📝 BEST PRACTICES

Most Common Press Release Mistakes

In order of importance — and how to avoid them

🎯 Why This Matters: Every day, thousands of press releases are ignored because they commit the same avoidable mistakes. Journalists receive hundreds of pitches daily — they don’t have time for releases that miss the mark. Below are the most common mistakes, ranked by how severely they impact your chances of media coverage.

Subject That Is Not Interesting or Newsworthy

You must write your press release about something that people are actually interested in. It takes experience and skill to look at an organization and find topics for a press release that are genuinely compelling. Some of the best press release topics are things no one has ever thought about — but that’s exactly why they work.

💡 How to fix it: Before writing, ask yourself: “Would a journalist care about this? Would their readers care?” If the answer is no, find a different angle. New products, major hires, awards, partnerships, expansions, and unique data are consistently newsworthy.

Boring Headline

The headline is the first — and sometimes only — thing a journalist reads. If your headline is boring, generic, or confusing, the rest of your release will never be seen. A great headline grabs attention, summarizes your news, and makes the reader want to learn more.

💡 How to fix it: Keep it under 100 characters. Lead with the most important news. Use active verbs. Avoid hype words like “amazing,” “incredible,” or “revolutionary.” Test your headline on a colleague — if they’re not curious, rewrite it.

Too Much Information

The goal of a press release is to get the media interested — not to tell your entire company history. A long, dense press release is overwhelming and usually ignored. Journalists want the key facts quickly so they can decide whether to pursue the story.

💡 How to fix it: Aim for 300–500 words. Put the most important information in the first paragraph. Save background details for the boilerplate section. If you have more to say, offer a “media kit” download link instead of cramming everything into the release.

Not Focused

Press releases need to be about only one topic. The opening paragraph in particular must focus on a single subject. When you try to announce three unrelated things in one release, you confuse readers and dilute your message. Journalists won’t know what to cover.

💡 How to fix it: One announcement = one press release. If you have multiple news items, write multiple releases. A well-focused release has a clear, single message that can be summarized in one sentence.

More Mistakes to Avoid

❌ No Clear Contact Information

Journalists need to know who to call. Always include name, email, and phone number.

❌ Missing Dateline

Always start with CITY, State (EMWNews) Date — this is standard industry format.

❌ No Quotes

Quotes add human voice and credibility. Include at least one from a company spokesperson.

❌ All Caps or Excessive Punctuation

NEVER WRITE IN ALL CAPS. Avoid multiple exclamation points!!!

❌ No “About” Section

Always include a boilerplate “About [Company Name]” paragraph at the end.

❌ First Person Language

Never use “I,” “we,” or “our” from a sales perspective. Stay in third person.

✅ Pre-Submission Checklist

Before you hit submit, review your press release against this checklist:

✓ Is the topic genuinely newsworthy?

✓ Does the headline grab attention?

✓ Is the release 300–500 words?

✓ Does it focus on ONE announcement?

✓ Is there a quote from a spokesperson?

✓ Is the contact information complete?

✓ Is the dateline correctly formatted?

✓ Is there an “About” section?

✓ Is it written in third person?

✓ Has it been proofread by a second person?

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