Does It Merit a Press Release?

Press releases should be reserved for genuinely newsworthy developments that matter to external audiences and are likely to interest journalists. Communications teams should assess the story’s news value, audience, timing, suitability of the channel, and whether similar announcements have been made recently. When a press release is not appropriate, alternative channels such as social media, websites, blogs, or direct stakeholder communications may be more effective.

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONSMEDIA RELATIONS

8/20/20262 min read

Press releases are the workhorse of corporate communications. They serve as a key conduit for companies and organisations to share their news and updates with the public.

Press releases are also often what comes to mind when people think about public relations and corporate communications. In fact, a press release is often the first thing a communications team's internal stakeholders request when they reach out to discuss their communications requirements.

But there is a catch. You can send out a press release, but for it to be effective it needs to be picked up by the media. And to be picked up, it needs to be newsworthy. Which means that sometimes - or perhaps more often - communications teams have to push back on press release requests. That doesn't mean a development cannot be communicated; it just means that there may be more appropriate channels to share the update, particularly given how many tools now exist for sharing information, including social media, websites and company blogs to name a few.

It helps to have a set of standard criteria when deciding whether or not a corporate development merits a press release. Here is a simple checklist I've put together over the years:

  • Newsworthiness: is the subject of genuine news value to journalists rather than just to the organisation itself? Is there a compelling story angle and data to back it up?

  • Audience Interest: is there a real external audience — customers, partners, investors and other stakeholders — for the news?

  • Timing: is it the right time to make an announcement, or is there a reason to hold (e.g. a regulatory window, sensitive negotiations, competing stories and activities, etc.)?

  • Channel Appropriateness: is a press release the best vehicle for sharing this news, or would social media, the company website or blog, or direct customer communication be better suited to the job?

  • Announcement Cadence: has something similar been put out recently? Has the same media been targeted?

Not only does this checklist help to determine if a press release should go out, it also helps with the internal conversations to explain why a press release was or wasn't developed.

Ultimately, each organisation and each project will have its own, sometimes very specific, criteria. Nevertheless, this checklist serves as a good starting point.

Fares Ghneim
Stratetic Communications & Corporate Affairs

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