Newswire.com’s Editorial Team reviews all press releases before they are distributed to ensure that all content meets our established guidelines and provides value to the media and other potential readers. Releases submitted to Newswire should contain a newsworthy angle and be removed of advertising promotion. This will ensure there are no unnecessary delays in the approval process.
Accurate and Functioning Hyperlinks – Before submitting your release, please ensure all links in your release are fully functional. All linked pages will need to be active and reviewed for content by our editors before the release can be scheduled for distribution.
Accurate and Factual – All information in a press release must be legally and factually accurate. In some cases, we may need to be able to independently verify certain claims made in a press release. Any user who submits a press release through Newswire agrees to submit only factual and accurate information.
An Objective Tone – Newswire press releases should be free of hype flags and excessive first- and second-person/direct address language (i.e. “you”, “I”, “we”, etc.). Direct address language is a potential indicator that the content is an advertisement rather than a news release. Similarly, hype flags — exclamation points; inflated product/service claims; descriptions of a product or service such as “AMAZING”, the use of uppercase characters to create emphasis and general direct-address language such as “BUY NOW” and “DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY” — cannot be accepted.
Clear Source Attribution – Please incorporate the press release Source name into the headline, summary and/or first paragraph. Press releases must clearly introduce the source (company/organization discussed) near the top of the release to ensure the reader knows where it is coming from.
Proper Spelling and Grammar – A press release must observe proper grammar, spelling, punctuation marks, capitalization, abbreviations or acronyms, and proper spacing between sentences.
Standard Press Release Length (~250-600 Words) – The length of your release directly affects its distribution, and press releases that are overly short or long may have trouble being indexed in the search engines.
Timely and Newsworthy Content – Common news angles include timely information about a new product or service, a business expansion or recent event, an organizational milestone like an anniversary or award, a company hire or promotion, a new publication, partnership or fundraising news, etc. The news announcement must be clearly stated in the headline and first paragraph. Do not try to use your press release for advertising or to post a general interest article, “open letters” and the like that lack attribution and/or news value. Examples of newsworthy content include but are not limited to:
Valid Media Contact Information – Press releases must contain at least a name and valid email address in the contact information, but additional information such as Direct Media Contact name and phone number may be required for some distribution options.
Adult Related Content and Profanity – No content about sexually explicit topics or subjects will be allowed. Releases involving sexually explicit or suggestive material may be flagged as inappropriate if not suitable for all ages in a public forum. All 18-and-older websites are considered sexually explicit. Profanity – implied or explicit – is not allowed even if heavily censored.
Affiliate Marketing – If the release is determined to be a review of an affiliate marketing product (links to affiliate product), Newswire has the right to refuse the release.
Blackhat SEO – Newswire does not allow any Blackhat type of SEO tactics to be used in press releases or any releases promoting these tactics. Releases deemed to be purposefully over-optimized for SEO will not be accepted.
Blatant Advertising and SPAM – If the release is low quality, spammy, or is considered blatant by our editorial team, the release will not be accepted. Newswire also does not accept coupon codes in content. Any releases that abuse frequently used SPAM trigger words such as: ‘make money’, ‘free’, ‘clearance’, ‘amazing’, ‘earn money’, etc. will be refused or sent back for revisions.
Health Supplements – Releases on these topics will be reviewed extensively to determine their acceptability. Content promoting sexual enhancement products will be refused; content promoting other supplements is reviewed and accepted on a case-by- case basis.
The editorial team has the right to refuse any release they believe does not soundly prove any or all claims in the release. In addition, any supplement-promoting release must have a clear news angle if it is to be considered for distribution.
Illegal Products or Activity – Newswire cannot accept releases promoting illegal products or companies involved in illegal activity (this includes pirating). Some releases promoting private streaming networks can be acceptable for processing. Other releases promoting the same would be unacceptable for processing if the names of sporting leagues are mentioned.
Inflammatory and Negative Statements – Releases containing statements deemed by Newswire to be inflammatory or releases that contain overly opinionated or political content will not be accepted. Any releases meant to express or incite negativity or accusations towards a specific group or individual will not be published. Any negative or accusatory statements directed towards another organization or individual, especially by name, will be refused.
Investment Opinion/Commentary – Any releases that discuss investment or stock opinions, recommendations, advice or reviews will not be accepted.
Libelous in Nature – Any content that may include damaging statements to a person or company will be refused. Opinionated pieces will be reviewed to determine if there are any flags that will withhold a release from publishing.
Litigation – Releases discussing pending or open litigation cannot be considered for publishing, except in specific cases.
Closed litigation cases are reviewed and accepted on a case-by-case basis. If the litigation matter has been closed, then the release will need to be accompanied by proper documentation, including but not limited to court docket number, attributable files, etc. Closed litigation releases can discuss the results of a case but need to be written in a neutral, factual tone, and cannot include overly opinionated or accusatory language. Including the names of individuals may be allowable in specific instances.
