Last week Google’s share price fell rapidly after a public relations staff member accidently published the company’s earnings report hours earlier than planned.
LeadingCompany reports the document was published without authorisation and even had a large space that was to be filled by a quote from chief executive Larry Page.
Once information has been published it’s impossible to take it back or stop people from seeing it. As shown with the example from Google, publishing information at the wrong time can lead to a PR disaster as Google’s shares went down by 8 per cent.
This is an important lesson for businesses to always make sure the information they release is correct, complete and timely.
Here are some tips to help you time the distribution of your media release.
- Generally the best time to send out a media release is in the morning on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. This is because journalists are more likely to be away or not at their desks on Thursdays or Fridays. It’s best to send it in the morning so journalists have more time to write an article.
- Consider a journalist’s deadline and send the release before it. For example if you’re sending a media release to monthly magazines their deadline is usually three months in advance. This means you need to send them the release in advance or have a topic that is still relevant three months later.
- If your news is urgent then release it straight away. For example if you are launching a new product you need to send the release as soon as the product is launched. If you wait too long your story will be old news and may not be covered.
- If you story isn’t urgent then pick the best time to send it out. If you know there is going to be a huge news story on a particular day then hold off sending the release until it’s over. For example, no matter how newsworthy your media release is, if a new Prime Minister had just been voted in there won’t be space in the news for your story. Hold off until a few days after the election or before.
- Consider the type of news you want to release and where you want it to be featured. For example if you want if to appear on the six o’clock news you need to plan enough time for a camera crew to take some footage and edit it before the news airs. If the media release is for an online publication then it could appear immediately.
Timing is everything in PR because it can make the difference between getting 10 stories in different publications or one small story at the back of a newspaper.
Have you ever sent out a badly timed media release?
Sydney Public Relations Agency, CP Communications provides specialist media, traditional and online PR strategies that get amazing results. Contact us today. For more great tips visit our website www.cpcommunications.com.au.
