Push Notifications: The Engagement Channel You’re Ignoring

Every publisher has an email list. Most have social accounts. But how many have a push notification channel? If your answer is “not us,” you’re leaving your most powerful engagement tool on the table.

The Numbers Tell the Story

Average email open rates hover around 20% and continue to decline year over year. Social media organic reach has cratered — Facebook pages now reach 2–5% of their followers per post. Meanwhile, push notifications see 40–60% open rates on mobile, with most users engaging within minutes of delivery.

The difference is context. Email arrives in a crowded inbox hours after you send it. Social posts compete with an algorithmic feed. A push notification arrives on a lock screen at the moment you choose, with a direct tap to your content.

What Makes Push Effective for Publishers

Immediacy: Breaking news, new post alerts, and time-sensitive content reach readers in seconds, not hours. For news publishers, this is transformative.

Opt-in quality: Push subscribers are your most engaged users — they chose to install your app and accept notifications. This audience self-selects for loyalty.

No intermediary: Unlike social media or email, there’s no algorithm between you and your reader. Every subscriber sees every notification you send.

Push Done Right

Effective push notifications follow three principles:

1. Be relevant. Not every post warrants a push. Reserve notifications for your best content, breaking stories, and genuine value.
2. Be timely. Send during your audience’s active hours. A notification at 2 AM builds resentment, not engagement.
3. Be respectful. One to three notifications per day maximum. More than that and uninstall rates spike.

How PressNative Makes It Easy

PressNative’s push notification system lives in your WordPress dashboard. Send to all subscribers or target by platform (iOS/Android) and engagement recency. Track delivery and opens in the analytics dashboard. Optionally, auto-notify on every new publish.

Your readers installed your app because they value your content. Push notifications are how you honor that relationship with timely, relevant delivery.