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Editorial Standards · Tier-1 Acceptance

Writing
Guidelines.

These are the exact standards that major terminals — USA Today, AP News, Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, Benzinga and Pinion Newswire — use as their first filter. Match them and your story is publishable across our Tier-1 syndication network. Miss them and the release is rejected before a human ever reads it.

Headline & Lead

The headline is the most critical element. It must be strictly newsworthy and free of sales jargon, while the lead instantly answers the 5 Ws, avoiding common press release mistakes that kill coverage.

  • Headline: 70 characters max, with a news verb.
  • No exclamation marks (!) or ALL CAPS phrases.
  • Dateline required (e.g., NEW YORK, NY – Jan 1, 2026).

Journalistic Tone

A press release is a news announcement, not an advertisement. It must read like a professional newsroom wrote it — third-person, objective, and free of direct appeals to the reader.

  • No direct address: avoid "You", "We", "Our", "I".
  • Remove hype: "Groundbreaking", "Revolutionary".
  • Use quotes for subjective or executive claims.

Linking Policy

Hyperlinks are powerful for SEO and rankings, but the most heavily moderated part of any release. Strict limits apply to prevent spam penalties on Tier-1 nodes.

  • 3–5 links max (zero for Business Insider).
  • No shortened links (bit.ly, Rebrandly) or redirects.
  • Descriptive anchors, not "Click here" or stuffed keywords.

Length & Structure

News desks prioritize well-structured, substantive content built on the inverted pyramid. Aim for the depth a top-tier outlet expects without padding.

  • Sweet spot: 700–750 words (range 400–1,000).
  • Must include an "About the Company" boilerplate.
  • Close with an ending marker: ### or – 30 –

Media & Formatting

Visual assets increase engagement by over 200%, but they must pass the same editorial filters as the text. No promotional graphics, no calls-to-action.

  • Max 3 images, JPG/PNG, with descriptive alt-text.
  • No phone numbers, URLs, QR codes or "Buy Now" buttons.
  • UTF-8 encoding; .docx, .html or .txt files.

Prohibited Content

We maintain strict editorial filters. Submissions touching any of the following are automatically rejected by our compliance engine without refund.

  • Adult content, defamation, or get-rich-quick / MLM schemes.
  • AI trading bots, unregulated crypto/NFT, gambling or betting.
  • Pending litigation, unverified medical or political advocacy.
01 — Fundamentals

Editorial Standards.

This is the baseline for what makes a story "publishable." Major terminals use it as the first filter to weed out low-quality or promotional content — so the difference between a press release and a blog post matters before a single word of yours is read.

1.1 What Counts as a Press Release

An official statement issued to the media to announce something newsworthy. It needs a clear hook — a product launch, a merger, an award, or a significant financial milestone. Editors immediately reject anything that reads like "content marketing" rather than news.

Advertorial · Prohibited

"Our shoes are the most comfortable in the world!"

Press Release · Required

"Acme Corp Announces New Sustainable Footwear Line for 2026."

The "Blog Post" trap: open letters, general-interest articles and opinion pieces are rejected. If there is no clear issuer and no specific event, it is not a press release.

1.2 The "Newsroom" Standard

The writing must mirror a professional journalist. Use third person — He, She, They, or The Company — and never I, We, Us or You, except inside a directly attributed quote. Report objectively; stick to the facts.

Hype

"We are thrilled to offer this amazing, life-changing opportunity."

Objective

"Acme Corp launched its new platform on Friday, aiming to reduce energy costs by 20%."

Anti-hype policy: no excessive punctuation (no "!!!" / "???"), no ALL CAPS except ticker symbols like $AAPL, and no salesy phrases — "Don't miss out", "Make money fast", "Limited time offer", "Free".

1.3 The Hard "No's" (All Platforms)

Defamation & intent to harm — revenge content, reputational attacks, or stock manipulation.
Sexually explicit content — adult products, profanity, or links to explicit material.
Get-rich-quick schemes — MLM, pyramid, or "network marketing" promises.
Personal opinions — religious, political, or personal advocacy over factual company news.
Keyword spamming — headlines or body stuffed with repetitive SEO keywords.
Unverified claims — anything you cannot document on request.
02 — Industry Restrictions

The Blacklist.

The "No-Go" zones. Even a perfectly formatted release will trigger automatic rejection — or require heavy documentation — if it touches these sensitive topics. Business Insider, Benzinga, MarketWatch and USA Today are the strictest.

