Identifying the right time to send your school press release to publishers is just as important as learning how to write it. Even if you have the most important news to share, your press release may not get published if you send it at the wrong time. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of newsworthy articles being submitted to journalists and editors everyday, and with this much material competing for limited space, you must learn when to send your press release so that it can stand out and get published right away.
Here’s when to send a school press release to get it published:
Learn from the experts
Throughout the years, various institutions have conducted surveys and studies about the optimal time to send out press releases. Even though their results were not exactly the same, they shared similarities in some aspects, especially with regards to the time of sending out press releases. Here are some of the studies that were published online:
- ConversionHub mentioned that the most popular time and day to send a press release is on a Tuesday morning between 8:am and 9:am. It is recommended to check other possible times to send it out so you have lesser competition and get more attention from publishers.
- BusinessWire’s survey of over 100 PR professionals revealed that Tuesday mornings are the best times to send a press release.
- Coschedule‘s report based on 14 studies mentioned that Tuesdays record the most number of click-throughs, and that the best time for opens and click rates is usually from 8:00 am to 10:00 am, and 2pm and 8pm.
- Entrepreneur’s study mentioned that the best day and time to send emails is every Tuesday at 10:00am. However, the best time may vary according to your intended goal (opens, clicks or responses) and your type of recipients (entrepreneurs, businesses or consumers).
Identify your editors
Before sending out your press release, Express Writers and Journalistics recommend that you know when editors are available and ready to receive them. Here are some of the questions that you should consider:
- When do editors check their emails?
- How do I make sure that my email lands at the top of the inbox by the time editors sit down to work?
- How much lead time do they need before a press release gets published?
- When are editors too busy to give my material a chance?
- How do these factors come into play when I decide to release a press release?
Consider the scope of your press release
The best time to send out your press release also depends on your target audience and channels. PR Newswire has the following recommendations for different recipients:
- For mainstream media, like newspapers, television and magazines, the best time to send a press release is between 9.00am and 9.30am, Monday to Thursday. That’s the time when journalists are plotting their spot stories, and this gives you enough time to make follow up calls and specialised pitches. Friday is not a recommended day for press releases because that’s the day when the weekend editions are getting completed.
- For industry-specific publications, particularly with education-related media, time is not as important as the day of release. You will need to know the guidelines and restrictions of the publishers, and that includes the deadlines for both print and digital issues. You can check their editorial calendar and coordinate with their journalists to get the necessary information.
- For digital press releases that directly target your prospects, you must first research your prospects’ behaviour and identify when and how they use the internet. Websites from most industries will hold their press releases over the weekend, but if you want to get media attention as well, you can also post your press releases on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. If you plan to send out the press release to other websites, you must also consider how long they will post your press release before they move it from the main page to the archive section.
- For press releases that need prompt delivery, like in the case of a PR crisis, then you should send them as soon as possible, with regular follow ups for the press to make sure that they release the materials at the soonest possible time.
If you have identified the best time to send out your press release, you have a better chance of getting them published. Take time to observe various publications and your competitors so that you may learn when and how to send your press release.
