Writing Impactful Press Releases

My first communications hot take of 2025! 🔥 Traditional PR metrics are dead. Stop counting press releases. Stop tracking AVE. Stop chasing meaningless numbers that don't tell you anything or move the needle. These metrics are a relic of the past. If you're still using them, your strategy is falling behind. (And if your agency is serving up these metrics as proof of their impact, then it's time for a hard conversation.) 🤨 Here's what needs to go: ❌ "Number of press releases" is just vanity. Nope, press releases aren't a strategy—they're a tactic. Publishing isn't the same as reaching. ❌ "Volume of coverage" tells you nothing. A hundred mentions in low-tier outlets don’t compare to one strategic feature that influences decision-makers. ❌ AVE (Advertising Value Equivalency) is meaningless. This was never a meaningful metric. Did you spend that budget on ads? No? Then why measure it like one? It doesn’t capture influence or impact. ❌ "Total impressions" lacks context. Reaching the wrong audience 1M times = wasted effort. Context is important here. If it’s 1M impressions with your target audience that drives some meaningful outcomes—that’s your metric. ❌ "Social follower count" is shallow. Having 50K silent followers is cool and all, but give me 5K engaged people any day. Social is shifting from brand followers to people, making follower count even less relevant. . Here's what (I think) actually matters in 2025: ✴️ Narrative Share (think thought leadership, elevated) → Are you shaping how people think about key issues? → What percentage of relevant conversations include your POV? → Are you leading the narrative—or playing catch-up? ✴️ Share of Voice *Quality* (not just mentions) Focus on: → Authority & Impact: Topic leadership and decision-maker credibility → Message Effectiveness: Perception shifts and resonance → Business Value: Lead quality and customer story impact → Stakeholder Engagement: How key audiences interact and respond ✴️ Audience Journey → What happens *after* someone sees your message? → Do your efforts drive real behavior change? → How are stakeholders engaging, retaining messages, changing behavior, or taking action? ✴️ Community-Driven Influence (beyond basic engagement) → Are you building advocates or just awareness? → What's happening organically in your networks? → Is your community telling your story for you? 🤔 I'll be the first to admit that measuring these isn't "easy" or as simple as open rates. Measuring the metrics that actually matter in PR requires a *mix* of qualitative and quantitative approaches, and it means leaning into tools, methodologies, and frameworks that go beyond surface-level data. 🗣️ Bottom line (and something I've been saying for years): PR isn’t just about getting your name out there. It’s about influencing how people think, feel, and act—to drive business OUTCOMES. If your metrics don’t reflect that, it’s time to rethink them. 📈 What PR metrics are you focusing on in 2025?

i had an executive once tell me "just send the release on friday" and can you guess what i did? most people don't realize that fridays are where announcements go to die—it's not their fault, they have work to do. what they don't see is the invisible work pr does to protect their reputations and amplifying their wins. this is what great pr actually does beyond the press releases: -strategically select days and times that maximize visibility (tuesday/wednesday mornings outperform fridays by 43%) -build in lead time not because we're difficult but because we respect media workflows—journalists and creators need time to research, develop context, and craft meaningful stories -anticipate the questions no one's asking yet but everyone will wonder about once the announcement hits -translate executive vision into language that resonates with specific audience segments early in my career i scrambled to meet impossible 48-hour turnarounds on major announcements. now i smile when partners proactively say "i know sarah, at least two weeks" because they've seen the difference in results. my team's most valuable contributions are often the crises that never happened—the unfortunate timing conflict we avoided, the competitive launch we positioned around. this is why integrated comms teams need seats at strategy tables, not just execution meetings. we're not just distributing your news—we're protecting how the market perceives your entire brand narrative. the difference between good and great communications isn't in the press hits you see—it's in the strategic counsel that shapes decisions before they're even announced. #executivecommunications #CEO #PR #agency #marketing #communications

The usual PR approach is flawed. Client’s approach: “Draft a release, send it out, and let’s get coverage.” Agency’s approach: “Follow the client’s brief, draft a release, and blast it to every outlet.” The result? - A pile of coverage that lacks real impact. - Clients feel dissatisfied. - Agencies scramble to make amends. Such a waste of PR efforts. Here's an approach you can use. For clients: - Don’t chase a laundry list of placements. Focus on stories that matter. - Collaborate, don’t just delegate. Your insights elevate the narrative. For agencies: - Don’t rely on press releases alone. Strategize for exclusivity. - Build relationships with journalists who align with your client’s voice. Great PR isn’t about broadcasting everywhere; it’s about being heard by the right people. Clients and agencies need to move from transactional checklists to collaborative storytelling. That’s how you go from irrelevant snippets to meaningful headlines.

