Press Releases: Cision Boosts Pick-Up by 50% in 2026

There’s an astonishing amount of misinformation circulating about how to effectively communicate with the media, leading many businesses to struggle with crafting compelling press releases. My goal here is to cut through the noise and reveal the truths that will transform your outreach.

Myth #1: Every Announcement Deserves a Press Release

This is perhaps the most pervasive and damaging myth out there. I’ve seen countless clients, especially those new to marketing, believe that if they’ve done anything new, it warrants a full-blown press release. They’ll announce a minor website update, a new hire for a non-executive role, or a small partnership that has no broader market implications. The reality? Journalists are bombarded. A Statista report from 2024 indicated that there are over 40,000 working journalists in the U.S. alone, each receiving hundreds of pitches daily. If your news isn’t genuinely newsworthy – meaning it impacts a significant audience, introduces a groundbreaking product, solves a major problem, or presents a unique trend – it’s just noise.

When I started my agency, we made this mistake constantly. We’d craft beautiful releases for incremental product updates, only to hear crickets. It wasn’t until a veteran editor from the Atlanta Business Chronicle (I remember her, Sarah Jenkins, very clearly) bluntly told me, “If it wouldn’t be a headline in a local paper, it’s not a press release.” That hit home. Now, before we even think about writing, we ask: “Who cares about this besides us, and why?” If we can’t answer that with a compelling, external-facing reason, we don’t proceed. A new feature that saves our users 30 seconds a day? Not a press release. A new feature that completely disrupts an industry standard and saves businesses 30% on operating costs? Absolutely. Focus your efforts where they’ll make an impact.

Myth #2: The More Jargon and Buzzwords, the More Professional It Sounds

Oh, the dreaded corporate speak. I see this all the time: “Our synergistic, paradigm-shifting solution leverages cutting-edge AI to deliver optimized, scalable outcomes.” What does any of that even mean? This myth stems from a misunderstanding of what journalists and their audiences actually want: clarity and substance. They don’t want to decipher corporate gobbledygook; they want to understand the story. A HubSpot study from late 2025 on content readability found that press releases written at an 8th-grade reading level or lower achieved 60% higher engagement rates than those written at a college level. Simplicity isn’t a sign of lack of intelligence; it’s a mark of effective communication.

I had a client last year, a fintech startup based near Ponce City Market, who insisted on using phrases like “distributed ledger technology” and “immutable cryptographic protocols” in their press release about a new payment app. Their target audience was small business owners, not blockchain developers. We rewrote the release, explaining the app’s benefits in plain English: “a secure, instant payment system that reduces transaction fees by 2%.” The difference was night and day. The original release got zero pickups. The revised version was featured in TechCrunch and a local segment on WSB-TV because it was understandable and highlighted a tangible benefit. Always write for your audience, not for your ego.

Myth #3: Sending to a Massive List Guarantees Coverage

This is a classic “spray and pray” approach, and it’s incredibly inefficient. The idea that sending your press release to every journalist in a database will somehow increase your chances of coverage is fundamentally flawed. It’s like throwing spaghetti at a wall and hoping some sticks – a few might, but you’ve wasted a lot of good pasta. Journalists specialize. A reporter covering local government in Fulton County isn’t going to care about your new B2B SaaS product, and a tech editor won’t care about a new restaurant opening in Buckhead. Sending irrelevant pitches is a surefire way to get blacklisted.

Effective distribution is about precision, not volume. We use tools like Cision or Meltwater, but it’s not just about having the tool; it’s about how you use it. We meticulously filter journalists by beat, recent coverage, and even their preferred contact methods. For instance, if we’re launching a new sustainable fashion line, we’d target fashion editors who have recently written about eco-friendly brands, perhaps even those who covered similar initiatives at the recent Atlanta Market. A 2025 IAB report on media relations effectiveness found that personalized pitches, sent to a highly targeted list of fewer than 50 journalists, resulted in a 4x higher pickup rate compared to mass distributions to lists of 500+. Quality over quantity, always. This approach aligns with broader strategies for maximizing media exposure.

Myth #4: The Press Release Itself Is the Only Thing That Matters

Many marketers treat a press release as a standalone document, a static announcement to be blasted out. This couldn’t be further from the truth. A press release is merely one component of a broader media kit and a potential starting point for a deeper conversation. Journalists are busy, and they need resources at their fingertips. If they have to hunt for high-resolution images, executive bios, or additional data, they’re likely to move on to the next story.

When we craft a press release, we always think about the complete package. This means including a link to a dedicated online press kit, ideally hosted on a subdomain of the client’s website (e.g., press.yourcompany.com). This kit should contain:

• High-resolution images and videos (product shots, executive headshots, B-roll footage).
• Relevant statistics and data points, ideally with links to original sources.
• Executive bios and headshots.
• A “boiler plate” about the company.
• Contact information for media inquiries.

Embedding multimedia directly into the release itself, using services like Business Wire or PR Newswire, can also dramatically increase engagement. A PR Newswire study from 2025 showed that press releases with embedded images and videos received up to 800% more views than text-only releases. Don’t just send words; provide a complete, visually engaging story. This comprehensive approach is key to building your media exposure engine.

Myth #5: You Can Control the Narrative Completely

This is a tough pill for many to swallow, especially founders who are deeply invested in their brand. They believe that by carefully crafting every word of their press release, they can dictate exactly how the media will portray their story. While a well-written, factual press release is essential, it’s merely a suggestion to the journalist, not a script. A journalist’s job is to report the news from their perspective, for their audience. They will pull quotes, rephrase statements, and frame the story in a way they deem most relevant.

I once had a client who launched a new software solution, and our press release highlighted its innovative AI capabilities. However, a prominent tech blog focused their entire article on the potential job displacement caused by the automation, drawing on a quote from an industry analyst. The client was furious, feeling we had “failed” to control the narrative. My response? “We provided the facts. The journalist chose the angle relevant to their readership’s concerns.” Our job is to provide accurate, compelling information and be available for interviews to clarify and elaborate. We can influence, but we cannot control. Be prepared for different interpretations and have a crisis communications plan ready, just in case. Focus on being transparent and responsive, and you’ll build trust, even if the coverage isn’t exactly what you envisioned.

Myth #6: A Single Press Release Is Enough for a Major Announcement

Many organizations treat a press release as a one-and-done event: send it out, and then move on. This is a significant oversight. A major announcement, whether it’s a product launch, a significant funding round, or a new strategic partnership, requires a sustained communication strategy, not a single blast. Think of it as a campaign, not a single shot.

We ran into this exact issue at my previous firm. We had a client who secured a substantial Series B funding round – $50 million, a huge win for them. We sent out a strong press release, got some initial traction, and then… nothing. The client expected the news to keep propagating. What we learned (the hard way) was that sustained interest requires sustained effort. We should have followed up with exclusive pitches to specific reporters for deeper dives, arranged interviews for the CEO, prepared thought leadership articles related to the announcement’s implications, and planned for a series of smaller, related announcements (e.g., “how we’ll use the funding,” “new hires,” “market expansion”). A Nielsen report from late 2025 on media consumption shows that news cycles are shorter than ever, with audiences craving fresh angles. A single press release might generate a splash, but a strategic drip campaign over weeks or even months will create lasting waves. Don’t just announce; engage over time. This sustained effort is crucial for your 2026 strategy for growth.

To truly master crafting compelling press releases, you must abandon these common misconceptions and embrace a strategy rooted in clarity, precision, and sustained engagement.