2.1 Financial & AI Trading

  • AI trading bots, automated signals and "black box" algorithms are banned on BI, Benzinga and Barchart.
  • No specific performance claims ("guaranteed 10% monthly growth").
  • No piggybacking on another company's name or ticker ($AAPL, $TSLA) for views.

2.2 Health & Medical

  • No "cure", "prevent" or "treat" claims for serious conditions without peer-reviewed evidence.
  • Test kits and devices must state FDA or relevant regulatory clearance.
  • Supplements cannot make drug-like diagnose/cure claims.

2.3 Crypto & Digital Assets

  • No NFTs, "Play-to-Earn" gaming, or "Metaverse Real Estate" sales.
  • No "pumping" a specific coin or token price.
  • Allowed: technology or corporate-partnership news. See our crypto PR guide.

2.4 Legal, Litigation & Politics

  • Active/pending lawsuits require written confirmation from legal counsel and a valid case number.
  • No false association with a government agency (SEC, FTC).
  • No extreme political lobbying, religious attacks, or advocacy for violence.

2.5 Betting & Gambling

  • Strictly prohibited on USA Today — sportsbooks, odds and "luck-based" gains are a permanent rejection.
  • No online casinos, slots, poker rooms, or affiliate "top 10 betting site" lists.
  • Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) is flagged under the same filter.

Rare Exceptions

Only the legal/business side of a restricted industry may be considered — e.g. a casino group announcing a new hotel build or a merger. Even then, USA Today frequently filters it out for compliance. When in doubt, submit it for manual review before purchasing.

03 — Structural Framework

The Architecture.

High-tier editors run automated filters to check for these structural markers. If the skeleton of the release is wrong, it is rejected before a human reads it. Build on the inverted pyramid — the most important information first.

3.2 Word-Count Tiers

Standard

USA Today / Pinion

400–600

Extended

Business Insider / Yahoo / AP

700–1,000

The Strategy

Depth + concision

700–750

700–750 words satisfies the depth requirement for Business Insider while staying concise enough for USA Today.


3.1 File Standards

  • Descriptive, versioned filenames (Acme_Launch_March2026_Final.docx) — not PR_v1.docx.
  • Accepted formats: .docx, .html or .txt.
  • UTF-8 encoding so currency symbols and ® trademarks render globally.

3.3 The Inverted Pyramid

Headline · The Hook Max 70 chars

Must include the issuer's name and a news verb.

"Acme Corp Launches AI-Powered Security Suite to Protect Remote Workers"

"The Best Security Software is Finally Here!"

Sub-headline · The Detail Max 120 chars

Expands on the headline without repeating it.

Dateline · The Anchor Required

Format: CITY, State – Month Day, Year –  e.g. NEW YORK, NY – May 8, 2026 –

Lead Paragraph · The 5 Ws First 2 sentences

Answer Who, What, When, Where and Why immediately.

Body Paragraphs 2–4 sentences

Include one strong executive quote plus supporting data or context.


3.4 Boilerplate & Closing

  • About Us: a factual paragraph — founding year, HQ, core mission — under 100 words, no salesy language.
  • Ending marker: center one of ### or – 30 – to signal the end of the news for wire editors.
04 — Multimedia & SEO

Searchable Assets.

A modern press release is more than text — it is a searchable asset. But major outlets enforce strict technical barriers to prevent SEO manipulation and link farming. Images lift engagement over 200%, provided they follow the rules.

4.1 Images

  • Max 3 images, PNG or JPG.
  • 300 DPI (print) or min 72 DPI (web).
  • Descriptive alt-text on every image.
  • No phone numbers, URLs, "Buy Now" buttons or QR codes.

4.2 Video & Rich Media

  • Host on YouTube or Vimeo.
  • Aim for 30–90 seconds.
  • Captions required.
  • No illegal material, profanity or unauthorized music.

4.3 Hyperlinks

  • 3–5 embedded links per document.
  • Descriptive anchor text, not "Click here".
  • No bit.ly / Rebrandly redirects or hidden links.
  • No 404s or GDPR/PII-violating tracking pixels.

4.4 SEO Best Practice

  • Primary keyword in the first 65 characters of the headline.
  • Repeat it naturally in the first paragraph.
  • 150-character meta description summary.
  • No keyword stuffing — if it doesn't read naturally, it's flagged as spam.
05 — Accountability & Compliance

The Paper Trail.

This is where most releases fail final review. MarketWatch, Yahoo Finance and Benzinga demand absolute transparency about who is sending the news and the legal risk attached to it.

