Improve Visibility Through Press Releases Part 3C: Defining your When

Defining your When

Timing is very important to a release. The one of your press release can be specifically the date and time of an event you are writing about, or your when, might simply be an internal note of when the person or organization wants to distribute a release.  

Newsworthy content needs to be distributed to the media when the news is current. The media does not want to old news.If a release is more educational like a product release, then the timing of that release needs to tie into the product launch. If the release is to educate about an event, then the release needs to come after.

Give People Time To Plan Their Event

Out in advance of the event to give people time to plan their attendance. A release includes the date, usually just the month, which indicates how new or old a release it is. The media is less likely to take a release seriously that is old. 

If a release is date-centric or around promoting an event, defining this will help dictate any call to actions, content, as well as the timing of your press release distribution. If a release is about an event, then the when will be the specifics, the date, the time. 

The brainstorm sheet did help clarify that the when can be anytime. So it is noted in the brainstorm process to clearly communicate that if registration is required. The when of a release goes beyond the time of one release. 

Plan Your Press Release in Advance

We should know as an organisation that press releases are often planned for months in advance by using a content calendar.

When's like holidays, industry events and peak times in certain industries can all be brainstormed by month to help create a plan for all the press releases needed to support communications throughout the year. 

Example

It's like content that caters to event planners, organizing groups around certain conferences happening in San Francisco, as well as specific releases about holiday parties or sporting events that might bring in travelers. If you plan to do press releases year round as a communications method.

I recommend planning content around any seasonal whens with a simple content calendar.