When you submit a press release it is competing with upwards of 50 others in any given week. Out of those 50 press releases, most of them never get published.
Here’s why most press releases fail – and how to make sure yours doesn’t.
What Not to Send (we see this every day)
- ALL CAPS HEADLINES THAT LOOK LIKE SPAM
- Three-page releases about minor staff changes
- PDFs we can’t copy and paste
- Vertical phone photos that don’t fit a web layout
- A press release that is a straight ad for your business
Now here’s how to do it right:
Tip 1: Know why your story matters
Most press releases answer who, what, when, and where. But great press releases start with why first.
Before you start writing a press release, stop and ask yourself: “Why should someone who doesn’t work here care about this?” If you can’t answer that – don’t write a press release!
Bad: “Ella Vater joins team at High Rise Realty.”
Good: “High Rise Realty Adds Commercial Specialist to Growing Team”
Better: “High Rise Realty Expansion Reflects Growing Local Housing Market”
Connect your announcement to something bigger. Market trends, community needs, economic growth. Frame your news around how it affects your neighbors. That’s what turns a corporate announcement into a community story.
Tip 2: Make the editor’s life easy
Newsrooms move fast. If your press release needs more than 5 minutes of our time, it goes in the trash.
Send us:
- Clean, copy-pastable text (no PDFs)
- A compelling headline we don’t need to rewrite
- All the basics in paragraph one (aim for 40-60 words)
- A horizontal image with caption
- Include your address, business hours, website link, and contact information
Don’t send us:
- Attachments we have to download or re-type
- Vertical photos from your phone
- Press releases without headlines
- Anything that makes us hunt for missing information
Give us everything we need to copy, paste, and publish. Press releases following this format are 5x more likely to get published.
Tip 3: Use AI as your editor
Here’s a game-changing prompt to paste into ChatGPT or similar:
“Edit this press release using AP journalism style. Make it concise and news-focused. Do not add quotes or facts. Format with headline, body copy, and contact information. Keep it under 400 words.”
Even professional writers need editing. This simple step transforms corporate jargon into readable news that people actually want to consume.
Tip 4: Don’t overwhelm us
We want to help local businesses. We want to give readers useful community information. But we’re not your marketing department.
Send a press release every week? You’ll end up being overlooked and skipped over more often than not.
Be selective. Share real news, not every company milestone. Ask yourself: “Would I read this if it weren’t about my business?”
If the honest answer is no, don’t send it.
Remember: if your announcement is really advertising, that’s important too! Our marketing team can help you reach local readers through our robust and effective advertising services.
But if it’s genuine news that benefits the community, we’re here to help you tell that story.
Want to get more eyeballs on your message? Let us help.
Want to get your message out beyond a press release? We can help! Check out our full suite of advertising solutions that help connect local businesses with local news readers.
