What are your content guidelines?
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, removed of advertising promotion and in the recommended AP format. This will help to ensure there are no unnecessary delays in the approval process.
All press releases should embody the following qualities:
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 release to ensure the reader knows where it is coming from.
Valid Media Contact Information - Press releases must contain at least a 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.
An Objective Tone - Newswire press releases should be free of hype flags and first-person/direct address (i.e. “you”, “I”, “we”, etc.) unless used within a quotation from a spokesperson from a company or organization. Direct address 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 as “AMAZING”, or the use of uppercase characters to create emphasis will challenge the credibility of your news announcement.
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 or the issuance of a tip sheet or expert opinion on a topic currently in the news. The news announcement must be clearly stated in the headline. 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:
- New company product launch, website, hires, or personnel changes.
- Upcoming industry events such as trade shows, conferences, seminars, etc.
- Announcements of a Whitepaper release or new research study.
- Company Awards or Industry recognition.
- Store openings or company event announcements.
- Partnerships or deals between companies.
- New book, song or art installation announcement.
Proper Spelling and Grammar - Press release must observe proper grammar, observe proper spelling and punctuation marks, use proper abbreviations or acronyms, proper spacing between sentences and have proper capitalization.
Accurate and Factual - All information in a press release must be legally and factually accurate.
Written Authorization - In certain cases, such as with network marketing companies or affiliated third parties, with the use of a stock ticker symbol, or with major corporate announcements such as (but not limited to) those related to Mergers & Acquisitions, Venture or Equity Capital Investment Announcements... Newswire may require written authorization from a company executive before a press release is approved for distribution.
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.
Accurate and Functioning Hyperlinks - Before submitting your release, please ensure all links in your release are fully functional. If the releases contains links which are not active at time of submission please send a note to our editorial team as to not delay the process of review.
Newswire has the right to refuse, hold or require changes to releases that are determined to contain the following types of content:
Adult Related Content – No content about sexually explicit topics or subjects will be allowed. Releases involving sexually explicit 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.
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 for press releases, as well as any releases promoting these tactics. Any releases that are deemed to be purposefully over optimized for SEO will not be accepted.
Blatant Advertising – If the release is low quality and is considered advertising by our editorial team the release will not be accepted.
Containing Unauthorized Stock Ticker Symbol - Any releases that contain a stock ticker symbol must have the expressed written authorization of the company in question if coming from an third party.
Cryptocurrency and ICO related - Any content related to an ICO offering or cryptocurrency related release is subject to further review. Please note this review can take longer than our standard editorial processing time. We may request further vetting information such as Government issued IDs, Whitepaper, LinkedIn URLs, etc. in the process. Failure to provide all requested materials will result in refusal of press release. Due to strict US regulations, any releases involving ICOs accepting US Investment will be refused.
False Information – All information in releases must be factual and verified. Any user that submits a press release through Newswire agrees to submit only factual and accurate information.
Harmful Intentions & Negative Statements - Any releases meant to harm, incite, or express hatred towards a specific group or individual will not be published. Any negative statements directed towards another company, especially by name, will be refused.
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 same would be unacceptable for processing if the name of sporting leagues are mentioned.
Inflammatory Statements - Releases containing statements deemed by Newswire to be inflammatory will be kicked back.
Libelous in Nature – Any content that may include damaging statements to a person or company. Opinionated pieces will be reviewed to determine if there are any flags that shall withhold release from publishing.
Litigation – Releases discussing pending, open, or closed litigation cases are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and may or may not be accepted. 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. Releases pertaining to amicus curiae briefings are acceptable to process if they meet all other editorial standards.
Pending and open litigation announcements from companies involved in litigation may be allowed only as it relates to material updates to that litigation; i.e. a case was filed, the hearing date has been updated, counsel has been retained, etc. Closed litigation releases can discuss the results, but still need to be written in a neutral, factual tone and cannot include overly opinionated or accusatory language.
Yahoo!, a distribution partner of Newswire, has recently informed all press release providers, including Newswire, that they will no longer accept press releases for Yahoo! Finance and 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 new press releases that contain litigation-related content effective immediately for Newswire Digital Plus, State, National, Financial, and International and Global press release circuits. Please note, no other distribution points are impacted and the rest of your chosen distribution is still available.
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.
Online Pharmaceuticals - Any releases from online pharmacies that sell prescription drugs will be reviewed for acceptability. The website, which must be located in the US or UK, must explicitly state a doctor’s prescription is to be required for any online purchase.
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.
Partnership, Deals, Acquisition, Venture Capital, Private Equity - Newswire and its distribution partners requires that any press release that falls into this category will be required to fill out additional verification forms which can be downloaded or provided by our editorial team. Failure to provide verification forms will result in refusal of release by Newswire and/or our distribution partner’s resulting in incomplete syndication of press release.
Payday Loans - Releases discussing payday loan services will be deemed unsuitable for publishing.
Political Releases - Politically-oriented releases will only be considered if the political language in the release is civil and moderate. Politically-oriented opinion editorial releases may also be considered if the client enters a first paragraph statement worded akin to: “The following is an open letter from X regarding Y.”
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.
Related to Gambling - Any release that deals with gambling will be evaluated on a per press release basis.
Reprinted Material - Any news pieces, articles, or stories from other websites or publications will not be accepted as they may be copyrighted. Duplicate content will also be refused if a press release is has been found to be published at an earlier date. Content must be unique and original.
SPAM - Any releases that abuse frequently used SPAM trigger words such as: ‘make money’, ‘free’, ‘clearance’, ‘amazing’, ‘earn money’, etc.
Stock Recommendations - Any releases that discusses stock recommendations, advice or reviews will not be accepted.
Streaming Video Websites - Any releases that promotes the streaming of video content from premium and television channels without authorization will be refused.
Unsafe Weight Loss, Health Supplements or Sexual Enhancement Products – Releases on these topics will be reviewed extensively to determine its acceptability. The editorial team has the right to refuse any releases they believe does not soundly prove any or all claims in the release.
Unverifiable Information - If a release contains pertinent information that Newswire is unable to verify independently, we serve the right to refuse.
Unverified Celebrity Endorsements - If a release includes a celebrity endorsement or mention, we will need verification that the celebrity mentioned is aware and approves of the content in the press release.
**UPDATED CONTENT GUIDELINES RELATED TO COVID-19**
Please see our special editorial guidelines related to news discussing the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the ever evolving situation, Newswire has the right to change these guidelines at any time without notice:
- If the source company announcement is to the benefit of a community or persons and is offering free or at a discounted rate, this may be deemed acceptable.
- If a Source company is trying to monetize from this crisis or trying to loosely connect their product as something consumers should use in relation to this pandemic, 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.
- If the press release is simply repeating basic prevention guidelines on the virus — or other widely-available information, such as warning immunocompromised individuals of the dangers of the virus — and otherwise does not have anything newsworthy to talk about, we reserve the right to refuse.
- We also reserve the right to refuse any press release giving medical advice related to COVID-19 that has not been given by the CDC, as well as any press release containing speculative, questionable or misleading statements or claims relating to the pandemic.
- If the release uses charged language when discussing the 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.
Examples of acceptable releases:
https://www.newswire.com/news/public-health-emergency-on-hold-messaging-offered-for-free-to-21111942
Every release is susceptible to review and refusal, including supplements making unsubstantiated claims or other nefarious attempts at newsjacking.
Please note that editorial review times for these releases may require more lead time and may require additional documentation, 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. If any revisions are are necessary after submission, a re-processing fee may apply.
For more helpful tips, resources and other press release related information check out the Newswire.com Blog.