Press Releases: Do they still matter in 2025?

Yes, press releases still have value. But not quite like in the old days. Print isn’t dead, it just evolved. In the age of digital media, it’s no longer just about getting picked up by traditional news outlets. These days, press releases serve as a multi-purpose marketing tool that can boost your SEO and build media relationships.

Here are a few reasons why press releases still matter:

Local newspapers across the country are often short-staffed, and trying to cover every aspect of their communities is a helluva feat to tackle each day. Making it easier for them goes a long way. They'll remember you for it.

A press release often becomes a starting point for a journalist’s interest in your brand. Perhaps they were already considering a related story, and your press release triggered their angle to include you in a separate story to speak about a related topic, in turn making you a reliable source in their contacts.

Well-optimized press releases can rank on search engines, driving traffic to your website. Optimized releases generate backlinks from news sites, further improving your domain authority. Uploading it to your news page, then sharing the link on LinkedIn or Facebook is also another way of communicating with your audience. Pro-tip: tag news outlets in your social media post to get their attention. Make it count. Be sure that what you’re sending is newsworthy.

Ultimately, the nuanced answer is that press releases still matter, particularly to the right audience. Knowing who likes a release and who prefers a pitch is key to your public relations strategy. It’ll take time to sort out the nuances, sometimes years, so building the media relationships is the true measure of your PR prowess.

The inverted pyramid still rules. Keep it focused on the who, what, where, why and how. Don’t get bogged down by the minutiae.

What’s newsworthy? Proximity, Impact, Relevance, Timeliness, Prominence and Novelty

Keep it succinct. Keep it to one page. Journalists are only going to read the first two paragraphs (at best) before moving on to the next press release. Plus, it’s a struggle to fit more than 600 words on a given print page. If you have more information than 500-600 words, then create a landing page on your website that you can direct them to.

Write in the third person. You’re basically writing this as you would read it in a newspaper.

Add a photo (with captions). You’re not always going to have a photo, but try to have at least one. Maybe a shot of your storefront is all that’s needed. Identify it with a caption and provide the photo credit (even if it is you. Attribute it to the name of your business - e.g. Photo courtesy of Drive Brand Studio).