Associated Press Press Release: How to Get Your News on AP News
Quick Answer
An Associated Press press release on apnews.com is paid content published through one of AP's press release partners, and the page labels it as content the AP news staff was not involved in creating. It is not AP journalism, and buying one does not put a reporter on your story. Earned AP coverage is a separate, free route: you pitch the newsroom and AP's journalists decide. A partner placement gives you a credible, citable page on AP News, not search rankings or backlinks.
What an Associated Press Press Release Really Means
People who search for an Associated Press press release usually mean one of three things, and mixing them up is how companies buy something they thought was coverage.
- A release in the AP News press release section. Your own text on apnews.com, in a section fed by distribution partners and labeled as paid content. You can buy this.
- AP journalism. Stories reported and written by AP's own news staff, the content most people picture when they hear "the AP wire." Nobody can buy this.
- An AP-style press release. Any release written to the conventions of the AP Stylebook. This is a writing standard, not a placement.
The rule to keep in mind throughout: a page on apnews.com is not the same thing as coverage by the Associated Press.
How the AP News Press Release Section Works
AP News runs a dedicated press release index at apnews.com/press-releases. Each distribution partner has its own hub under apnews.com/hub/press-releases/, and individual releases live at addresses that begin with apnews.com/press-release/ followed by the partner's name. That separate URL path is the first sign you are not looking at an AP news story.
The "Paid Content" label
The release pages we checked in September 2026 carry this disclosure, with the partner's name filled in:
PRESS RELEASE: Paid Content from [partner]. The AP news staff was not involved in its creation.
Partner hub pages use similar wording, for example: "Press release content from PR Newswire. The AP news staff was not involved in its creation." AP is telling readers plainly that the text came through a paid channel and that its journalists did not write it. That is exactly why a release there should never be described as AP coverage or an AP endorsement.
Noindex and nofollow on release pages
When we checked two release pages and a partner hub on September 14, 2026, each carried a robots meta tag set to noindex,nofollow. The main press release index did not. That asks search engines not to list the release page in results and not to follow the links inside it.
So a release on AP News is not a ranking or link-building asset. Its value is credibility: a findable, citable page on apnews.com you can point investors, partners and journalists to, plus whatever distribution the partner provides elsewhere. Our explainer on dofollow and nofollow press release links covers how link treatment works across news sites.
Who Can Publish an Associated Press Press Release? AP's Partners
Releases reach the section through distribution partners. When the index was checked in September 2026, it linked to these partners:
- ACCESS Newswire
- Bitwire
- Business Wire
- EIN Presswire | Newsmatics
- EZ Newswire
- GetNews
- GlobeNewswire
- KISS PR
- Korewire
- MarketersMedia
- Media OutReach
- NewMediaWire
- news aktuell
- Newsfile
- PR Newswire
- PR.com
- PRNEWS.IO
- Prodigy News
- Redpress.net
- Send2Press
- Wieck
The list changes over time. PRNEWS.IO, for example, said in a June 2026 announcement distributed through PRUnderground that it had become an official provider of press releases on the AP News website. Check the live index before you buy, and ask any seller which hub your release will appear under.
Services that sell placements in this section include the partners above and RedPress, which arranges its placements through one of AP's press release partners. The details are on the AP News press release placement page for anyone comparing options.
How to Get on AP News: The Routes Compared
Four routes exist, and they differ in who writes the words, how readers see them and what they cost.
| Route | What it is | How it is labeled | Cost | Time | Who controls the text |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earned AP coverage | An AP journalist decides to report a story that involves your company | A regular AP news story, with no paid label | Free, and not for sale anywhere | Unpredictable; it may never happen | AP's journalists and editors |
| Press release section | Your release published under a partner's hub on apnews.com | "PRESS RELEASE: Paid Content from [partner]. The AP news staff was not involved in its creation." | Set by each seller (see the cost section below) | The seller's stated delivery window | You, within the seller's editorial rules |
| AP's own paid content | Advertising and paid content solutions sold by AP itself | Disclosure set by AP; confirm it in writing before you sign | By inquiry through AP | Ask AP | Depends on your agreement with AP |
| Contributor or guest program | We found no public AP program for brand contributors or guest authors | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
The press release section and AP's own paid content are different products. AP's contact form lists "Advertise or leverage AP's paid content solutions" as a separate option from "Submit a press release to our newsroom." According to Business Wire's partner page, AP Content Services, AP's paid content arm, is also offered through Business Wire.