5.1 Media Contact Block

Every release must close with a clear "Media Contact" block. Missing, incomplete, or "fake-looking" details (a Gmail address for a Fortune 500 company) trigger rejection for Lack of Credible Contact Information.

Contact PersonFirst & Last name
Official Titlee.g. Comms Director
Company NameFull legal name
Emailpress@company.com
PhoneDirect line + country code
WebsiteOfficial company URL

5.3 Attribution & Sources

  • The Issuer Rule: the headline must attribute the news to the entity taking responsibility for it.
  • Third-party brands: claiming a partnership ("Acme partners with Microsoft") requires proof of authorization or a secondary contact.

"Pinion Newswire Announces New Global Standards…"

"New Global Standards Are Now Available…" (missing issuer)

5.4 AI / Automated Finance

No "automated wealth", "trading bots" or "algorithmic signals" in the boilerplate or contact block. If the company is an AI firm, the disclaimer must state the tool is not a financial advisor.

5.2 Safe Harbor

Any release involving stock updates, mergers, acquisitions or projections legally requires a "Forward-Looking Statements" disclaimer to protect the publisher and distributor. Drop this template at the foot of the release.

Investment Disclaimer

"This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those projected. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Any investment made is at the user's own risk."

06 — Final Review

Pre-Flight Checklist.

Your QA protocol. Run every draft through this audit before submitting. A single "No" means the release needs a rewrite before it reaches an editor at USA Today, MarketWatch or AP News.

6.1 Quality Audit

  • Issuer (company) clearly named in the headline.
  • First paragraph answers Who, What, When, Where, Why.
  • Fewer than 5 links — and zero for Business Insider.
  • Media contact has a real name and professional-domain email.
  • All "I / We / Us" removed or moved into quotes.
  • Images (max 3) have alt-text, no phone numbers or buttons.
  • Financial news includes the Forward-Looking Statement.

6.2 Common Red Flags

  • Poor newsworthiness ("Our product is on sale for $10").
  • Keyword spamming ("Best AI Bot, Top AI Bot, Free AI Bot").
  • Piggybacking on a celebrity or Fortune 500 name for traffic.
  • AI-trading content sent to Benzinga, BI or Barchart.
  • Implying "Partnered with the Government" or "SEC Approved".

6.3 Newsroom Layout

Your finished document should look exactly like this:

For Immediate Release

Acme Corp Launches AI-Powered Security Suite to Protect Remote Workers

New platform aims to cut breach response times by 40% for distributed teams.

NEW YORK, NY – May 8, 2026 – Acme Corp today announced the launch of… (lead answers the 5 Ws)

… body paragraphs with one executive quote and supporting data …

About Acme Corp

Factual boilerplate — founding year, HQ, mission. Under 100 words.

Media Contact

Name · Title · Company · press@company.com · Phone · Website

###

Automate with
AI.

Not a writer? No problem. We have reverse-engineered the perfect ChatGPT & Claude prompt that bakes every rule on this page into a single ready-to-publish draft.

Just fill in the brackets [ ] and copy-paste this prompt into your favorite AI.

prompt.txt
Act as an elite Public Relations Executive and Journalistic Editor who works for top-tier news networks like Associated Press and Reuters. Your task is to write a highly professional, ready-to-publish press release based on the following specific information:

=== CONTEXT ===
- Subject/News To Announce: [INSERT YOUR SPECIFIC NEWS, LAUNCH, OR EVENT HERE]
- Company Name: [INSERT FULL COMPANY NAME]
- Location: [INSERT CITY, COUNTRY]
- Spokesperson Name & Title: [INSERT NAME AND TITLE FOR QUOTES]
- Media Contact Info: [INSERT EMAIL, PHONE, AND WEBSITE]
=============

=== STEP 1: NEWSWORTHINESS CHECK (reject the brief if it fails) ===
   - The release must announce a SPECIFIC, newsworthy event with a clear hook: a product launch, corporate merger, funding round, award, executive appointment or significant milestone.
   - It must read as NEWS, not as an advertorial selling a product's benefits, an open letter, a general-interest article or an opinion piece.
   - The Issuer (the company or person responsible) must be clearly identifiable as the source of the news.

