When should I send that press release? Does it even matter?

You know how it works. You drafted a press release, the client approved it and you are getting ready to distribute it using one of many wire services. You upload it, select all the options and the time of distribution. When I went through this process last time, I started thinking whether it makes any difference which day and what time of day press releases are distributed. After all, companies spend hundreds or thousands of dollars for wire distribution services. If a little adjustment in the distribution time can make any difference, why not take advantage of it, I thought.

OK. I already can hear all of you out there proclaiming the death of the press release and the fact that public relations should move away from this communications tool. I should be really thinking about spending my time on other things than press releases, right?

The most recent discussion on this topic I read was on David Henderson’s blog. “It no longer works,” writes David about press releases in “Die Press Release!!!” In another blog post he says: “So, when your organization spends hours of valuable time to craft a press release, and then, distributes it via email or some blast email service, that’s what happens to it – the trash basket. End of story.”

While I agree with many of the points David and others make, I still believe that press releases have a role to play. The role might have changed a little, the content of the press release might have changed as well, but it is here to stay. It is an official statement of a company and that’s all it is. It should not replace direct communication with journalists, it is not meant as a substitute for a well-written corporate blog or interaction with customers.

Whatever your opinion about press releases happens to be, I am sure you will agree that press releases will be here for some time. So while they are, how can we make the most of them? Let’s look at the timing issue discussed earlier. I emailed several wire services asking them for their recommendations and thoughts on the timing of press release distribution. Mitch Schneider, senior account executive at Marketwire, one of the biggest distribution services, responded:

“I don’t advise sending news out on Monday since it’s typically the day that produces the highest volume of press releases, and the odds of their press release being read and picked up would improve later in the week. I also counsel against sending news out on Friday, since most reporters and editors at weekday publications (those pubs that produce copy Monday to Friday) take Fridays off and are away from work.”

With regards to the time of the distribution, Mitch wrote: Personally, I counsel my clients to have their press release distributed Tuesday through Thursday, 6 a.m. EST to 8 a.m. EST. If you are a publicly traded company, I recommend having your announcement(s) distributed either prior to the opening of the major stock exchanges (9:30 a.m. EST) or shortly after the close (4:00 p.m. EST), preferably Tuesday through Thursday.”

And here are some statistics on press release distribution:

• 95% of press releases are distributed Monday through Friday
• Of releases distributed Monday through Friday, Monday and Tuesday have the highest volume during the week, followed by Wednesday and then Thursday. Friday always has the lowest release volume for any work day
• Of releases distributed Monday through Friday, 80% of releases are distributed between 5 a.m. and 1 p.m. EST

So the next time you are submitting a press release, keep these statistics in mind and get the most for your money.