Can You Submit a Press Release to the Associated Press for Free?
Yes, but submitting is not publishing. AP's contact page at ap.org includes an option labeled "Submit a press release to our newsroom." That sends your release to AP's journalists as a pitch, not a request to publish it, and they may follow up, file it away or never reply.
What makes a pitch worth a journalist's time
- News beyond your company. An announcement that affects a community, an industry, jobs or public safety has a chance. A feature update usually does not.
- Something new and verifiable. Original data, a regulatory filing or an event with a firm date and place.
- A local or regional angle. A development that matters in a specific state or city gives a reporter a concrete reason to care.
- A person who can talk today. A named spokesperson with a direct phone number, not a generic inbox.
Our guide to sending a press release to journalists covers subject lines, timing and follow-ups in more depth.
News tips and AP Daybooks
AP runs a separate news tips page for confidential information, with secure options that include SecureDrop, Signal and postal mail. That channel is for sensitive tips, not product launches or funding announcements.
AP also describes its Daybooks, on a page last updated in early 2024, as state-by-state listings of upcoming major events with contact information for each event or organization, sold to newsrooms. If you are organizing an event with real news value, ask AP through its contact page how events are considered; we could not verify a public submission process.
What a Release on AP News Is and Isn't
Use this table to set expectations before anyone spends money.
| A release on AP News is | A release on AP News is not |
|---|---|
| A page on apnews.com under a distribution partner's press release hub | An AP news story or AP reporting |
| Labeled "Paid Content," with a note that the AP news staff was not involved in its creation | An endorsement of your company by the Associated Press |
| Your own text, in the version you approved | A guarantee that AP reporters or member newspapers will pick up your news |
| A credible, citable link for your newsroom page, investor updates and sales materials | A search ranking or backlink asset (release pages were noindex,nofollow when checked in September 2026) |
| Often one piece of a wider distribution the partner provides elsewhere | A substitute for pitching AP's newsroom if coverage is what you want |
In your own materials, say something like "published in the press release section of AP News." Phrases such as "covered by AP" blur a line that AP draws clearly on the page itself.
How Much Does an Associated Press Press Release Cost?
Earned coverage and a newsroom pitch cost nothing but time. A placement in the press release section is priced by whoever sells it, and prices vary by seller and package.
- Reported seller pricing: one seller's public packages page listed an AP News release at $125, subject to approval, in August 2026. The same page promised a "do-follow backlink," which does not match the noindex,nofollow tags on AP release pages.
- RedPress: an AP News placement is listed at $140 as of September 2026, with a 5-day delivery window. Every order goes through editorial review, the subject matter, labeling and link treatment are confirmed with you before you pay, and you approve the final text. The full scope is on the AP News placement options page for a line-by-line comparison.
- AP's own paid content: priced by inquiry through AP's contact form.
If you want wider reach than a single outlet, distribution plans are priced per campaign with no membership fee and start at $169, as shown on the distribution plans and pricing page for each tier. For a sense of range among single-outlet placements, a Reuters press release placement is listed at $1,400 as of September 2026.
Red Flags When Buying an AP News Press Release
Some sales pages describe this product in ways that do not match what appears on apnews.com. Get answers in writing if you see any of these.
- A "do-follow backlink from AP." AP release pages carried noindex,nofollow tags when checked in September 2026, so that promise does not match the page code.
- "Your release goes out on the AP wire." A placement in this section is a labeled page on apnews.com. Ask whether any claim about reaching other outlets refers to AP or to the seller's own network.
- Guaranteed pickup by AP reporters or member newspapers. Nobody can promise that. AP's journalists decide what AP reports.
- "Featured by AP" or "AP-endorsed" wording. The label on the page says the opposite, and a seller who implies your release will look like AP reporting is misdescribing the product.
- No live sample link. A seller should be able to show you a real release under a partner hub with the label visible.
- Ranking or traffic promises. With noindex on release pages, rankings from the AP page itself do not add up. Our look at whether press releases help SEO explains where search value really comes from.
Associated Press Press Release Template: An AP-Style Skeleton
Whichever route you choose, write the release the way news is written: the most important fact first, short paragraphs, attributed quotes and no marketing adjectives. The same text can go to AP's newsroom as a pitch and into a paid placement. Our guide to writing an AP style press release explains each convention; here is a skeleton for a fictional company.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tallowmere Robotics Opens [CITY] Assembly Plant, Adding [NUMBER] Jobs
[SUBHEADLINE: one sentence with the strongest supporting fact, no adjectives]
[CITY], [STATE] — [DATE IN AP STYLE] — Tallowmere Robotics, a [HEADQUARTERS CITY]-based maker of [PRODUCT CATEGORY], opened a [SIZE]-square-foot assembly plant in [CITY] that will employ [NUMBER] people by [TIME FRAME].
