Most businesses should issue a press release when they have real news — not because the calendar says it is time.
That is where many companies get stuck. Some go quiet for a year and wonder why the media does not know them. Others send a release for every minor update and train journalists to ignore them.
The right cadence sits between those two mistakes. Stay visible without becoming noise.
Start With Newsworthiness, Not Frequency
A press release should answer one basic question: why would someone outside your company care?
That person might be a customer, investor, trade journalist, local reporter, community leader, or industry buyer. If the announcement only matters inside your office, it probably is not a release.
Good reasons to issue a press release include:
- Launching a new product, service, or location
- Announcing a major partnership
- Sharing meaningful company growth
- Publishing useful research or data
- Winning a credible award
- Hiring a notable executive
- Hosting or sponsoring a significant event
- Responding to an issue that needs a public statement
A weak reason is “we have not sent one in a while.”
Before you add a release to the calendar, it helps to make sure you have a clear story, format, and distribution plan. This small business press release guide walks through the basics.
A Practical Cadence for Most Small Businesses
For many small businesses, one press release per quarter is a strong starting point.
That gives you four chances a year to tell a real story, build visibility, and stay in front of journalists without forcing weak news.
Quarterly releases create discipline. You begin asking better questions:
What changed this quarter?
What did we learn?
What customer problem are we solving now?
What trend are we seeing that others might care about?
Quarterly is not a limit. It is a healthy baseline.
When Monthly Releases Make Sense
Some businesses have enough activity to support one release per month. This is common for companies with regular product updates, active research, regional expansion, events, or strong customer success stories.
But monthly only works if each release has a clear angle.
“Company Adds New Feature” is thin. “New Feature Helps Independent Retailers Cut Checkout Time During Holiday Rush” is stronger. The first is about you. The second connects your news to a real problem.
If you can find that kind of angle every month, a monthly cadence can work. If not, do not manufacture it.
When You Should Issue Releases More Often
Some businesses may issue releases more often than once a month.
A startup raising funding, launching in multiple markets, releasing original data, and announcing partnerships may have several legitimate stories in a short window. A nonprofit running a major campaign may need releases before, during, and after an event. A public company may have disclosure requirements.
The key is not volume. It is relevance.
If five announcements are truly newsworthy, five releases may make sense. If they are tiny updates dressed as news, they will not help you.
When Fewer Releases Are Better
Some businesses should issue fewer releases.
If your industry moves slowly, your company is in a quiet season, or your announcements are mostly internal, wait until you have something stronger.
Silence is not always a problem. Empty noise is.
Use quiet periods to build better stories. Gather customer examples. Track results. Create data. Develop partnerships. Turn routine business activity into something with substance.
Think in Campaigns, Not One-Off Announcements
A press release should not live alone. It should fit into a larger communication plan.
Before you send one, ask:
- Who should care about this?
- What local, trade, or national angle fits best?
- What proof supports the claim?
- What should a reader do next?
- Can this become a blog post, email, social post, sales asset, or pitch?
One release can feed several channels. That is where the value compounds.
A restaurant opening a second location might issue a local press release, pitch neighborhood business reporters, email customers, post behind-the-scenes photos, and use the story in recruiting. Same news. More mileage.
For a broader small-business view on writing and using press releases, the SBA also offers a helpful primer on how to write a press release that gets results.
A Simple Cadence Guide
Use this as a practical rule of thumb:
New or quiet small business: two to four releases per year.
Active small business: one release per quarter.
Growing company with frequent announcements: one release per month.
Startup, nonprofit campaign, event-driven business, or fast-growth company: as news warrants.
Company with legal or investor obligations: as required.
The phrase “as news warrants” matters. It keeps you honest.
The Bottom Line
A business should issue press releases often enough to stay visible, but not so often that it weakens its own credibility.
For most small businesses, quarterly is a smart place to start. Monthly can work when the news is strong. More often is fine when the story justifies it.
Do not ask, “How many releases can we send?”
Ask, “How many real stories do we have?”
That question protects your budget, credibility, relationship with the media.
Mickie Kennedy founded eReleases.com in 1998 after watching PR firms charge small businesses a $20,000 minimum for a single press release. For 27 years, he’s been closing that gap — distributing 150,000+ releases via Cision PR Newswire, serving 30,000+ clients including Manscaped, Squatty Potty, and 40+ Shark Tank brands, and generating $132M+ in earned media. A sought-after podcast guest and two-time Amazon bestselling author of Beginner’s Guide to Writing Powerful Press Releases and The PR Strategy Manifesto. Mickie holds an MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University. Based in Baltimore, MD. LinkedIn