Writing a great press release is only half the battle.
The other half? Sending it at the right time.
In 2025, with hundreds of announcements flooding journalists’ inboxes daily, choosing the optimal day and time to send your press release can make or break your visibility.
This guide reveals:
- The best days and times to send PR in 2025
- How factors like industry, time zone, and topic change the “right” send time
- What times to avoid (the “PR black hole”)
- Tips for scheduling global or cross-regional announcements
- Real data and media behavior behind each time recommendation
Let’s make sure your press release lands at the top of inboxes — not the bottom.
Why Timing Your Press Release Matters
Journalists receive 50–300 emails a day, and that’s just press content.
If you send your release at the wrong time:
It won’t get opened
It gets buried under morning backlog
Your story might completely miss the news cycle
In 2025, press releases sent at the “right time of day” are 2.3x more likely to be opened and 3x more likely to be covered.
(Source: Meltwater India PR Trends Report)
Best Days to Send a Press Release (2025)
| Day | Recommendation | Why It Works |
| Tuesday | Best overall | High editorial productivity & open rates |
| Wednesday | Also excellent | Perfect balance of media engagement & space |
| Thursday | Good option | Still safe, especially before noon |
| Monday | Risky | Too early; inbox overload |
| Friday | Avoid unless urgent | Low media interest heading into weekend |
| Saturday/Sunday | Not recommended | Newsrooms are off/delayed pickup |
Optimal Days for India PR (2025): Tuesday or Wednesday, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM IST
Best Time of Day to Send Your Press Release
| Time (IST) | Performance Level | Notes |
| 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM | Ideal | Journalists start reviewing and pitching at this time |
| 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Decent (less ideal) | Often overlaps with lunch/meetings |
| 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Less responsive | Energy dip, less likelihood of real-time pickup |
| 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM | Avoid (except urgent) | Late in the day = ignored or delayed to next day |
| Before 9:00 AM | Inbox backlog time | Gets buried under early spam/follow-ups |
Global Campaign Tip:
Use tools like Time Zone Converter to schedule for early mornings based on region (e.g. 9:30 AM local time in India, UK or US).
Timing Strategy for Global Press Releases
| Region | Best Local Times to Send PR |
| 🇮🇳 India | 10:00–11:30 AM IST (Tues–Wed) |
| 🇺🇸 USA (East) | 9:00–10:30 AM EST (Tue–Wed) |
| 🇬🇧 UK | 9:00–11:00 AM GMT (Tue–Wed) |
| APAC Composite | 10:00–11:30 AM local time (Tues–Thurs) |
Best practice: Stagger your release timing in 3–5 hour blocks (e.g., India at 10:30 AM, Europe at 12 PM CET, US at 10 AM EST).
When Not to Send a Press Release
| When / Why | Risk |
| Mondays (9 AM – 12 PM) | Reporters clearing inbox, not reading PR |
| Fridays after lunch | Newsrooms disengaged; risk of “no pickup” weekends |
| National holidays / long weekends | Inclined to be skipped or missed entirely |
| During major global news cycles | Competing stories dominate feeds and SERPs |
Sending PR on wrong days may reduce pickup by 40–60% — and even hurt SEO gains from missed syndication.
Tips to Maximize Your Press Release Delivery Timing
Use email tools (like Mailchimp, GMass) that allow region-based scheduling
Pre-pitch key journalists 24 hours before distribution
Avoid embargoes unless media has pre-confirmed interest
Test A/B headlines via subject line preview tools
Use news monitoring tools post-send to capture fast pickups
FAQs – Press Release Timing
Q: What if I miss the best day/time? Should I wait?
Yes — if your story isn’t urgent or breaking, delay to the next ideal day/time slot.
Q: Is midnight or early AM send helpful for search engines?
Only slightly. But if humans don’t open it, the SEO benefit may dilute.
Q: Do paid wires like PR Newswire or Business Wire follow ideal send times?
Yes. They recommend and allow scheduling within optimal global windows.
Final Thoughts
In PR, timing is everything.
Right day = more open rates
Right time = better media pickup
Better pickup = backlinks, traffic & trust
Don’t just send a press release… send it when the world is most likely to see it.
Want Help Planning the Perfect PR Launch Time?
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