Is a Press Release the Right Format for This Announcement?

By Kevin Mahoney

A press release is the right format when three things are true at the same time: something specific happened (or is scheduled to happen), you can prove it, and people outside your customer list have a reason to care. If any one of those is missing, a different format will usually serve you better. That might be a page on your own site, an email to existing customers, a direct pitch to one reporter, or a clearly labeled paid placement.

That's the short answer. The rest of this page walks through a decision tree built from the rules a newswire and Google actually publish, so you can make the call before you spend money on distribution.

Why the Format Question Comes Before the Writing

A release is a news format, and newswires review it as news. A strong draft can't change that. If the message isn't news, the format is the problem, not the wording.

ACCESS Newswire's published content guidelines are a useful example. They say the editorial team reviews every release before distribution. They list advertising and general-interest articles as things a release should not be used for. And they reserve the right to refuse content that is too promotional, can't be verified, or falls into a restricted category. The editors make the final decision. Other wires, including GlobeNewswire, set their own rules, so check the specific route you're considering.

Picking the wrong format costs money. Under those same guidelines, ACCESS gives an account credit instead of a refund for a release rejected for not meeting its rules, and you must use that credit within 60 days. Sorting out the format first is cheaper than finding out at the editorial desk.

The Announcement-Format Decision Tree

Work through these questions in order. Each “no” sends you to a better-fitting format, and that result is useful too. It stops you from paying to distribute something the channel wasn't designed for.

Question 1: Did something specific happen, with a date attached?

Newswires want a timely event stated plainly in the headline. The ACCESS guidelines give examples of common angles:

• A new product, service, or website launch
• New hires or personnel changes
• Partnerships or deals between companies
• Store openings, company events, or upcoming industry events
• A white paper or new research study
• Awards or industry recognition
• Organizational milestones such as an anniversary

If yes: go to Question 2.

If no: you probably have a content marketing idea, not an announcement. Examples include “why our approach is different,” a seasonal tip list, or a general brand story. Publish it on your own site as part of a content marketing strategy, where you control the angle, the tone, and the calls to action.

Question 2: Can someone outside your company verify the central facts?

ACCESS requires releases to be factually and legally accurate. It also says it may refuse a release containing important information its editors can't verify on their own.

Some subjects need more than accuracy. The guidelines say written executive authorization may be required in certain cases, including:

• Network marketing companies and affiliated third parties
• Releases that use a stock ticker symbol
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Venture or equity capital investment announcements

Partnership and deal announcements may also need additional verification forms.

If yes: go to Question 3.

If not yet: wait. You're not declining the format, you're timing it. Get the signed partnership, the confirmed award, the published study, or the approved quote first. Announcing a partnership your partner hasn't approved is a documentation problem that better copy won't fix.

Question 3: Who actually needs to know?

This is where most format decisions are really made. Be honest about the audience:

• Existing customers only (a new support hours schedule, a pricing change for current accounts, a feature they asked for). An email or an account notice reaches them directly, and that's usually all this kind of update needs.
• One or two specific journalists or publications whose readers are a clear fit. A direct, personal pitch is usually the better path. Coverage that comes from a reporter deciding your story is worth writing is earned media.
• The public record: people who may search for your company later, partners, trade media, and anyone checking whether the news is real. This is where a distributed release makes sense. It creates a dated, attributable, findable statement.

If the public record matters: go to Question 4.

If it doesn't: use the direct channel that reaches the people who need the information.

Question 4: Can you say it without selling?

Try this test. Write the announcement in two plain sentences with no adjectives, no “you,” and no call to buy. The ACCESS guidelines call out direct address (you, I, we) outside of a spokesperson quote as a potential sign that content is an ad. They list exclamation points, inflated claims, and all-caps emphasis as credibility problems.

If the two sentences still carry the news: go to Question 5.

If the message disappears once the selling is removed: the honest format is advertising. That could be a paid ad or a clearly labeled advertorial. MBK's advertorial service is a separate, labeled paid-content product with its own route review. It is not a workaround for standard-release rules, and it doesn't make unsupported claims acceptable.

Question 5: Does the subject fall into a restricted or high-scrutiny category?

ACCESS names categories that may get extended review, extra documentation, or refusal. Among them:

• Health supplements, weight loss, and sexual enhancement products, where editors may refuse any release that doesn't soundly support its claims
• “Miracle” product claims, which require cited scientific research
• Brand-name prescription and OTC drugs, which can't be named (generic names are acceptable)
• Cryptocurrency, trading platforms, investment opinion, and stock recommendations
• Litigation, gambling, political content, and affiliate-marketing product reviews

If no: a standard release is a reasonable fit. Go to Question 6.

If yes: expect a longer timeline and a documentation request, and check whether the publisher accepts the category at all. Some subjects, as currently constructed, won't fit a standard release route. Publisher acceptance is also not a legal or regulatory review. Regulated claims may need qualified professional review no matter which format you choose.

Question 6: Why do you want it distributed?

This question keeps the decision honest about search. Google's spam policies list links with optimized anchor text in press releases distributed on other sites as an example of link spam. They also list links in paid advertorials that pass ranking credit. Google says paid links are acceptable when they carry a nofollow or sponsored rel attribute.

If the goal is a findable record of a real event, a clean source for anyone researching the company, and a clear path to a relevant page on your site: a release fits.

If the main goal is backlinks or rankings: that's the wrong reason to choose the format. Google names that pattern as link spam, and ACCESS says it won't accept releases it considers deliberately over-optimized for SEO.

Paid Distribution Is Not Earned Coverage

This distinction matters most after the release goes out, so it's worth being precise.

When you pay a newswire, you're paying for your release to be published and distributed through that route. When a journalist decides to write their own story about your news, that's earned coverage. The first can make the second more likely because the facts are packaged and public. But nobody can promise it, because the reporter