Getting news coverage isn’t always easy, and even the professionals know that there are certain days in the year and days of the week that should be blacklisted for sending press releases. Strike while the iron is hot when it comes to immediately newsworthy stories; all others can wait for just the right “slow” news day.
Monday and Friday: Certain Death for PR
Monday gets a bad rap with good reason. It’s the day that business people the world over are playing catch-up from the weekend and planning the work week ahead, and reporters are no different. Neither, for that matter, are public relations staffers. E-mail and fax releases come in on Monday by the boatloads, but they won’t get much attention as the “real” news unfolds.
If you’ll watch government and big business closely, you’ll notice that the biggest news stories come out on Friday afternoons. That’s because Saturday newspapers have the lowest share of readership for the entire week, so not many people are going to see any news (at least, not any detailed print news) when it comes out in print on Saturday. Mark Friday off your list of effective release days.
Aim For Middle Ground
Think of the week as a news sandwich: Monday and Friday are the tasteless white bread, while Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are where you find the real flavor. Or, in the case of press releases, ink. Few reporters are working on Saturday and Sunday, and their days are usually booked solid days in advance. Wire stories will fill the rest of the space, but feature stories are usually due by Thursday evening. The trick is knowing when to send a release that will attract a bored reporter who wants a feature byline on Sunday. Time it right, and you’ll earn some media coverage that is worthy of newspaper article framing and a pat on the back.
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