The press release has probably been declared dead more times than print journalism and skinny jeans combined (for the record, this millennial refuses to abandon either). And yet here we are, still writing them, still sending them and still seeing them translate into coverage when they are executed effectively.
The problem is not that press releases are defunct. More so, the problem is that many people are clinging to outdated or incorrect assumptions about what a modern press release is supposed to do. In trying to accomplish too much, releases often obscure the very thing they exist to communicate: the news itself.
That lack of focus comes at a time when journalists have less time than ever and are operating under extraordinary constraints. Newsrooms have fewer resources at their disposal than at any point in modern history. U.S. newspaper employment fell by roughly 79% between 2000 and 2024, with more than 3,400 newspapers shuttering since 2005. This has left fewer reporters who are expected to cover broader beats and produce more content with fewer resources. Many are juggling multiple stories at once, often under tight deadlines, with limited support.
Put simply, attention is scarce, and the window to capture it is narrow. Press releases that communicate the news unambiguously help our journalist friends quickly understand what has changed and why it matters. Yet many releases are still shaped by assumptions that make that harder than it needs to be. It is worth revisiting a few of the most persistent of these assumptions.
Myth #1: A press release should include everything, and longer is better
Any client who has worked with me for any length of time has heard me emphasize the same point, often repeatedly: a press release is not the only vehicle through which we will tell your story. It is but one component of a broader communications effort. Its job is to establish the news clearly and credibly in a particular moment. It does not carry the full weight of your positioning, your vision or your long-term narrative.
That distinction matters because there are myriad (and better) places to tell the richer story. Media pitches allow us to provide personalized context and explain why the news matters to a specific reporter’s audience. Interviews allow executives to elaborate and connect developments to broader trends. Contributed articles and owned content shape perception over time. Trying to force all of that into a single press release makes the document harder to use and less effective at its primary purpose.
There is often a natural anxiety, and even excitement, behind the instinct to include everything. When a company has news, it can feel like a rare opportunity to say it all at once. But when background begins to compete with the announcement itself, the focal point becomes harder to identify. A press release needs a north star: one development, one specific change. Supporting information should clarify why it matters, not overwhelm it with unrelated milestones or narrative.
This is especially important because journalists are scanning quickly, often reviewing dozens of announcements in a short period of time. They are looking for a straightforward signal: what happened, and why it is relevant. Longer releases do not signal greater importance. They create more work for the reader. Most effective press releases fall closer to the 500-word mark, which provides ample space to communicate the news while preserving clarity and focus.
Myth #2: Every executive needs a quote
The same instinct to include everything often extends to executive quotes. There can be pressure to include multiple leaders, each offering their own perspective, in order to reflect the perceived importance of the announcement. In many cases, this impulse is driven more by internal ego and desire for visibility than by sound communications strategy.
Quotes serve a specific purpose. They should be distinctly human, adding further color, perspective or meaning that the rest of the release cannot provide on its own. A strong quote explains why the announcement matters, connecting it to a broader industry development or clarifying implications that may not be immediately obvious from the facts.
Many quotes, however, stop short of doing that. They focus on expressing enthusiasm rather than explaining significance. While phrases like “We’re excited” or “This marks an important milestone” may reflect genuine sentiment, they do not help the reader better understand the development itself.
Further, when multiple quotes restate the same information in slightly different words, they simply add length without injecting anything new or meaningful. They can slow the reader down and dilute the overall impact of the release. Journalists are unlikely to use quotes that do not offer something distinct or substantive, particularly when they are working under tight deadlines.
Including fewer, stronger quotes makes the release more effective. One or two thoughtful statements that genuinely advance the story will likely carry more weight than several that exist primarily to satisfy internal expectations. Selectivity can improve both readability and credibility.
Myth #3: The more buzzwords, the better
In an effort to make announcements sound impressive, marketers sometimes look to inject promotional language into every paragraph. There is a tendency to include words like “revolutionary,” “game-changing” and “best-in-class,” even when they do little to explain the actual significance of the news. While this language is intended to elevate the announcement, it can often have the opposite effect.
One reason is that this phrasing has become so painfully common. When every company describes its products and initiatives in the same terms, those words stop conveying meaning. They become interchangeable, trite and easy to ignore. Instead of differentiating the announcement, they make it sound indistinguishable from countless others.
Overblown promotional language also makes releases harder to interpret. A reader should be able to quickly understand what the company does, what the product or service is and what has actually changed. When releases rely on jargon, abstractions or vague positioning, they force the reader to decode information that should be immediately obvious.
Press releases are not advertisements. They also serve as primary source material that others rely on to accurately describe your company, your products and your trajectory. When that information is buried under vague or esoteric language, it becomes harder for anyone—journalists, analysts or even generative AI tools—to interpret it correctly.
The bigger point
A press release is a practical tool. Its job is to clearly establish what happened so someone outside your company can understand it quickly. That includes journalists, but it also includes the search and AI engines that increasingly surface and summarize information. When the facts are clear and easy to interpret, your announcement becomes easier to cover, easier to reference and easier to understand.
That clarity matters more than ever. Newsrooms are smaller. Reporters are stretched thin. They do not have time to decipher vague or overloaded announcements. They rely on press releases to provide a clean, factual starting point. A release that is focused and readable helps them do their job, while trying to cram too much in only makes the result less comfortable for everyone involved. Skinny jeans taught us that.
