Weve learned that getting attention isnt just about having something to sayits about saying it when folks are most likely to listen. Press releases are no different. They dont work on their own; they work when timing joins the effort.
A press release that hits inboxes at the wrong moment might as well have never been written. But one that lands just right? It can light a match under sales, turn a quiet launch into a conversation, and make a product name echo across corners of the internet and beyond. Thats what timing does. And when we do it well, we see it in our bottom line.
- Press releases boost sales best when distributed midweek, early morning, to catch media attention.
- Aligning releases with industry events and news cycles increases relevance and pickup.
- Targeting the right audience and avoiding oversaturation improves visibility and sales impact.
Timing, wed say, is like a hinge. It either opens the door wide or slams it shut before it ever swings. (1)
Theres a pattern we followmidweek is our best bet. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and sometimes Thursdays if we catch them early. Mondays are chaoscatch-up day, meeting day, inbox-triage day. And Fridays? Folks already have one foot out the door, mentally or physically. Sending a release then is like whispering into a stadium at halftime. So we aim for that sweet middle.
Early hours get the worm, or more accurately, the editors glance. Between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time is where our numbers hold strongest. And theres this odd trickdont send it at exactly 8:00. Send it at 8:13 or 8:17. Something offbeat. Everyone else is piling in on the hour, and we want ours to stand out.
Massive dumps of press releases hit at common timeson the hour, on the half-hour. Its clockwork. Thats why we stagger our sends by 10 to 15 minutes. A tiny shift, sure, but that shift helps us climb out of the clutter. Editors are humans too. They read whats on top. And we make sure were up there.
Timing isnt just about clocks and calendars. Its about mood. Momentum. Whats already rolling and how we can roll with it.
We once timed a release for a new product line the week before a major industry conference. Nothing fancyjust the basics and some sharp angles. The media took it and ran. Our booth at that show stayed full the whole time. It worked because the event gave our release context. It wasnt floating out there aloneit had gravity.
Some of the best windows for releases include:
- The week before trade shows
- The day after a major industry announcement (if were building off it)
- Product launch weeks
These moments already have eyes on the space. Were just giving those eyes something extra to look at.
Theres a rhythm to seasons. Shoppers start thinking about holidays in early November, not December. We dont wait to announce seasonal promos when the season is already here. Same goes for trending storiesif there's buzz around a topic that touches our product, we look for a way to join the conversation (authentically, not shoehorned).
Its not about chasing trends. Its about aligning with cycles that already exist. When a topics rising, and we time our release to match that liftwe ride that curve up.
No timing can save a dull release. Thats plain truth. If were sending out fluffno real news, just noisewere wasting everybodys time. The message needs weight. Something real. A new feature, a milestone, a meaningful partnership. When we have that, and we hit the right moment, thats when results happen.
Sometimes a picture does speak louder. A press release with a clean product shot, a 20-second demo clip, or even a graph showing early adoptionthose dont just help tell the story. They make the story shareable. Releases with images get more pickups. Ours that had a GIF of product usage? Got 28% more opens. People like seeing what theyre reading about.
Credits: Promote Smart: Tips to Effectively Market Your BusinessPress releases dont sell anything unless the right eyes see them. Thats a fact we live by.
We try to think like the editor. Theyve got maybe 100 unread emails every morning. If ours shows up at the right timeand looks useful, interesting, maybe even timelyit gets a shot. If not, its gone.
We learn their habits. Some like early morning. Others mid-afternoon. A few only read email on the train home. Timing to that rhythm improves our odds.
One press release isnt a blanket. Its a needle. We point it where it needs to go.
Heres how we break it down:
- Tech updates � sent to software blogs and beta testers
- Consumer promos � go to lifestyle editors and ecommerce writers
- Regional news � goes only to media in that zip code
When a release fits the reader, it feels less like spam and more like service.
We also watch when media outlets publish. If a big blog posts most on Tuesdays, we want our release in their inbox Monday night. Not because we want them to copy-pastebut because we want them to think about us when planning their Tuesday content.
Some days are just too loud. Its hard to be heard when everyones yelling.
Sometimes we zig when others zag. Instead of 9:00 a.m., we try 9:18. Instead of Thursday, we try Wednesday mid-morning. We test. We adjust. When we hit that quieter pocket, our message travels farther.
If theres a national election, big sports event, or celebrity scandal dominating headlines, we wait. Our release cant compete with that. Better to pause a day than get buried.
We keep a calendar of big media eventsTV premieres, product launches, government reportsso were not stepping into a hurricane with our little story.
For global releases, we build timing windows like a puzzle. A good send time for New York might be dinner in Paris, or midnight in Tokyo. We stagger sends or use region-specific lists. Sometimes we even write slight variations of the release to suit regional expectations. It takes extra effort, but it keeps our news freshno matter the time.
