Press Release Submission Guidelines

Here are the guidelines we use to decide whether a press release will be accepted by us and our partners for publishing and syndication.

 

Critical Distinction: Press Release vs. Advertorial

This is NOT a platform for advertorials, opinion pieces, or promotional content.

Press releases must be objective news announcements written in journalistic style. If your content reads like a sales pitch, blog post, or advertisement, it will be rejected.

A press release announces news. An advertorial promotes products. We only accept press releases.

 

Must Be Newsworthy

Releases must be news. The title/headline and the entire body of the release must revolve around something that is a recent development.

These could include new announcements of new products or services, organizational milestones/anniversaries, awards given or received, or even a reaction to a current newsworthy event. The possibilities are endless, as long as it’s news.

The body should read like a news piece, not an encyclopedic article.

 

Clear Source And Fully Authorized

The release must make clear who is announcing the news. You must have the authority to speak on behalf of the releasing organization. That means you either need to be a representative or officer of that organization/company or you must have an acceptable agreement with them defining you as an appropriate press contact.

In the case of distributor relationships, franchises, multi-level-marketing or other arrangements where a local branch may not necessarily be allowed to speak for the corporate brand, we reserve the right to attempt to gain written confirmation from a company officer.

 

Written in Proper Press Release Style

Releases should be written as if they could appear verbatim in a newspaper. To get used to the way news should be written, just check out any quality paper (such as the New York Times or Washington Post.)

Releases must:

• Be 100% objective and free of hype, big claims, exclamation points, uppercase letters, pitches, or sales messages.
• Be written in third-person style.
• Not include the words “I,” “You,” or other non-third-person styles.
• Not include any questions in the headline or the body copy.
• Have 100% correct grammar and spelling.
• Not have the effect of selling a product or service.
• Not devote entire paragraphs to positive attributes of a product or service.
• Not have ANY lists, bullets, or numbered items. Any lists must be in paragraph form.
• Avoid any use of sub headings.
• Avoid any use of emoji.

 

What Makes Content an Advertorial (Automatic Rejection)

The following characteristics mark content as advertorial and will result in immediate rejection:

• Promotional tone (“revolutionary,” “amazing,” “best in class”)
• Product-centric messaging (focusing on features/benefits rather than news)
• Customer testimonial-style anecdotes
• Sales-oriented calls to action
• Missing press release conventions (no clear news hook)
• Opinion-based content or personal perspectives
• Unattributed claims or author

Proper Length

• Minimum: 400 words
• Recommended: 450-550 words
• Maximum: 800 words

 

Backlink Guidelines

We recommend using two links in your release, typically to supporting content. You may use up to three links maximum. Too many links can make a release look like bait for Google, rather than a news article.

 

Anchor Text Requirements

Acceptable anchor text:

• Brand names and company names
• Generic anchors (“learn more,” “visit website,” “click here”)
• Short descriptive phrases (2-3 words)

Problematic anchor text (may limit distribution):

• Long-tail keyword phrases (4+ words)
• Location-based keywords (“Chicago attorney,” “Miami plumber”)
• Over-optimized or keyword-stuffed anchors

 

Content Must Be 100% Original

We do not accept releases which contain content that is either duplicate or highly similar to other publicly released information. Do not plagiarize or misappropriate text. Submitting a Release using “Spun Content”, templated content, or using AI tooling without substantial human editing is grounds for termination of your entire account.

 

Content Acceptance Guidelines

✅ ALLOWED – Full Distribution

• Business News: Partnerships, mergers, expansions, new locations, executive appointments, company milestones
• Product/Service Announcements: Launch announcements (without efficacy claims), availability notices
• Events: Major conferences, industry events, grand openings with broader significance
• Recognition: Awards received, industry rankings, certifications earned
• Research: Study results with data, industry reports, survey findings (properly attributed)

⚠️ LIMITED DISTRIBUTION – May Face Restrictions

• Legal services, real estate listings, franchise opportunities – Higher scrutiny from publishers
• Cannabis and cryptocurrency content – Restricted by many outlets
• Overly localized content – See localization section below
• Long-tail keyword anchor text – May trigger spam filters
• Excessive keyword repetition – 3+ instances of same phrase

