Monday mornings!

You might be thinking Friday is when to send a press release as a good ending to the workweek. This isn’t a good idea, though, since emails received on Friday—especially in the afternoon—are rarely opened (there’s only a 15% open rate). Anything that’s not of crucial importance is left on hold until Monday.

And in case it isn’t obvious, the weekend should be out of the question. Virtually no one opens their work email during the weekend.

When Is the Best Time to Send a Press Release?

The time frame is the other thing you need to get right before hitting send on a release. Although it might be more difficult to determine the right time than the day, it’s not impossible to figure out. Statistics show that the best time to send a press release is between 10 am and 2 pm. Between these hours, the email open rates rose above 45%. After lunch rates drop down to 15%, so the chances of your release being noticed are small.

Another thing you should keep in mind is the time zone; it’s likely that you’ll be sending your release to more than one person nationwide or worldwide, so you have to adjust your press release schedule to coincide with the journalist’s local time. You can use a time zone converter to get the timing exactly right, and you can also program your emails to go out at an allotted time. Others will appreciate emails not disturbing media contacts in the middle of the night or bright and early.

When Not to Send

Afternoons should be avoided when sending out releases. The worst time to send out your release is between 2 pm and 6 pm; open rates drop because a lot of people are already done working for the day. Early mornings are also not ideal: if you’ve decided to send out a morning release, you should wait at least until 8 or 9 am, as this is the best time to send out press releases before noon.

Another helpful tip is to send your releases at a specific time, like 10:17 am, instead of sending them on the hour or half-hour marks (such as 10 or 10:30). Emails received at a specific time have a better click-through rate (CTR) than those received exactly on the mark; this could also increase your website’s traffic.

Key Takeaways

When to Send a Press Release During Holidays

Upcoming holidays are not the best day and time to send a press release, since much like the weekends, nobody’s got their mind on work. As a general rule, you should avoid sending out releases the day before a major holiday, such as Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and the start of Hanukkah. Even if you send your release the day after the holiday, it probably won’t get enough recognition because writers and influencers are still distracted from earlier celebrations.

However, there are exceptions to every rule: the exception here is the content of the press release, like if it’s related to the upcoming holiday. If your release is announcing something that is happening on the date of the holiday or immediately afterward, the best time to send out a press release is two or three days before the date in question. Examples include a Black Friday sale, Fourth of July barbecue, or Christmas giveaway; the release should always announce something the public is interested in, so the media will feel obliged to report it.

Sending Press Releases Ahead of Time

Rushing a press release’s distribution can be harmful and be the reason the release is overlooked. However, there are certain situations when it’s crucial to send it out ahead of time. By doing this, you’ll know that you’re among the first to report the story – there are several exceptions when you should just go ahead and release your announcement.

Everyday News

PR professionals are aware that daily news must be reported, so they know when they receive a late-night press release that it has to be published the next day. For news like this, there is no best day and time to send a press release as long as what you’re publishing is relevant. One example is financial releases, which are published after the market closes to align with certain regulations. Some events like COVID-19 get constant media coverage; consistent change every day means there’s always a need for updates.

Breaking News

Some news simply can’t wait; they are so important and groundbreaking that they have to be reported immediately. These breaking news pieces usually regard some event that has just happened or is currently in progress. Usually, these events are of global or national importance, so the best time to send out press releases concerning them is right away. The longer you wait, the more the story loses its relevance, so when you send it in, make sure you state that it’s intended for ‘Immediate Release’.

Products

The launch of a new product has to be announced at least one month before the product hits the market and becomes available for commercial use. It’s also a good strategy to publish a reminder for the launch a week before; you can use social media to do this. You can also send out your release with an embargo, meaning you can have the release set and ready to go until a certain date.

Events

Planning an event can be a long and difficult task, whether it is an anniversary party, conference, or the launch of a new company, so announcing it properly is a key point for success. Figuring out when to send a press release for an event is something you must know before the event occurs. Data shows that you should let the interested parties (like the media) know at least three weeks before the event takes place, with follow-up releases as the date gets closer. The best course of action with these releases is to send them only to journalists that cover similar events. Since they have experience in the field, you’ll know they’ll do a good job if they decide to go ahead with the story.

Whatever strategy you employ, and regardless of the timing you choose, you need to ensure that your press release is newsworthy and not just another marketing campaign. The header should be catchy and the content short, but substantial enough that it can be easily shared on websites and social media. The body should also be short enough for you to be able to copy and paste when sending a press release via email, as the publishing industry generally doesn’t like attachments. Multimedia is a welcomed inclusion and contact information is a must. Time to get to writing!

Conclusion

Press releases often depend on timing, so determining the best day and best time to send a press release can do a lot for successful publications. Thursday between 10 am – 2 pm is generally considered to be the ideal time and day to send out a release, as it has the biggest chance of being opened; if it contains relevant news, you can have it published in no time.