[EP05] PR in Korea: When to Send a Press Release

PR Study for Beginners — EP05

In the last article, we covered five things that make a press release worth publishing: a strong story, a clear headline, a tight body, good visuals, and reachable contact information. This article picks up where that left off.

You've put the work into writing a strong press release. Now the question is: when do you actually send it — and how do you give it the best possible chance of being opened and covered?

When you're new to PR, it's easy to assume that sending during business hours is enough. And broadly speaking, that's true. But there's a layer beneath that. Journalists have their own rhythms — the times when they're most actively reviewing materials, and the times when a press release is most likely to get buried. Understanding those patterns is its own kind of strategy.😊

When should you send your press release? It depends on the day.

ⓒ Unsplash

The first variable to consider is which day you send.

Most online media outlets run on a standard Monday–Friday schedule, with a skeleton crew handling weekends and public holidays. Journalists do work weekends — news doesn't stop — but weekend shifts are focused on high-priority breaking stories, not individual press releases. For print-based dailies, the pattern varies by outlet, but reduced weekend staffing is a near-universal constant.

The bottom line: avoid weekends. Even major corporations typically limit weekend releases to lower-stakes content like CSR announcements.

Monday tends to see a spike in distribution volume — materials that weren't sent the previous week, plus anything that accumulated over the weekend, all go out at once. But journalists are also dealing with morning editorial meetings and a week's worth of catch-up. High volume, lower bandwidth. Releases with marginal news value are easy to overlook.

Friday runs in the opposite direction. Staff levels drop as journalists take time off or leave early ahead of the weekend. Even if it's technically a workday, coverage capacity shrinks. If you have something urgent, send it Friday morning. If it can wait, hold it for the following week.

That leaves Tuesday through Thursday as the sweet spot. Staffing is stable, editorial attention is more focused, and press release volume — while still competitive — is more manageable. Most experienced PR professionals default to this window for a reason.

One caveat: Thursday in particular tends to see the highest volume of all, as teams try to get materials out before the weekend drop-off. If your release genuinely needs to land, and you have a strong existing relationship with the journalist covering your beat, a brief heads-up the day before — flagging the timing and why it matters — can make a real difference.

Watch for major industry events on your target date

ⓒ Unsplash

Once you've settled on a day, there's one more thing worth checking: whether any large-scale events are happening that day within your industry.

If a dominant player in your space — a Samsung in consumer electronics, an Amazon in retail — is holding a press conference, launching a major product, or taking a group of journalists on an overseas trip, the reporters who normally cover your story may be fully tied up. The same applies when a high-profile international figure is visiting and drawing heavy media attention.

The fix is simple: stay close to industry news and, where possible, ask journalists directly about upcoming commitments. Building that habit into your pre-distribution routine can save you from sending into a dead zone.

Want to know what's happening in your industry before you distribute? ➡️ Try Pulitzer AI's news clipping feature.

Time of day — earlier is almost always better 

Compared to day-of-week strategy, the time question is more straightforward.

The window between 8:00 and 10:00 AM is the most effective. Most journalists are starting their day, checking email, and deciding which stories to pursue. Press release review happens predominantly in the morning — once field reporting, interviews, and deadline pressure kick in, the likelihood of a release getting a close look drops significantly.

Some PR professionals strategically target 7:00–7:30 AM to land at the top of the inbox before the morning rush. It's a legitimate tactic, though it depends on your relationship with the outlet and the nature of the news.

What to avoid: sending after 10:00 AM. By then, most journalists have shifted into reporting mode and have limited time to process new materials.

A note on embargoes

ⓒ wikipedia

If your release involves information that can't be made public until a specific time — due to a regulatory filing, a partner announcement, or a coordinated launch — an embargo is worth considering.

The approach: send the press release in the morning as usual, but clearly mark it [EMBARGOED UNTIL (time)] in both the subject line and the body. This gives journalists time to prepare their articles in advance and publish immediately when the embargo lifts.

That said, embargoes do occasionally break — a journalist or editor may publish early by mistake. If you're working with an embargoed release, monitor coverage closely from the moment of distribution and be ready to contact the outlet immediately if something goes out ahead of schedule.

Beyond email — how to use follow-up strategically

Email is the standard channel for press release distribution. But there are supplementary tools worth knowing.

Text message is the most common follow-up method. Keep it short: something like "Hi [name], just sent over a press release on [topic] — would appreciate a look when you get a chance. [Your name]" is enough. It's a light-touch reminder, not a pitch.

Messaging apps (WhatsApp, iMessage, etc.) have high open rates, but as we covered in EP02, some journalists prefer to keep those channels separate from work outreach — especially from contacts they don't know well. Others actively prefer it. Read the relationship and act accordingly.

Phone calls should be used sparingly. If you've already sent an email and a text, a follow-up call purely to confirm receipt can feel intrusive. Reserve phone outreach for situations where a release is genuinely important and you're seeing unusually low pickup — not as a default step.

Timing is the second half of the equation

Think of it this way: writing a strong press release is the first half of the job. Getting the timing right is the second. When both come together — a well-crafted release sent at the right moment, to the right journalists, on a day when they can actually engage with it — that's when you start seeing consistent results.

For teams looking to take the guesswork out of distribution, Pulitzer AI's journalist database includes data on individual publishing patterns, making it possible to identify not just who covers your beat, but when they're most likely to engage. Distribution strategy built on data rather than instinct.

Ready to build a smarter distribution strategy? 📊

Pulitzer AI's journalist database helps you find the right people and reach them at the right time. ➡️ Try Pulitzer AI

Coming up next

In the next article, we'll cover press release timing and distribution — the best days to send, which channels work best, and how to build a strategy that gives your release the best possible chance of being covered. Pulitzer AI is rooting for you. 💪✨