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Guide · PR terminology

Press release vs. news release: is there really a difference?

By the S99 PR editorial team · Updated August 2026 · 5 min read

In short

For most PR professionals today, press release and news release mean the same thing. Where people do draw a line, a press release is the formal version written for journalists, and a news release is a broader version written for the public across many channels. Either way, the label is not what earns coverage or gets you cited. The substance is.

Key takeaways

  • Press release and news release are used interchangeably by most practitioners.
  • Where a difference exists, it is about audience and formality, not substance.
  • Wire services treat both terms identically.
  • What earns coverage: real news value, named sources, and clean structure.

In this guide

Side by side

Two names for nearly the same thing.

Press releaseNews release
Primary audienceJournalists and media outletsThe broader public, plus journalists
ToneFormal and structuredMore flexible and creative
DistributionWire, journalist outreach, databasesAll of those, plus social and owned channels
MultimediaUsually text-firstOften image, video, and interactive
Typical useFunding, executive moves, earnings, M&AProduct launches, events, partnerships
TimingPlanned, often embargoedReal-time capable

Definition

What a press release is

A press release is a formal written announcement distributed to journalists and media outlets. It follows conventions built up over decades: an inverted-pyramid structure with the most important facts first, a dateline, named sources with quotes, supporting context, a short company boilerplate, and contact details. The term comes from print media, and today it most often describes formal corporate news: funding rounds, executive changes, mergers, earnings, and major launches.

Definition

What a news release is

A news release is a written announcement built for a broader audience, often pushed across journalist outreach, social media, and owned channels at once. It uses the same core structure as a press release but allows more flexibility in tone and multimedia. The label emerged to emphasize reach beyond the newsroom, and it tends to describe consumer-facing news: product launches, events, partnerships, and real-time updates.
Related terms

Where a media advisory and a pitch fit.

DocumentWhat it is for
Press releaseA formal announcement of news, written for journalists.
News releaseA broader announcement, distributed across many channels at once.
Media advisoryA short invitation to an event, briefing, or interview. Not the full story.
Pitch emailA one-to-one note to a specific journalist, proposing a story angle.
Media releaseAnother interchangeable term; in practice, the same as the two above.
Which to use when

Match the format to the announcement.

Use a press release when
  • You have a concrete announcement (funding, launch, hire, partnership)
  • You need it on the record quickly
  • You want broad, immediate, indexed distribution
Invest in a feature when
  • You want credibility that holds up to scrutiny
  • You want to rank and be cited over time
  • You are building authority in your field
  • You need coverage that AI tools and decision-makers trust
In practice, the same announcement is often called both, depending on where it lands. Pick based on audience and channel, not on the word itself.
The real point

The label is the least important part.

What actually earns coverage

Journalists reward the same things whatever you call the document: a genuine news hook, named and credible sources, verifiable specifics, and clean structure. An announcement without real news value rarely earns coverage, no matter how it is labeled or how widely it is blasted.

What AI rewards, too

This matters more now that AI answers pull from the web. A Princeton-led study (GEO, KDD 2024) found that content rich in citations, quotations, and verifiable statistics can gain up to 40% more visibility in AI-generated answers. Generative engines reward substance and credible sourcing, not the word at the top of the page.
Whatever you call it, the announcement that gets read, ranked, and cited is the one with real substance behind it.
Do it well

How to write one that lands.

What earns coverage
  • Lead with what is genuinely new
  • Use named sources with real authority
  • Put specific numbers and verifiable claims first
  • Write a concrete, specific headline
  • Keep the structure clean: headline, lead, context, boilerplate, contact
What gets it filtered
  • Promotional fluff like “game-changing” or “revolutionary”
  • Vague attribution like “a spokesperson said”
  • No real news hook behind the announcement
  • Mass, untargeted distribution to broad lists
  • Inflated or unverifiable claims
FAQ

Common questions.

For most PR professionals, none. The terms are used interchangeably. Where a distinction is drawn, a press release is the formal version aimed at journalists, and a news release is a broader, public-facing version distributed across more channels. The substance and structure are the same.
Neither, by virtue of its label. Coverage is driven by news value, targeting, and the quality of the announcement, not by whether you called it a press release or a news release.
Most programs distribute a single announcement across multiple channels and call it different things in different places. The real decision is channel selection and targeting, not the label.
A short invitation to an event or briefing, giving only the essentials: who, what, when, where, and how to attend. It prompts a journalist to show up, where the full story gets told.
No. Major wire services accept both terms and apply the same distribution, pricing, and syndication regardless of the label you use.
It raises the stakes on substance. Generative engines reward credible, well-sourced content, not labels. A Princeton-led study (GEO, KDD 2024) found that adding citations, quotations, and statistics can lift a source's visibility in AI answers by up to 40%. What you call the document does not matter; what is in it does.
From announcement to authority

Have news worth telling?

The label is the easy part. The angle, the substance, and the placement are where it counts. Book a call and we’ll help you turn your news into coverage that holds up.
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