❌ FORBIDDEN – Will Be Rejected

The following topics are banned. Note: You can usually announce business news (expansions, appointments, milestones) for companies in these industries as long as you don’t discuss the actual products or services:

• Health and beauty products of any kind, including supplements, pharmaceuticals, creams, lotions, weight loss, or any release making efficacy claims
• Medical claims (including supplements, COVID cures, etc.) Note: Announcing new medical facilities, doctor appointments, or test availability is allowed WITHOUT efficacy claims
• Financial services – mortgage, payday, cash, short-term or long-term loan services
• Price comparisons, discounts, or sales events
• Sexually explicit/adult – content, escort services, dating services
• Sexual enhancement products or supplement
• Radical or political opinion/view
• Radical religious opinion/view
• Intent to harm or defame or enact revenge
• Use of the words “scam”, “fraud”, etc
• Stock ticker symbols – in any form
• Online gambling
• Psychic services
• Electronic cigarettes, alcohol, tobacco
• Weapons-related content
• MLMs, scams, or celebrity impersonations
• Customer testimonials or reviews
• Personal opinions, blog posts, or opinion pieces
• Profanity or slang – (e.g., “kick ass,” “WTF,” etc.)
• Advertisements

 

Localization Limitations

Overly Localized Content – LIMITED DISTRIBUTION

Location-focused content often receives restricted distribution. National syndication outlets typically reject heavily localized releases, while regional outlets may accept them. Examples include (but are not limited to):

• Location keywords in headlines – City or state names in titles will almost always limit distribution
• Hyper-local events – Neighborhood events, local store openings, community gatherings
• Geographic service areas in titles – “Dallas Roofing Company” or “Phoenix Real Estate Agent”
• Multiple location mentions – Excessive geographic references throughout

Note: While you can mention locations in the body for context, focusing heavily on local geography limits news value for broader audiences

 

Special Requirements

Headlines

• Maximum 70 characters recommended
• Title case
• One main keyword
• Avoid hype or jargon
• No location/geographic keywords (will limit distribution)
• No superlatives (best, top, leading, #1)
• Must contain actual news announcement

Structure

• Lead paragraph should contain the actual announcement and answer Who, What, When, Where, Why
• 1-2 direct sentences in lead paragraph
• Paragraphs should contain 2-4 sentences maximum
• Follow inverted pyramid structure (most important information first)
• All quotes must be attributed to named individuals with titles

 

Call to Action Limitations

• ✅ Acceptable: “Visit www.company.com to learn more” or “For more information, visit…”
• ❌ Forbidden: “Buy now,” “Sign up today,” “Limited time offer,” “Click here to purchase”

 

Visual Styling and Layout

Most of our upstream networks do not allow us to include any styling, formatting, or layout HTML markup. This includes header tags, font tags, and any sort of style. We have no control of how your press release will appear on these third party sites.

We, or our partners, will strip out styling and markup as appropriate. We allow the following tags: A, I, B, IMG, and P. Any other tags are subject to being stripped from content. Please contact us with any questions about allowed markup.

 

AI Scoring Tool

We provide an AI-powered content scoring tool that allows you to test your press release before submission. This tool checks for compliance with all guidelines and provides specific feedback on any issues found. Using this tool before submission can help avoid rejections and delays.

 

Disclaimer

While these are clear guidelines, there are many scenarios which we did not cover in this article. Ultimately, PressAdvantage.com reserves the right to reject any press release without prior notice, for any reason whatsoever. We also reserve the right to remove previously published press releases that we discover to be inappropriate after the fact.

If content is rejected by our upstream distribution partners, we will do our best to help bring it into compliance, but we cannot guarantee that all content can be made compliant with every distributor’s requirements.

Our support staff is always available to discuss rejections in detail, and we certainly do not ever take pleasure in assigning a rejection. It is unfortunately a necessary part of our business in order to maintain the credible reputation of our news organization.

These guidelines do change every so often without notice. Please visit this page regularly for updates.