(A note to all my overwhelmed comms managers who are doing it all!!) If you’re in a comms role and suddenly expected to “do PR,” you're definitely not alone. Press isn’t just an extension of marketing, it’s a completely different discipline with its own rules, rhythms and relationships. Over the years, I’ve worked with lots of comms managers who were expected to “just send a press release” and instantly generate coverage. Often, they're given KPIs that simply don’t work in press, because media coverage doesn’t follow the same logic as campaign impressions or email open rates. Below are a few common mistakes I see (as a former journo), usually driven by pressure to deliver arbitrary amounts of coverage, that can actually backfire (and what to do instead.) ❌  𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 I know your internal stakeholders think it’s a big deal, but unless it’s a senior appointment, a substantial survey (2k+ sample) that has something new to say, or a genuinely new product/service, a press release is overkill. Focus on the story, not the format. 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 Sending a generic release to 200 journalists isn’t outreach, it’s a lot of unnecessary noise. Offer an exclusive where you can. Build fewer, stronger relationships. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗞𝗣𝗜 Press releases aren’t monthly deliverables. Only send one when there’s actual news. It’s better to pitch strategically than tick a box. Focus on outcomes, not output. ✅ 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵) I rarely pitch to more than 10 target titles. And each one gets a slightly different version - based on what that journalist actually covers. Spend the crafting your pitches, instead of pushing out hundreds of emails. 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 Open with: why this matters and why now. Then add three concise bullet points max. You’re aiming to save the journalist time, not take more of it. 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 - 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 If the story isn’t strong, even the best contact can’t place it. The story always comes first. Showing that you care about a journalist's time and respect their craft, also leads to better relationships in the long run anyway! 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 Polite persistence is fine. Pestering is not. If it’s a “no,” consider reworking the angle or holding it for a better moment. Or if they do respond with a no, ask them what they are working on and how you can actually help. This has led to me securing whole op-eds for my clients as a result! Personally, I prefer the little and often method. Pitch one smart idea a month - a comment, insight or news reaction. If it’s not picked up = save it, repurpose it as a newsletter or post, or pitch it later when there’s a relevant hook. Would love to know how other comms managers have managed to strike this balance!

Want better press coverage? Be a better client. Some businesses change PR agents as often as their underwear. Yes I'm exaggerating... but my point is if you are onboarding a new PR every six months - are you the problem? If you don't want to be THAT client and instead get more top tier PR coverage, here's what you can do: 🌟 Give us notice - fail to plan, plan to fail. If you don't give us at least two weeks notice on big announcements, we'll be scrambling to put a plan together to get you the best outcome. NDAs exist for a reason, so use them! 🌟 Be responsive. Journalists operate on tight schedules and deadlines. Help us meet them or tell us if you're still waiting to hear back. Don't keep us in the dark. 🌟 Give us the gossip. What's happening in the industry? Can we tip off press and be a useful source? 🌟 Speak your mind. If you have a strong opinion, share it with us. Some of the best thought leadership starts here. 🌟 Share the spotlight. Journalists are crying out for fresh, underrepresented voices. More voices = more coverage. 🌟 Pictures matter. Hi-res portrait and landscape pictures please 🙏 they can make a story. 🌟 Customer interviews. Share the pain points that led them to you. This is what a journalist wants to hear about. And push for as many tangible facts as you can in any case study. 🌟 Story > spiel. No self respecting journalist wants to publish marketing jargon - help us share the story behind the product not meaningless buzzwords. 🌟 Essentially the TL;DR: treat your PR team like a partner not a vendor. Let us in and collaborate with us. What would you add to this list? And one final one that I shouldn't even have to add, pay them on time...

Most PR campaigns fail because they start with strategy docs instead of headlines. If your headline sucks, your campaign will too. Here's why the traditional approach falls apart: Most PR teams start with audience analysis, publication research, and messaging hierarchies. Then they try to reverse-engineer a story that journalists actually want to write. It doesn't work. Traditional strategies treat all product features as equally newsworthy. They emphasize what companies want to say instead of what journalists want to cover. The headline-first approach flips this completely. Start by writing the exact headline you want to see in your target publication. Everything else flows from there. "New dog food is making millennials go crazy over the nostalgia of its packaging" immediately tells you which publications to target, what angle to develop, and which product features matter most. Compare that to "This new dog food brand is using natural ingredients no one has ever used before." Same product, completely different strategy. Different publications, different messaging, different everything. The headline becomes your North Star for every campaign decision. Once you have that headline, you can prioritize which messages actually support the story. You can identify the right publications and journalists. You can build campaign elements that all point in the same direction. Instead of creating strategy documents that try to be everything to everyone, you create focused campaigns with clear journalistic value. Try it on your next campaign. Write the headline first. Make it compelling. Build everything else around that. Your pitches will be sharper, your targeting clearer, and your coverage better.

