Digital PR
A news release is an official written statement from an organization distributed to media outlets to announce a newsworthy event or milestone — functionally equivalent to a press release, with the term preferred in digital-first contexts.
News release and press release are used interchangeably across most of the industry. Some practitioners prefer "news release" in modern contexts because it reflects the expanded distribution landscape — today's announcements reach not just traditional press but digital news platforms, financial portals, broadcast outlets, and AI-powered search engines.
In 2026, well-structured news releases serve a dual audience: human journalists and AI search systems. A release with a specific, attributable core claim, original data, and named sources has strong potential for AI citation in tools like Perplexity and Google AI Overviews — making the format more strategically valuable than at any previous point in its history.
Related Terms
A boilerplate is the standardized "About [Company]" paragraph at the end of a press release that provides journalists with factual background information about the issuing organization.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of structuring content so AI-powered search engines — including ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews — can accurately extract, summarize, and cite key claims in their generated responses.
The inverted pyramid is a journalistic writing structure where the most important information is presented first, followed by supporting details in descending order of significance — the standard format for press releases and news reporting.
A press release is an official written statement issued by a company or organization to announce news, updates, or events to media outlets and the public. It is used in digital PR to secure media coverage, improve online visibility, and strengthen brand credibility.
Press release distribution is the process of transmitting a formatted news announcement to media outlets, journalists, wire services, and online platforms to maximize editorial pickup, brand visibility, and SEO impact.
A wire service is a news distribution network that transmits press releases and news content to a broad network of media outlets, journalists, and online publishing platforms simultaneously.
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