=== STEP 2: STRICT EDITORIAL STANDARDS (TIER-1 NEWS ACCEPTANCE) ===
1. TONE & PERSPECTIVE:
   - Write in a strictly objective, third-person perspective. NEVER use first-person ("I", "We", "Our", "Us") or second-person ("You", "Your") pronouns anywhere outside of direct quotes.
   - Maintain a neutral journalistic voice. This is a news announcement, not an advertisement.
   - Eliminate all promotional jargon, hype words and unsubstantiated claims (e.g., "groundbreaking", "revolutionary", "best-in-class", "disrupting", "world-class").
   - Anti-hype rules: no excessive punctuation (no "!!!" or "???"), no ALL CAPS except ticker symbols (e.g., $AAPL), and no salesy phrases ("Don't miss out", "Make money fast", "Limited time offer", "Free").
   - Remove all calls-to-action ("Buy now", "Sign up today", "Click here") from the news body. Let the news speak for itself.

2. STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS (in this exact order):
   - RELEASE TAG: Begin the document with "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" on the very first line.
   - HEADLINE: A factual headline UNDER 70 CHARACTERS that includes the company name (the Issuer) and a news verb. Place the primary keyword within the first 65 characters. Do not capitalize every letter or use exclamation marks (!).
   - SUB-HEADLINE: One supporting line under 120 characters that expands on the headline without repeating it.
   - DATELINE: Start the first body paragraph strictly formatted as: CITY, STATE/COUNTRY – Month Day, Year –
   - LEAD PARAGRAPH: Answer the core journalistic elements (Who, What, When, Where, Why) within the very first 2 sentences.
   - BODY PARAGRAPHS: Develop the message across 3-4 concise paragraphs (2-4 sentences each). Provide background context, factual achievements, statistical data (if any) and market relevance.
   - EXECUTIVE QUOTATION: Exactly one (1) credible quote from the designated Spokesperson conveying human insight or future vision, never sales jargon.
   - LINKS: Organically insert the exact phrases "[INSERT BACKLINK 1 HERE]" and "[INSERT BACKLINK 2 HERE]" where contextually relevant (3-5 links maximum). Use descriptive anchor text, never "click here". No shortened links or redirects (bit.ly, Rebrandly), no broken/404 links, and no tracking pixels.
   - BOILERPLATE: An "About [Company Name]" section under 100 words covering founding year, headquarters and core mission. No salesy language.
   - MEDIA CONTACT: Under the boilerplate, a "Media Contact" block listing contact person, official title, full company name, professional-domain email, phone (with country code) and website.
   - ENDING MARKER: Close the release by centering "###" (or "– 30 –") on its own line.

3. SEO & OPTIMIZATION:
   - Place the primary keyword in the first 65 characters of the headline AND naturally within the first paragraph.
   - Write for humans first; avoid keyword stuffing. If the text does not read naturally, it will be flagged as spam.
   - After the release, provide a separate 150-character meta description summarizing the story.

4. COMPLIANCE & PROHIBITED CONTENT (auto-reject if violated):
   - No defamation, revenge content, or claims intended to harm a person's reputation or manipulate a company's stock price.
   - No sexually explicit content, adult products or profane language.
   - No personal opinion, religious or political advocacy (or any advocacy of violence) — keep strictly to factual company news.
   - No AI trading bots, automated signals, "algorithmic" or "black box" wealth claims, and no guaranteed performance figures (e.g., "10% monthly returns").
   - No piggybacking: do not reference an unrelated company's name or ticker ($AAPL, $TSLA) to gain visibility.
   - No medical "cure/treat/prevent" claims; medical devices or test kits must state FDA (or relevant regulatory) clearance.
   - No crypto/NFT/P2E/metaverse price "pumping", and no gambling, betting, casino or get-rich-quick (MLM) content.
   - No claims about active or pending litigation (these require legal counsel confirmation and a court case number).
   - No false association with a government agency (SEC, FTC), and no unauthorized third-party partnership claims (e.g., "partners with Microsoft") unless authorization is provided.
   - If the company is an AI firm, explicitly state that the tool is not a financial advisor.
   - FINANCIAL DISCLAIMER: If the news involves stock, funding, mergers or projections, append a "Forward-Looking Statements" disclaimer noting results are not guaranteed and this is not financial advice.

5. LENGTH & OUTPUT:
   - Target word count: strictly between 700 and 750 words to satisfy both USA Today and Business Insider depth requirements.
   - Space paragraphs for easy online reading. Use bolding sparingly, for section headers only (e.g., **About [Company Name]**).

Output the final Press Release first (starting with "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE"), followed by the 150-character meta description, with no conversational preamble.