Founders: Got a launch coming up? Here are the timings you need to know about for a PR pro to help get the word out. 📺 Exclusive news: 3+ weeks of embargoed media pitching 💰 Funding announcements: Minimum of 2 weeks of pitching ⚡ New product/feature announcements: Minimum of 3 weeks pitching 🎉 Events: depending on the scale of the event - up to 6+ weeks in advance And that's JUST for the pitching to media/influencers - which is all hyper-personalised. We still need time to write the press release, get sign-off, and source killer visuals to tell the story. Don't screw it up with insufficient lead times to get the best results. The earlier you bring in a PR expert, the better.

“We’re excited to announce…” is where attention dies. It’s PR’s version of beige wallpaper. Comfortable. Safe. But invisible. In a world that scrolls fast, Your lead must hit like a headline. Not like a press release intro. Clichés aren’t just lazy—they cost you reach. They signal "skip this." They bury the story beneath fluff. Swap vague for bold. Swap polite for punchy. Swap tradition for tension. Here’s what to ditch, and what to use instead: ❌ “We’re thrilled to announce…” ✅ “After 6 months of setbacks, we finally nailed it.” ❌ “We’re proud to launch…” ✅ “This changes how our customers experience X—forever.” ❌ “Today marks an exciting milestone…” ✅ “This is the moment our team almost gave up on.” 3 quick tips to un-bore your PR copy: 1. Start mid-action → Cut the intro, dive into the moment. 2. Use tension or contrast → “What we thought would flop… became our #1 product.” 3. Write like a human, not a brand → Emotion beats polish, every time. The bottom line? Safe copy won’t go viral. But real stories might. What’s the most overused line you see in announcements?

When I was a journalist, the most annoying part of my work was answering calls from excited PR managers, asking if we would cover the story they pitched earlier. Most of these stories never made it to the bulletin because they were very only important for the company (like a new investment into a new production plant), self-serving (like celebrating an anniversary), and boring (like boring). Too many corporate communicators do not understand that a story first has to be interesting and relevant to the audience of a media to secure coverage. Why do journalists think the way they do? → It's all about the audience. Journalists are trained to think in terms of what will resonate with their readers, listeners, or viewers. A new production plant might be huge news inside your company, but unless it has a broader impact, it won't cut. Here’s a breakdown of how journalists decide what stories to run: Relevance: Is this story important to their audience? Does it affect their daily lives, their community, or their industry? Timeliness: Is it happening now? News is called 'news' for a reason. Old news is no news. Impact: How many people does this story affect? The larger the impact, the more likely it will be covered. Proximity: Is it happening close to the audience? Local stories often get priority because they are more relatable. Conflict: Stories involving conflict, whether political, social, or personal, often grab attention. Human Interest: People love stories about people. Stories that tug at the heartstrings or make people laugh are always in demand. Novelty: Is it unusual or surprising? Unique stories that haven’t been heard before are journalist gold. Understanding these criteria can help professionals get their stories heard by the media. Here are some actionable tips: → Align your pitch: Tailor your story to fit the media outlet’s audience. Don’t pitch a tech story to a lifestyle magazine. → Make it timely: Connect your story to current events or trends to make it more relevant. → Highlight the impact: Show how your story affects a large group of people or addresses a significant issue. → Localise your story: If possible, connect it to the local community or region. → Find the conflict: If a challenge or problem is being solved, highlight that. → Add a human angle: Include real people and their experiences to bring your story to life. → Be unique: Offer a fresh perspective or new information that hasn’t been covered before. Remember, the goal is to make your story as compelling as possible. Journalists are gatekeepers, but they are also storytellers looking for the next great story to share. #communication #storytelling #mediatraining

5 ways to improve your company press releases. 1. Send fewer press releases. Most press releases I read aren't newsworthy and seem shovelled online to meet some monthly/quarterly quota for media activity. 2. Instead, wait till you have a good story and pitch it to one - or a maximum of two non-competing media titles. No press release - just a one-sentence summary of the story idea/announcement and then four to five brief bullet points of essential, further information. Include possible case studies, your CEO's availability for an interview. 3. Two pages. Ideally one. 4. Write the press release in a journalism style. Don't smother it with jargon, random UppER case, or marketing fluff. Don't begin with "Today, your company name and long-winded description of your company..." Instead, summarise the impact/benefits of your company M&A, new product etc on an industry/customers/society /economy before attributing it your company. 5. And don't ever use the phrase "delighted to announce". Or the word "ecosystem" unless your company has a nature reserve in Guatemala.