What is a press release, and do they even matter in 2024?

We're going to break down the definition of a press release, its purpose, and whether it is still important in the modern PR landscape. Plus, we asked a few experts what they think about the relevance of press releases and their changing role in how we do communications.

A press release is a document outlining some sort of news, put forth by an entity, intended to share that news with the media and the public.

This sounds like a bad definition because it's vague. But really, it is pretty vague. Basically, a company, agency, government, or some other entity will distribute a press release to alert the public in the media that some sort of change is happening.

There are many different types of press releases depending on the type of news to share just a few of the examples include:

• New company launch press release - A company is born!
• New product launch press release - A company releases a new thing.
• Merger/acquisition press release - Companies are consolidating.
• Event press release - Something is about to happen.
• Corporate Social Responsibility press release - A company does something good :)
• Crisis communications/damage control press release - A company does something bad :(

There are plenty of other types of releases, some of them are industry-specific or for particular events and updates. Essentially, you can put out a press release about anything. Whether or not anyone will actually care, that's the big question.

Press releases often follow a pretty specific format. They used to be one page, plain text, and pretty boring. The point wasn't to get and keep attention, necessarily, as much as it was to quickly and efficiently distribute necessary information to journalists.

Yeah, boring. But they also didn't have the speed and resources of the Internet. Often, press releases were faxed or hand-delivered which limited their ability to be personable or interesting.

However, with online newsrooms and press release distribution, press release formats have become a lot more flexible in the last decade or so. Press releases now include beautiful, high-quality digital assets, great press release quotes, plenty of links, and even multimedia, like videos and soundbites. It's not enough to just relate the facts, PR needs to be compelling.

If you'd like more information about what exactly to include in your press release, we have an entire article dedicated to press release formats.

Press releases can be sent directly to journalists, media, customers, and members of the general public. This is often done through a press release distribution service, media lists, social media, email, and the like.

However, there's some controversy about the best method of PR distribution. Sure, the wire services have their role, but there has been a big push towards relationship-based PR distribution in the last few years.

Why? Well, journalists are busy people. They don't necessarily have all the time in the world to be scrolling endlessly through distribution services and press releases that have nothing to do with their audience.

We spoke with journalists and writers about the ways they best want to be pitched, and you can watch that conversation here. But ultimately, when it comes to your PR, keep the media in mind. If your company news has nothing to do with them, don't pitch them. Simple as that.

It's a tiny bit tempting to wonder why we even bother with press releases anymore. They seem like an unnecessary, archaic practice. Don't most journalists prefer emails these days? Why should they have to parse through 500 words of communications jargon just to find out that a water bottle company released a slightly different shade of water bottle?

Here are just a few of the factors that set a press release apart from other forms of communication.

When something is a primary source, that basically means it's the real deal. A journalist would much rather cite a professional press release than, say, an Instagram post. At the end of the day, social media does have its place in business communications, but as far as sending out formal company updates, important news, and high-quality assets? Press releases are still the go-to.

Depending on the type of news you want to release, it may be better to just do a blog post or a social media update. However, things like major company updates, mergers and acquisitions, corporate structural changes, or anything that has any legal weight should always, always be done with a press release. Investors in your company will be very unhappy to learn that they missed a massive update because it was released on TikTok.

This expert says it well:

When you put something up on a platform like social media, you don't own that media in the sense that the platform can censor, remove or obfuscate your content at any time. Press releases that you can store on your own newsroom and on your own website carry a level of professionalism and gravity that borrowed media never will.

If you want to learn more about the power and importance of owned content versus hosting your media on another platform, watch our PR Roundtable with Rand Fishkin who has plenty to say on the topic!

This may change one day, but we're not quite at the place where tweets are taken as seriously as curated PR content. And as lightning-quick as social media is, there are still a number of very well-established, industry-leading news distribution services that many journalists and publicists use on a daily basis, and they're specific to press releases. These services have guidelines, expectations, and industry practices that dictate how the services function. This is unlikely to change any time soon.

Because of their function as a credible, professional, structured form of communication, the press release is able to dig deeper than, say, your standard social media or blog post. It's much more acceptable and expected to provide plenty of details about the news you're releasing through a press release.

5 Bad Press Release Mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Whether you’re writing your first press release or your 1,000th, sometimes it is good to evaluate your process.

Now, don't take it from us because we're kind of in the press release software business. We may have a slight bias, even if we'll never admit to it.

We asked some smart people at the top of their field what they thought about the press release and its changing role in modern communications. Their answers varied.

One expert thinks that press releases are here to stay, but will be adapting with the changing media landscape:

The traditional press release is no longer as relevant as a dynamic, engaging press release with great visuals and assets.

This journalist-turned-writer had this insight when asked if press releases are still relevant today:

Penny makes a great point because when we talk about their usefulness or efficacy, we have to factor in how press releases are being used. If you draft a beautiful press release but distribute it to absolutely the wrong people, it's entirely ineffective from a communication standpoint. And, now more than ever, it's tempting to just blast your communications to everyone, but this ends up being way more ineffective in the long run than tailoring your communications to the right people.

Press releases still matter, according to this pro, but they are just one piece of the puzzle:

And one digital PR pro makes a fantastic point about how PR is an institution that likely isn't going anywhere any time soon, but it will need to evolve with the modern comms channels:

And to further complicate the matter (or to spice things up, depending on your perspective), according to some folks we spoke with, the press release lacks the relevance and usefulness it once had.

One law firm founder we spoke to said they previously used press releases, but no more:

In many cases, the continued efficacy depends largely on the industry and how you plan to write, distribute, and communicate the press release to the public.

Many of the sources we spoke to had a "yes, but…" approach to the importance of press releases. Yes, they're important, but they are just one element of a great communications strategy.

Press releases alone no longer carry the full weight of gaining media coverage and connecting with audiences. You can put out a thousand press releases, but if you're neglecting other important channels and opportunities to connect with your audience, you're certainly missing out. ​

Now that you know why press releases are still important in today's communications climate, keep your press release education going by checking out 150 of the best press release examples we could find!