Publish Your Press Release on USA TODAY

What it means to publish a press release on USA TODAY

USA TODAY is one of the best-known news brands in the United States. When people search for how to publish a press release on USA TODAY, they usually want one of two things: a credible page on a name their customers already recognise, or a way to get their company in front of a national audience. A press release placement gives you the first directly and can help with the second.

Since June 2025, Gannett, the company behind USA TODAY, has distributed press releases across USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network through a press release distribution agreement. That arrangement is what makes a USA TODAY press release placement possible without a newsroom pitch. Your announcement carries your company name, your news and your contact details, and it sits on USA TODAY and its network rather than on a small press-release site few people visit.

Be clear about what this is. A press release on USA TODAY is not an article written by a USA TODAY journalist, and it is labelled as a press release. You do not need a reporter to find your story newsworthy, but you do need a genuine announcement, written as news, that passes compliance review and the publisher's own approval.

On TS Newswire, USA TODAY is one of our single premium placements. Buy it on its own for $100, or browse it alongside every other publication in our outlet network. For a full walkthrough with examples, read our guide on how to publish a press release on USA TODAY and StreetInsider.

Every release we place is white-label. It is published under your company name with your own media contact, and no TS Newswire branding appears anywhere on the press release, so agencies can place releases for clients without a third-party name attached.

Get featured on USA TODAY vs. publish a press release on USA TODAY

Getting featured in USA TODAY editorially means a USA TODAY reporter decides to write about you. That takes a story with national relevance, pitched to the right reporter at the right moment. It is valuable and unpredictable, and editorial coverage cannot be bought.

Publishing a press release on USA TODAY is the predictable route. You decide what to announce and when, the release is reviewed, and once the USA TODAY channel approves it, it is published as a press release with a shareable link.

The two work well together. A published release gives journalists a public, linkable version of your announcement when you pitch them. It does not mean USA TODAY has independently checked or endorsed your claims: review covers suitability, structure and compliance, so the facts in your release remain your responsibility.

The USA TODAY Network: 250+ sites from one release

The USA TODAY Network is the group of local and regional news sites connected to USA TODAY across the country. A release published through the USA TODAY channel is syndicated by the publisher across this network of 250+ sites.

Syndication is carried out by the publisher, so the exact number of network pages that go live for a given release can vary. Your publication report lists every page that actually went live, so you always know precisely what you received. You can see what a full syndication report looks like on our distribution sites network page.

Who a USA TODAY press release is for

A USA TODAY press release works best when there is a real reader at the end of your news: a customer, an investor, a partner or a future employee. Categories that suit the channel well include:

• Startups announcing funding, launches or major partnerships
• Consumer brands launching products, services or new locations
• Technology and SaaS companies releasing new features or milestones
• Real estate and hospitality businesses with openings or expansions
• Agencies and consultancies building credibility for clients or themselves
• Local businesses that want national credibility and regional network reach

Why publishing on USA TODAY builds credibility

People judge companies by where they appear. A press release published on USA TODAY gives prospects, investors and journalists a recognisable source when they look you up, alongside your own website and social profiles.

Many companies use their placement in sales decks, investor updates and "As seen on" sections. USA TODAY's name and logo are trademarks, so describe the placement accurately, for example "Our announcement was published on USA TODAY", and link to the live page from your publication report.

Pair USA TODAY with Yahoo Finance, Business Insider and StreetInsider

USA TODAY reaches a broad general audience. If your news also matters to investors or business buyers, consider adding a second single premium placement aimed at that reader. Each one is bought individually, at its own fixed price, and goes into the same cart and the same report.

A Yahoo Finance press release puts your announcement where investors follow company news (see how to get featured on Yahoo Finance). Business Insider gives a B2B or leadership story a brand executives recognise. A StreetInsider placement reaches traders and analysts who follow market updates. Each publisher applies its own guidelines, which our compliance review checks for you.

Prefer a bundle? Our press release distribution packages combine many outlets at one price, and the full outlet network lists every single placement with its price.

• Yahoo Finance press release$249

  One of the most visited financial news sites, read by investors and finance professionals. A strong fit for funding rounds, earnings, acquisitions and company milestones.

  Add to cart

• Business Insider press release$199

  A global business and markets brand that decision-makers recognise. Well suited to B2B, SaaS, leadership and partnership announcements.

  Add to cart

• StreetInsider press release$29

  A market news service followed by traders and analysts. Useful when your news matters to investors, such as listings, financing or corporate updates.

  Add to cart

Search visibility, backlinks and AI answers

Publication is not the same as traffic or rankings. A USA TODAY placement gives you a brand mention on a widely recognised domain, and that page may be indexed by search engines and cited by AI assistants, but neither is guaranteed and we do not promise rankings, traffic or citations.

Your release can include links to your website. How search engines treat those links (followed or not) is set by the publisher and can change, so we never promise a specific link type. The parts you control are the ones that help most: a clear headline that names your company and the news, a lead that answers who, what, when, where and why, and a plain-language boilerplate.

