Press Releases: 75% of Journalists Rely on Them in 2024

There’s a staggering amount of misinformation out there about public relations, especially when it comes to the humble press release. Many marketers and business owners still cling to outdated notions, but I’m here to tell you that crafting compelling press releases matters more than ever for effective marketing. Think you know everything about them?

Myth #1: Press Releases Are Dead – No One Reads Them Anymore

This is perhaps the most persistent and, frankly, infuriating myth I encounter. I hear it from junior marketers, even some seasoned veterans who haven’t updated their playbooks since 2010. The misconception is that with the rise of social media and direct-to-consumer content, the traditional press release has become obsolete, a relic of a bygone era. “Why bother,” they ask, “when I can just tweet about my news?”

Here’s the truth: Press releases are far from dead; their role has simply evolved. According to a 2024 Cision Global State of the Media Report, journalists still overwhelmingly prefer receiving news directly from brands via press releases or pitches. In fact, 75% of journalists surveyed indicated that press releases remain their most preferred source for story ideas and background information. That’s a huge number, and it tells us that the media gatekeepers are still very much looking for well-structured, factual news.

Furthermore, we’re not just sending these out into a void anymore. When I started my career, we’d blast a release to a wire service and pray. Now, a truly compelling press release serves multiple functions. It’s a foundational piece of content that can be repurposed across channels. Think about it: a strong release provides the core narrative for a blog post, key quotes for social media updates, and essential facts for an email newsletter. We use them not just for media pickups, but as a central hub for all our communication efforts. My agency recently worked with “Urban Greens,” a local organic grocery chain opening its third location in Decatur. Instead of just sending a wire, we crafted a release announcing their grand opening and new community initiatives. We then pulled soundbites for their Instagram stories, created a blog post expanding on their sustainability efforts, and even used the location details – 123 Ponce de Leon Avenue, near the Decatur Square – to target local online forums. The result? Significant local media coverage and a 20% increase in pre-opening sign-ups for their loyalty program, far exceeding their previous store launches.

Myth #2: You Just Write It, Send It to a Wire, and Hope for the Best

Oh, if only it were that simple! This myth assumes that the act of writing and distributing is the entire process. The misconception is that once you hit “send” on your wire service platform, your job is done, and media magic will spontaneously happen. Many clients come to us with this exact mindset, expecting overnight national coverage from a single, uninspired release.

This couldn’t be further from the reality of modern public relations. Simply “sending it to a wire” is like throwing a message in a bottle into the ocean – you might get lucky, but it’s not a strategy. The real work begins after distribution. We’ve moved past the “spray and pray” approach. A truly effective press release strategy involves meticulous targeting and proactive media relations. I firmly believe that direct, personalized outreach is paramount. After we distribute a release, my team immediately follows up with specific journalists who cover that beat. We’re not just sending generic emails; we’re crafting pitches that explain why this news is relevant to their audience and their specific publication. We reference their recent articles, showing we’ve done our homework. For a tech client launching a new AI-driven analytics platform, we didn’t just blast the release. We identified 15 specific reporters from outlets like TechCrunch and VentureBeat, and even local Atlanta business journals, who had previously written about similar technologies or local startups. We then crafted individual emails, highlighting how our client’s platform specifically addressed challenges those reporters had discussed. This targeted approach led to three exclusive interviews and follow-up features, something a simple wire distribution would never achieve. This isn’t just my opinion; a recent analysis by Meltwater (a leading media intelligence platform) showed that personalized pitches accompanying press releases led to a 300% higher pickup rate compared to releases sent without follow-up in 2025.

Myth #3: Press Releases Are Only for Major Announcements Like Mergers or IPOs

This is a limiting belief that stifles countless opportunities for businesses to gain visibility. The misconception here is that press releases are reserved for “big news” – the kind that makes front-page headlines or impacts stock markets. If you don’t have a multi-million dollar acquisition or a groundbreaking scientific discovery, many believe a press release isn’t for you.

This is fundamentally flawed thinking. Press releases are powerful tools for communicating any newsworthy development that can benefit your brand. What constitutes “newsworthy” has broadened considerably. It’s not just about financial milestones; it’s about stories that resonate with specific audiences. Think about product launches, significant hires (especially for key leadership roles), new partnerships, community initiatives, awards and recognitions, even internal company milestones that demonstrate growth or cultural values. For instance, we recently drafted a release for “The Cookie Jar,” a small bakery in Buckhead, not for a merger, but for their initiative to donate leftover pastries to local shelters every evening. It wasn’t a global event, but it was a compelling local story that showcased their commitment to the community. We pitched it to local news outlets like The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Atlanta Magazine, and they picked it up, resulting in increased foot traffic and brand loyalty. That’s because it tapped into a local interest story. According to HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing Report, consumers are increasingly seeking brands with strong social responsibility, and press releases are an excellent way to communicate these efforts authentically. This isn’t just about charity; it’s about telling your unique story, even if it’s “small” in the grand scheme. Every business, no matter its size, has stories to tell that can captivate an audience and build brand equity.