[WHY IT MATTERS: who is affected, the local or industry context and one verifiable figure with its source]
"[ONE OR TWO SENTENCES OF REAL OPINION OR INTENT, NOT A SLOGAN]," said Dana Whitlock, chief executive officer of Tallowmere Robotics.
[SUPPORTING DETAILS: investment amount, partners and what happens next]
[AVAILABILITY OR EVENT DETAILS: date, time, address and how media can request interviews]
About Tallowmere Robotics
[BOILERPLATE: founding year, headquarters, what the company makes and its website]
Media contact: [NAME], [TITLE], [EMAIL], [PHONE]
###
AP style checks before you send it
- Dates: write them the AP way, such as Sept. 14, 2026, with March through July spelled out in full.
- Attribution: use "said," and lowercase a title that follows a name, as in "Dana Whitlock, chief executive officer."
- Numbers: every figure has a source you could hand to a reporter.
How to Publish a Press Release on AP News, Step by Step
- Decide what you need. Pitch the newsroom if you want AP to report your news; buy a placement if you want a labeled, citable page on apnews.com. You can do both.
- Check the live partner index. Confirm which partner hub your release will sit under, and ask the seller for a live sample URL with the label visible.
- Clear the editorial rules and approve the text. Sellers apply their own topic rules, and the words under the Paid Content label are yours, so check names, figures and quotes.
- Verify the placement. Open the live URL and confirm the apnews.com/press-release/ path, the partner name and the disclosure. A sample placement report shows the kind of link-by-link detail to expect from a seller.
- Describe it accurately. Share it as a release published on AP News, never as AP coverage.
FAQ — Associated Press Press Releases
Is a press release on AP News the same as being covered by the Associated Press? No. A release in the press release section is labeled as paid content that the AP news staff was not involved in creating. Coverage is a story AP's own journalists decide to report, and it cannot be bought.
Can I submit a press release to the Associated Press for free? Yes. AP's contact page has a "Submit a press release to our newsroom" option. It is a pitch to journalists, not a request to publish, and there is no guarantee of a reply or a story.
How much does an AP News press release cost? It depends on the seller. In reported pricing, one seller's packages page listed $125 per release in August 2026, and RedPress lists its AP News placement at $140 as of September 2026.
Do AP News press releases give you a do-follow backlink? Not from the release page. Release pages and partner hubs carried noindex,nofollow robots tags when checked in September 2026, so the value is credibility and citation rather than SEO.
Will AP reporters or member newspapers pick up my release? No one can promise that. The paid section is separate from AP's journalism, so if you want coverage, pitch the newsroom with genuine news.
Which services publish press releases on AP News? AP's index links to partners such as ACCESS Newswire, Business Wire, GlobeNewswire, PR Newswire and Newsfile, among others listed above. Other services sell placements arranged through those partners.
Can I write for the Associated Press? We found no public AP program for brand contributors or guest authors. Writing for AP means being hired or commissioned by AP, which is a career question rather than a publicity route.
How do I get an event into an AP Daybook? We could not verify a public submission process. Ask AP through its contact page, and make sure the event has genuine news value first.
Can I say my company was featured on AP News after a paid placement? Describe it accurately, for example "published in the press release section of AP News." Wording that suggests AP reported on or endorsed your company contradicts the label on the page.
Summary
An Associated Press press release and AP coverage share a domain, not a process.
Key takeaways:
- Releases in the AP News press release section come through distribution partners and are labeled as paid content the AP news staff was not involved in creating.
- Earned AP coverage is free and cannot be bought; the newsroom submission option on AP's contact page is a pitch, not publication.
- Release pages and partner hubs were noindex,nofollow in September 2026, so the value is credibility and citation, not SEO.
- Treat "do-follow backlink from AP," "on the AP wire" and guaranteed pickup as red flags.
- Write in AP style either way, because the same release can serve as a newsroom pitch and a paid placement.
Bottom line: Buy an AP News placement for what it is, a labeled and citable page on apnews.com, and pitch AP's journalists separately if you want them to report your news.
Ready to publish your release on AP News? See AP News placement options →