How to write a press release USA TODAY will publish

Every release is checked with one question in mind: would a journalist reasonably publish this as news? A press release informs, reports and announces. An advertorial sells, persuades and promotes. USA TODAY publishes the first and rejects the second, so write like a reporter describing your news, not a marketer describing your product.

Approved releases follow a predictable structure. Use the checklist below, and see our guide to writing a press release for worked examples.

Aim for roughly 500 to 1,000 words. Releases under about 400 words usually lack detail, and much longer ones need very strong structure to stay readable. A missing quote or boilerplate is one of the most common reasons a release is sent back, and a weak or buried lead is close behind.

• Write in a factual, third-person news tone, in US English and AP style
• Put the real news in the first sentence and support it with verifiable details
• Attribute every figure and claim, and only include claims you could prove if asked
• Use quotes that add insight or context, not generic praise
• Use 3 to 5 relevant links and no bare URLs in the text

1.Headline

Title Case, factual, names your company and the news. About 70 characters or less.

2.Subheadline

Optional one-line summary that adds a second key fact.

3.Dateline

CITY, State, Month Day, Year, for example "AUSTIN, Texas, October 6, 2026".

4.Lead paragraph

Who, what, when, where, why and how in two or three sentences. The news goes first, not last.

5.Body paragraphs

Supporting details, figures and context you could verify if asked.

6.Quote

At least one meaningful, attributed quote from an executive or expert that adds insight, not hype.

7.Boilerplate

A short "About" paragraph describing your company in plain words.

8.Media contact

Name, title, email and phone number for journalists who want to follow up.

What USA TODAY does not accept

Check this before you order. The USA TODAY channel runs every release through the content filters below, and a release that trips any one of them is not accepted. Our compliance review checks your release against the same filters before submission, so a problem is caught before it reaches the publisher. Category rules for regulated industries are in our editorial guidelines.

USA TODAY content filters

• ViolenceViolent or graphic content, threats, and weapons promotion
• Piracy and gamblingCasino, betting and sweepstakes content, and pirated or counterfeit products
• Political ideologyPolitical campaigning, advocacy and ideological messaging
• Sexually explicitAdult or sexual content, including sexual or explicit words anywhere in the release
• CryptoCryptocurrency, tokens, NFTs and other digital-asset promotions
• Brands and mediaUsing other brands' or media outlets' names, logos or trademarks without permission, or implying their endorsement
• DrugsIllicit drugs, cannabis and drug-related products

Also sent back

• Misleading, unverifiable or exaggerated claims, including promised results or returns
• Advertorials: copy whose main goal is to sell, persuade or promote rather than inform
• Calls to action such as buy, invest, subscribe or click here, and heavy promotional language
• Medical or health claims and investment promotion
• Unsafe or prohibited travel destinations
• Images or content you have not confirmed you have the rights to use
• Releases with no real news, or missing a headline, dateline, body or media contact

Refunds: what happens if your release is not accepted

If your release cannot be accepted, because it falls outside our compliance review or USA TODAY guidelines (for example it trips one of the content filters above, such as crypto, gambling or sexually explicit content, or makes claims that cannot be substantiated), you receive a full refund of the $100 placement. Where a release can be fixed, we send notes first so you can edit and resubmit.

If USA TODAY does not publish a release that passed our review, you also receive a full refund. If USA TODAY publishes your release but network syndication falls materially short, we review the shortfall with you and agree a partial refund or wallet credit, as set out in our refund policy.

Press release writing, if you add it, is a separate service. Writing work already completed is covered by the refund policy rather than the placement refund.

How long does it take to publish on USA TODAY?

There are three separate steps, and only the last one has a fixed time. First, our compliance review checks your release after you submit it. Second, the USA TODAY channel reviews and approves it, on the publisher's own schedule. Third, once approved, the release usually goes live within 1 to 2 hours, and network syndication follows.

If your announcement is tied to a date, such as a launch or an event, order a few days ahead and submit with a note about timing. That leaves room for a round of edits without missing your moment.

No press release yet? We can write it for you

If you have news but no release, add our press release writing service at checkout. You send a short brief with the facts, quotes and links you want included, and we use AI to help draft the release in the structure above, then check it against the content filters and guidelines on this page. You approve the draft before it is submitted.

AI-assisted writing gets you a correctly structured first draft quickly: headline, dateline, lead, body, quote, boilerplate and media contact. The facts, numbers and quotes still come from you, so the release stays accurate.

Press release writing is currently $129 per release, added at checkout.

What to do after your release is published

Share the USA TODAY link on LinkedIn and your other channels, add it to your website's press page, include it in investor or customer updates, and send it to journalists you are pitching. You can see the report format in the sample report above, which you can download as CSV or PDF.

A USA TODAY press release is not a permanent placement. It stays live for about 150 to 180 days, so share it and save your publication report while it is up.

Need a permanent placement? That is done through a contributor placement, which is priced separately. Contact us for pricing and availability.