When companies have news to share, the press release often comes to mind as the first and default method to disseminate the information to the public or key stakeholders. But in today’s digital world and evolving media landscape, does the press release still hold value?
The short answer is yes. In Cision’s 2024 ‘State of the Media Report,’ which surveyed more than 3,000 journalists worldwide, 74% of respondents listed the press release as a piece of content they prefer to receive. That ranked first among types of content received by media.
Despite this, many companies come to us indicating that its press releases rarely earn attention and media coverage. Several announcements are made through a press release, but no results follow.
That’s because the press release on its own is a tool for earning media coverage, not the underlying reason for coverage.
What companies and their PR teams must first decide is if their news warrants a press release. A press release must be newsworthy—this is non-negotiable! That means the news is timely, unique and relevant to the end audience. Ensure the topic is truly news and not publicity. One is valuable and pertinent to outside audiences; the other is promotional and serves a distinct company interest. Journalists will know the difference.
That’s not to say the latter doesn’t hold value, but the content is better placed elsewhere, such as a social media post or sponsored article.
Ultimately, journalists are after stories relevant to their audiences. Sometimes, the primary news in a press release—an executive hire, a product launch, a significant industry partnership—will check that box, depending on the media type and audience.
Other times it won’t.
What’s key is finding the story. Most announcements worthy of a press release have a story. They aren’t always obvious, but they exist.
For example, Company X would like to issue a press release that it exceeded one million downloads of its pet adoption app. That’s quite an achievement, but on its own is more relevant to the company than its audience, and is likely to result in minimal coverage.
What transforms this press release into news is accompanying it with a media pitch sharing specific stories around how the app has benefitted end users. How one of the million app users, a military veteran, matched with a dog that was instrumental in helping him or her overcome post-traumatic stress disorder and transition to civilian life is a story.
Finally, crafting a newsworthy release accompanied with a compelling story won’t be successful if it’s sent to the wrong journalists. A strong media list is the foundation of every effective announcement or pitch. You must find the journalists the press release is most relevant to, or else you risk all the other great work being ignored.
Now over 100 years old and competing against a variety of media platforms, the press release absolutely still has a place in a company’s public relations program. They are an effective tool for earning coverage, but they are also just that: a tool. Good storytelling (why the news matters and how it’s impactful) and good targeting are what ultimately matter.
By ensuring the release is timely, unique and relevant to the end audience, you increase the likelihood of capitalizing on journalists’ continued preference of press releases, which results in earning more media coverage and getting the recognition your company deserves.