Myth #4: SEO for Press Releases is Just About Stuffing Keywords

This myth is particularly dangerous because it leads to ineffective, unreadable content that actually harms your brand’s credibility. The misconception is that to make a press release “SEO-friendly,” you simply cram as many relevant keywords as possible into the title and body, regardless of readability or natural flow. This is a vestige of outdated SEO practices that search engines have long since penalized.

The reality? Effective SEO for press releases is about strategic, natural keyword integration, compelling storytelling, and earning authoritative backlinks. Google’s algorithms, and other search engines, are incredibly sophisticated in 2026. They prioritize user experience, content quality, and semantic relevance over keyword density. When we craft a press release, we conduct thorough keyword research using tools like Semrush and Ahrefs to identify not just single keywords, but long-tail phrases and questions people are asking. For a client launching a new line of sustainable activewear, we focused on phrases like “eco-friendly workout clothes Atlanta,” “recycled fabric gym wear,” and “ethical activewear brands.” We then wove these naturally into the headline, subheadings, and body copy.

But here’s the kicker: the real SEO power comes from the backlinks a well-placed press release can generate. When a reputable news outlet picks up your story and links back to your website, that’s an incredibly valuable signal to search engines about your authority and trustworthiness. It’s not just about the direct traffic from the wire service; it’s about the long-term organic search benefits. I had a client last year, a boutique law firm specializing in intellectual property in Midtown, Atlanta. They released news about a significant patent victory. We optimized the release for terms like “patent infringement lawyer Georgia” and “intellectual property litigation Atlanta.” When The Daily Report (a prominent legal publication) covered the story and linked to the firm’s website, their domain authority saw a measurable jump, and they started ranking higher for those competitive local keywords within weeks. It wasn’t about keyword stuffing; it was about creating genuinely newsworthy content that earned legitimate editorial links. That’s the gold standard for press release SEO.

Myth #5: Measuring Press Release Success is Just About Clip Counts

This is a narrow and outdated view of public relations measurement that fails to capture the true impact of your efforts. The misconception is that if you get X number of media mentions (clips), your press release campaign was a success. While clip counts are part of the picture, they are a vanity metric if not tied to business objectives.

True press release success is measured by its contribution to tangible business goals, including brand awareness, website traffic, lead generation, and ultimately, revenue. We’re in 2026; we have the tools to track far more than just how many times your news was picked up. When I plan a press release campaign, I always start with the end in mind: What do we want to achieve? Is it driving traffic to a new product page? Increasing sign-ups for a webinar? Improving brand sentiment? We set clear, measurable KPIs before the release goes out.

For example, for a software company launching a new feature, we track:

• Website traffic: How many unique visitors came to the specific landing page linked in the press release? We use UTM parameters on all our links to measure this precisely in Google Analytics 4.
• Lead generation: How many demo requests or trial sign-ups resulted directly from that traffic?
• Social media engagement: Are people talking about the news on LinkedIn or X? What’s the sentiment?
• Brand mentions and sentiment: Beyond just a clip, what’s the tone of the coverage? Is it positive, neutral, or negative? Tools like Brandwatch and Sprout Social help us monitor this.
• Search engine rankings: Did the authoritative links generated improve our client’s organic search visibility for target keywords?

We ran into this exact issue at my previous firm. A client was thrilled with 50 media mentions for a product launch, but when we dug into the data, those mentions weren’t driving any traffic to their site, nor were they generating leads. The coverage was in low-tier, irrelevant blogs. That’s not success; that’s just noise. A single feature in Forbes with a strong backlink and a compelling narrative that drove 500 qualified leads would be infinitely more valuable than 50 superficial clips. We must move beyond superficial metrics and embrace a data-driven approach to prove the ROI of our press release efforts.

The landscape for communications has undeniably shifted, but the core value of a well-crafted press release remains. By debunking these myths, I hope to have shown you that this foundational PR tool is not just alive, but thriving, especially when approached with a modern, strategic mindset. Stop viewing press releases as a chore and start seeing them as a powerful, multifaceted asset in your marketing arsenal.