Our press release is only one part of the message. How we carry it matters too. (2)
After we send the release, we share itsmartly. Not just a link, but a quote. A stat. A behind-the-scenes image. Posts with snippets work better than full blurbs.
Weve noticed about 20% more traffic when we follow up with a social post an hour after the initial email blast. And timing still matters here. Afternoon scrolls get more engagement. We try:
- Twitter/X: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- LinkedIn: before noon
- Instagram: evenings, especially weekends
While we dont usually send press releases on weekends, we do post about them. Saturday mornings? Great for soft promotions. Sunday night? Good for reminders. People browse on weekends when theyre relaxed. We use that space to echo the release.
We dont fly blind. We track everything.
- Open rates (aiming for 1822%)
- Click-through rates (23%)
- Pickup mentions (tracked via media monitoring)
- Referral traffic to site (watched through UTM links)
This tells us if our timings workingor if we need to adjust.
Sales data tells us what timing alone wont say out loud.
We connect releases to landing pages. Sometimes with promo codes. Sometimes with time-sensitive offers. If we see a spike in clicks and checkouts within 2448 hours, we know the release hit.
Our best case? A 12% conversion rate spike within three days of a Tuesday morning release tied to a flash sale.
Press releases cost time, and if were using paid distribution, they cost money. We look at returns. Not just in media mentionsbut in dollars. If a $400 release brings in $4,000 in product sales, we call that a win. If not, we adjust. Maybe the story. Maybe the list. Maybe just the time we sent it.
We dont guess anymore. We test. Every quarter, we look at what worked. Then we tweak.
Sometimes we find weird patternslike better performance from 9:23 a.m. sends than 8:00 a.m. ones. Or that Friday afternoon releases do work in certain industries (like entertainment).
Our timing strategy isnt fixed. It evolves. And that keeps us sharp.
Heres what we keep taped to the side of our screen:
- Aim for midweek mornings (TuesThurs, 8:0010:00 a.m. ET)
- Avoid top-of-hour sendsgo for :12 or :17 to beat the rush
- Tie releases to events, seasons, and timely topics
- Include at least one multimedia asset (image, GIF, graph)
- Segment the audiencedont send everything to everyone
- Check calendars for noisy news days and skip em
- Use scheduling tools and open-rate analytics to sharpen timing
- Think globallyplan for time zones if youre sending international
- Back up releases with well-timed social media posts
- Track sales and clicks to see what timing works best
Press releases help sales most when they announce something customers really care about. New products, major price drops, awards, or partnerships create buzz that drives people to buy. The key is timing your release when people are ready to spend money on what you offer.
Yes, press releases work great during busy shopping times like holidays, back-to-school season, or industry-specific busy periods. When customers are already looking to buy, your news can push them to choose you over competitors. Timing matters more than perfect writing sometimes.
You might see sales changes within days if your news hits the right audience at the right time. Online sales often respond faster than in-store purchases. However, some press releases build awareness that turns into sales weeks or months later, especially for big-ticket items customers research carefully.
Press releases can create excitement during slow times, but they work best when you have something genuinely newsworthy to share. Announcing new services, limited-time offers, or company achievements can remind customers you exist and give them reasons to buy when they might not otherwise.
Product launches, special deals, awards, and partnerships tend to drive immediate sales. Customer success stories and research findings build long-term trust that leads to future purchases. The best sales-driving releases solve problems customers didn't know they had or offer clear value.
For expensive items, press releases build trust and awareness rather than instant sales. Customers research big purchases carefully, so your press coverage becomes part of their decision-making process. Multiple releases over time work better than expecting one announcement to drive immediate high-value sales.
Track sales numbers before and after your release goes out. Look for spikes in website traffic, phone calls, or store visits. Ask new customers how they heard about you. Use special discount codes mentioned only in press releases to measure direct impact easily.
Skip press releases when you don't have real news to share or when your product has serious problems. Don't send releases during major news events when yours will get buried. Also avoid them if you can't handle increased demand - nothing hurts sales like disappointing excited customers.
Timing isnt just a detailits the detail that shapes everything else. A press release that lands right when editors are looking and readers are listening can turn attention into action.
If you want your press release to land in the right hands at the right time, consider using NewswireJet . Their affordable distribution service helps small and mid-sized businesses get featured on major media outlets like NBC, CBS, Yahoo, and Google Newswith professional writing and detailed reporting included. Its a cost-effective way to amplify your message without hiring an expensive PR agency.
Weve seen it. The trick isnt just to send news. Its to send news that lands in the moment where it can do the most good. That moments different for every audience, every industry, every release. But when we find itwe dont just reach people. We move them.
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1494815/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7222052/
