Written by
Michael Young
Do Journalists Even Read Press Releases
It’s the question every PR practitioner has probably asked at one point or another: do journalists actually read press releases?
To some, it sounds naïve, of course press releases are a staple of the industry. They’ve been around for more than a century, after all. But as media has fragmented and inboxes have exploded, many PR pros and journalists alike admit that press releases are not the reliable coverage-generating tools they once were.
The real answer is more complicated: journalists read press releases sometimes, but only under specific conditions. Let’s break it down.
Press Releases Still Serve a Purpose
Even critics of the format acknowledge that the press release legitimizes a brand’s announcement. It creates a formal record, packages the details in one place, and provides a resource that can be shared with investors, stakeholders, and yes, journalists.
For publicly traded companies, they’re non-negotiable. Investor relations, financial disclosures, and policy-related announcements almost always come in press release form. In those cases, the press release functions as an official record rather than a pitch.
And when you look at mainstream coverage of major policy moves, mergers, or breaking crises, many of those stories start with a press release. So the format hasn’t disappeared, it’s just become highly context-dependent.
Why Most Journalists Delete Them
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: in most cases, journalists don’t read your press release. Not because they hate PR people, but because they’re buried under a tidal wave of irrelevant information.
Former reporters often describe inboxes overflowing with thousands of unread emails, most of them mass-distributed press releases. Many journalists even set up filters to automatically send releases into a folder they’ll skim for 12 seconds at the end of the day if at all.
What they’re looking for is simple:
- Relevance. If the release isn’t tied to their beat or their audience, it’s gone.
- Actual news. A new logo, a routine product update, or a vague partnership? Not news. A major funding round, acquisition, or regulatory shift? Maybe.
- Clarity. If it takes more than a sentence or two to figure out what’s being announced, you’ve lost them.
As one journalist put it bluntly: “99.9 percent are utterly useless.”
The Headline is Everything
If a journalist reads your press release, it’s usually because the headline grabbed their attention.
Think about it: journalists triage information at breakneck speed. A snappy, jargon-free headline that communicates what’s new and why it matters will stand out. A generic opener like “Company XYZ, a leading data and analytics platform, is excited to announce…”? Straight to the trash.
Several reporters compared effective press releases to Axios-style articles: short, bulleted, and to the point. The more you bury the lede in fluff and branded language, the less likely anyone is to read it.
Press Releases vs. Pitches
The more important distinction is this: journalists generally don’t see press releases as a pitch.
A mass-distributed press release is background material. A personalized email that explains why the news is relevant to the journalist’s beat and readers is a pitch. And journalists overwhelmingly prefer the latter.
Put differently: if your strategy is to blast a press release over the wire and hope it generates coverage, you’re shouting into the void. If your strategy is to package the announcement in a release, then pull out the most relevant angles and send them to the right journalists, you’re doing PR the right way.
The Case Against Press Releases
Many PR pros and not just journalists argue that the press release is an antiquated practice.
They point out that most “pickups” from wire distribution are low-value auto-posts buried on obscure sites and are not meaningful coverage. They argue that the energy spent polishing a release could be better invested in building relationships, drafting bylines, or crafting data-driven insights that reporters can actually use.
One former journalist described press releases as “a tool clients think is more valuable than it actually is,” kept alive because agencies don’t want to tell executives that their “big announcement” isn’t really news.
The Case for Keeping Them
And yet, there are still solid reasons to keep press releases in your toolbox:
- Archival value. Releases provide a searchable record of company news that journalists sometimes revisit when researching.
- SEO. While less powerful than it used to be, a well-optimized release can still boost visibility.
- Fact sheets. Journalists often skim releases for hard data points—financing terms, expansion details, leadership changes—even if they ignore the rest.
- Credibility. For startups especially, a press release makes an announcement feel more “real” and professional.
Where Press Releases Fit Today
So, do journalists read press releases? Yes, when they’re relevant, newsworthy, and easy to digest. But they are rarely the main driver of coverage.
The modern PR playbook should treat press releases as one part of a broader toolkit:
- Use press releases for the record. Major milestones, regulatory disclosures, and financial announcements should live in press release form.
- Lead with targeted pitches. Don’t rely on the press release to tell your story. Send tailored outreach that highlights why this specific piece of news matters to that specific journalist.
- Reduce the noise. Keep releases concise, fact-focused, and free of hype. Think headlines that could run in a newsroom ticker, not marketing slogans.
- Build relationships. Journalists are far more likely to open your release if it comes from someone they know and trust.
- Don’t confuse quantity with impact. Coverage from one well-placed story will beat dozens of meaningless wire reposts every time.
The Bigger Picture: Strategy Over Tactics
The real lesson here is not the death of the press release, but the danger of relying on any single tactic.
Great PR comes down to strategy: understanding what’s newsworthy, creating stories that matter, and connecting them to the right audiences. Press releases are one tool in that process, but they should never be the centerpiece.
As one seasoned newsroom veteran put it: “If you’re making press releases the centerpiece of your PR strategy, you’re basically shouting into the void. The way to get coverage today is through relationships, credible sources, and timely expertise.”
That’s the takeaway. Press releases aren’t dead, but their value lies in context. Write them when they serve a real purpose, but don’t mistake them for a silver bullet.
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