Yahoo!, a distribution partner of Newswire, recently informed all press release providers, including Newswire, that they will no longer accept press releases for Yahoo! Finance, as well as all other Yahoo! online news sites, that involve litigation, announce class action investigations, or advertise attorneys by discussing open or closed litigation.
This is a content policy issued by Yahoo! to all press release providers, not just Newswire. As a result, Yahoo! will be removed from any press releases that contain litigation-related content effective immediately. Please note, no other distribution points are impacted and the rest of your chosen distribution is still available.
Gambling or Betting – Any release that deals with gambling or betting is considered for publishing on a case-by-case basis, and those that are approved will only be published through a very limited distribution.
Make Money Schemes – Releases that fall under this category are subject to further review and may be rejected by our editorial team due to unsubstantiated claims.
Miracle Product Releases – Any releases deemed by Newswire containing “miraculous” claims about a product will be refused. Any “claims” must have cited scientific research data behind such statements. This includes “alternative health” products (e.g. releases about products claiming to be “natural” alternatives to chemotherapy). Any promotion of non-regulated FDA medical products may prompt extended editorial review.
Newsjacking – Releases that comment on or are centered around a news story that do not directly involve the PR source are considered for approval on a case-by-case basis.
Online Pharmaceuticals – Any releases from online pharmacies that sell prescription drugs will be reviewed for acceptability. The website, which must be located in Canada, the U.S. or the UK, must explicitly state a doctor’s prescription is required for any online purchase.
Payday Loans – Releases discussing payday loan services are unsuitable for publishing.
Political and Opinionated Releases – Politically oriented releases will only be considered if the political language in the release is civil and moderate and does not contain opinionated language. Releases containing opinionated language concerning political or cultural topics cannot be distributed, as our news partners do not wish to receive content that is opinionated in nature.
Prescription and OTC Drugs – Newswire cannot accept releases mentioning brand- name prescription or over-the-counter drugs. Mentioning said drugs by their generic name is acceptable. Newswire also reserves the right to not accept releases containing the explicit naming of pharmaceutical companies.
Reprinted Material – Any news pieces, articles, or stories from other websites or publications will not be accepted as they may be copyrighted. Duplicate press release content will also be refused if a press release is found to have been published on Newswire’s site at an earlier date. Content must be unique and original.
Streaming Video Websites – Any releases that promote the streaming of video content from premium and television channels without authorization will be refused.
Unauthorized Stock Ticker Symbol – Any releases containing a stock ticker symbol must have the expressed written authorization of the company that the stock ticker symbol belongs to. In addition, if a third-party publicly traded company wishes to have its ticker symbol indexed on downstream news sites, a high-ranking communications personnel or executive from the third-party public company will need to fill out an authorization form provided by Newswire. Please note that while ticker indexing can be requested for most of Newswire’s distribution options, it is not available for our Digital distribution.
Unverifiable Information – If a release contains pertinent information that Newswire is unable to verify independently, we reserve the right to refuse.
Unverified Celebrity or Other Public Figure Endorsements – If a release includes a celebrity or elected official’s endorsement, mention, uses their likeness or image, or involves them in the release’s news, we will need verification that the celebrity or public figure mentioned is aware and approves of the content in the press release.
Written Authorizations – Newswire requires any press release mentioning third-party individuals, companies, or organizations in a meaningful way to be explicitly authorized by said third parties. This includes news about partnerships, deals, acquisitions, venture capital, private equity, collaborations, fundraising/investments, etc.
Additionally, if a release contains a third-party logo or a public company’s stock ticker symbol, we will also need written authorization to include this in the press (See Unauthorized Stock Ticker Symbol for more information.). All authorizations must be sent directly to our editorial team via email from the entities that we request authorization from (we cannot accept forwarded correspondence or screenshots as a form of authorization). Authorizations must be sent from executives or high-level marketing or communications personnel.
Crisis Event – If a Source company is trying to monetize from a recent public crisis or trying to loosely connect their product as something consumers should use in relation to the crisis, we reserve the right to refuse. If the Source company is simply trying to take advantage of the crisis story to promote their own brand/product, we reserve the right to refuse.
We also reserve the right to refuse any press release containing speculative, questionable or misleading statements or claims relating to a crisis. If the release uses charged language when discussing a crisis (e.g. “panic”, “terrifying”, “stressful”, “X product flying off the shelves”, “people are scrambling”), we reserve the right to refuse or hold for edits.
Please note some releases may require more review time than others and may require additional documentation for internal editorial review. Please submit your press releases accordingly with those considerations in mind.
Newswire’s editorial staff reviews all press releases before distribution. Our editorial team has the right to refuse any release they determine is unsuitable for publishing. Newswire editors have the final say in determining what content is appropriate for distribution on our platform. These guidelines are meant to supplement our Terms of Service, which require users to be responsible for the content and accuracy of all information submitted to us.
For more helpful tips, resources and other press release-related information, check out the Newswire.com Blog. For examples of press releases that have met our guidelines, please visit https://www.newswire.com/newsroom.