Editorial Guidelines

What We Look For

Content

The news angle should carry timely information about an organizational milestone such as an award or anniversary, a professional insight on a topic currently in the news, a business expansion or recent event, or a new service or product. The announcement must be visible in the headline — not everything is newsworthy. Releases that are really advertisements, general-interest articles, or content without news value will not be approved.

Tone

Write in the third person. Do not use “we” or “I” unless it is a direct quote. Keep the reader in mind, stay on point, and remain engaging. Avoid adjectives and sales-pitch language, and keep your own opinions out of the copy. Jargon should be avoided because most readers will not understand it. Proofread before submitting — errors are expensive.

Accuracy

Releases that reference criminal matters or legal actions must include the complaint number, the court of record, and the case number.

Contact Information

Every release must contain a valid email address and phone number in its contact information.

Authorization

Network marketing companies with a major announcement, or releases using a stock ticker symbol, may be required to provide written authorization from an executive before distribution is approved. Independent representatives of network marketing companies must have consent from the executive.

Length

Releases should run between 250 and 2,000 words. Length affects distribution: very short releases struggle to get indexed by search engines. The summary must not exceed 160 characters.

Spelling and Grammar

Releases must be free of grammatical and spelling errors and written in proper English. If industry jargon is unavoidable, define it so a layperson can follow.

Format

Do not submit HTML tags, forced line breaks, or tables. Never write the entire release in capital letters.

Source

A clear news source must be identifiable in the headline. The source is the company or organization issuing the release. If your business, firm, or agency distributes on behalf of a client, the source is the client’s organization. State how the organization relates to the announcement.

Email Addresses

Avoid placing an email address in the body of the release. If one is included, the editorial team will reformat it.

What We Do Not Publish

Academic Writing

Releases promoting paid services that write dissertations, term papers, essays, or research papers.

Adult Dating

Dating-related releases, except a website launch announcement.

Alcohol

Releases related to liquor or any intoxicating products.

Advertising

If the purpose is to sell or market a product or service, it is an advertisement, not a press release. A proper release informs the public and media about something newsworthy. Content whose main purpose is selling, with no news element, will be denied.

Opinion

Content intended to harm or defame a person or group is restricted. Releases on public policy, politics, and other sensitive matters are generally accepted, but opinions must be properly attributed and the release must not contain excessive hyperbole or allegations.

Explicit Content

Sexually explicit products or materials are not accepted. Releases must be free of references or links to profane language, illegal material, or sexual material. Sites intended for audiences 18 and older are treated as explicit.

Spam

Avoid dense repetition of high-volume phrases and terms commonly found on low-value sites, unsolicited mail, or advertising spam — these trigger content filters.

Links

Limit links to roughly one per 100 words. This protects the value of links within the network.

Blogs and Open Letters

General articles, blogs, and open letters generally lack attribution and news value and are not an acceptable press release format.

Unattributed Views

Releases may cover a group’s or person’s view on a topical subject, but they must be more than views alone. Unattributed opinions read as an opinion column or an advertisement rather than a release.

Reprints

Copyrighted feature stories, news stories, editorials, opinion columns, articles, or images from other publications are not press releases.

Fiction

Only accurate information may be submitted.

Duplication

A release may be distributed only once. Most of the content must be original; template content is not allowed, and using copyrighted content from other sites violates our Terms of Service.

Third-Party Legal

Law firm releases are accepted only when the firm represents one of the parties. We do not accept third-party commentary on legal cases.

Market Research

Websites selling reports on forecasts, market trends, industry analysis, or market research are not accepted.

Harmful Intent

Content intended to victimize or shame an individual or group, degrade, defame, defraud, stalk, maliciously affect a company, attack a group or individual, or promote racism, violence, bigotry, hatred, or incitement is not distributed.

Ticker Symbols

Clients may use ticker symbols they are authorized to use, but exact authorization from the source company is required for each symbol.

Gambling

Releases promoting or linking to fantasy sports or online gambling are not published.

E-liquid and Vapor Products

Releases promoting or linking to e-liquid, e-cigarettes, or vapor products are not published.

Loans

Releases marketing short-term or unsecured loans, or linking to payday services, are not published.

Pharmaceuticals

Online pharmacies or sites selling drugs or prescriptions are not accepted unless the release or site states that a doctor’s prescription is required.

Weight Loss Products

Potentially hazardous or unsafe weight loss products and ingredients are not allowed.

Health Supplements

Health supplement content is not allowed regardless of claims of legality.

Sexual Enhancement Products

Releases promoting sexual enhancement products are not permitted.

Money-Making Schemes

Releases publicizing online money-making, get-rich-quick schemes, or work-from-home programs are not accepted.

Stock Promotions

Releases promoting investment advice, reviews, recommendations, alerts, newsletters, or stock picks are not accepted. Publicly traded companies may promote their own news.

Over-Optimization

Releases containing link over-optimization or keyword stuffing are not accepted.

Black Hat SEO Services and Tactics

Releases linking to or marketing Black Hat SEO services or tactics — including but not limited to paid social media followers, buying and selling links, or keyword stuffing — are not allowed.

Enforcement

We reserve the right to remove releases that contain unnatural inbound links, including participation in paid link schemes. From time to time we review submitted releases to confirm they comply with search engine guidelines.

The editorial staff reviews every release before distribution, and the editors have the final word on whether content is appropriate for the platform. These guidelines add to our Terms of Service, which require users to take responsibility for the content and accuracy of everything they submit.