When is the Best Time to Send a Press Release?

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When you have a new or newsworthy announcement to share with your target audience, sending out a press release is a great way to earn attention, but how can you increase your chances of standing out amongst all the digital noise?

Whether it is quarterly financials being reported, trade show season (January/February), holiday product marketing drops (October/November), and so on, the amount of corporate, non-profit and general media news being put in front of consumers and investors can at times be overwhelming

For the U.S. market, when you consider that the average American looks at his or her smartphone approximately 47 times per day, you need to ensure that your message isn’t being lost in the cacophony of media being delivered on the hour across so many different platforms.

Read on to learn more about the right time to send a press release so that you can reach your target audience and cut through the noise. 

When Not to Send a Press Release

Whether it’s via a phone, laptop, tablet, television and so on, consumers and investors give you a lot of chances to capture their attention throughout any given day. According to Nielsen, American adults spend over 11 hours per day listening to, watching, reading or generally interacting with media. So, how can you capture some of that attention?

One simple way you can compete better for eyeballs and earned media pick up is to avoid sending out a press release on the hour

In the image below, check out the deluge of press releases that came across on the hour at 9 a.m., on October 22, 2018. 

PR Newswire Wire Crossing.jpg

This is just a snapshot of what crossed the Cision Distribution by PR Newswire wire right at 9 a.m. Considering the fact that there are so many more announcements on the wire at the top of the hour each morning, from PRN as well as dozens of other content generators led by the likes of the Associated Press and Dow Jones, it makes sense to avoid such distribution timing.

While any good marketing campaign includes proactive outreach to media, and posting a series of tweets and/or blogs around the same message — you don’t want to then have your message lost in a sea of noise when it crosses the wire as well. 

How to Make Your Press Release Stand Out

Your target audience has so many options in front of them, vying for their attention, and you need to make sure your message stands out in as many ways as possible.  A few simple best practices include: 

  • Make sure you’re using multimedia whenever possible – readers will be more engaged with your content. 
  • Make sure you have a call-to-action near the top of your message. Don’t assume a reader is going to click a link back to your website – invite them to do so, entice them. 
  • Make sure your content is relevant, is something your target audience will find appealing, interesting. 
  • And, of course, make sure you have a well thought out schedule, timing, for every piece of your campaign – including the time your press release will cross the wire!

It's also important to take into account the human nature aspect of your target audience when distributing your message. If you want to avoid the flood of releases that come through on the hour, don’t send your release at 9:01 a.m., when readers are still scrolling through the 9 a.m., stories. Instead, distribute your release at other times like 7:55 a.m., or perhaps 8:15 a.m. 

In the end, it’s your call — but always remember that right on the hour at 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 9 a.m., and 4 p.m., especially in the Eastern Time Zone, the noise being generated by both hundreds of brands and media is at its peak.

Make Your Press Release Count

Now that we’ve discussed the importance of timing when it comes to delivering your message, here are a few reminders about why you should be utilizing Cision Distribution by PR Newswire:

  • Reach new customers
  • Manage brand reputation
  • Drive SEO traffic and engagement
  • Show ROI such as public views, media views, clicks, Tweets, and more. And Cision’s Communications Cloud™ and Impact reports can show even more earned media clips and demographic information about your audience.

So, the next time you send a press release, make it count by sending it at the right time with the right key elements included. To learn more, download The Guide to the Ultimate Press Release.

 

Tags : press release

About Glenn Frates

Glenn Frates is Regional Vice President of U.S. Distribution at Cision. Glenn’s 20+ years experience in content distribution and best practices, global marketing strategies and large-scale operations management has provided him a broad perspective on what does and doesn’t work well in the Marketing/PR arena.

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