78%
I spent 15 years on the other side of that inbox — at Postmedia, Torstar, Sun Media. I deleted most press releases in under three seconds. Not because the startups were bad. Because the press releases were built for a media landscape that does not exist anymore.
HOW THIS SERIES WORKS
This post explains exactly why press releases get deleted — and what journalists actually want. Part 2 has the section-by-section template. Part 3 covers distribution vs. direct pitching.
The Three-Second Rule
Here is what actually happens when your press release lands in a journalist inbox. They look at three things in roughly this order: the subject line, the sender name, and the first sentence. The whole decision takes about three seconds.
70%
of journalists spend less than one minute reading a press release
Empathy First Media, 2025
68%
of reporters prefer releases under 400 words
Empathy First Media, 2025
That 800-word document you spent three days writing? Nobody is reading past the fold.
The Announcement Problem
The biggest mistake I saw in newsrooms was not bad writing. It was founders announcing instead of pitching a story.
❌ NOT A STORY
“We are pleased to announce the launch of our new platform.”
✓ A STORY
“Calgary startup cuts restaurant food waste by 40% in pilot program.”
The difference is that one gives a journalist something to write about. The other gives them a reason to delete.
THE DATA
86% of journalists reject pitches that are not relevant to their beat or audience (Cision 2025 State of the Media, 3,000+ journalists, 19 markets). The press release itself is rarely the problem. The targeting is.
What Journalists Actually Want
The Cision 2025 State of the Media Report surveyed 3,000+ journalists across 19 markets. Here is what they said they want in press releases:
What journalists actually want — Cision 2025
Email explaining why you’re pitching them specifically
85%
Images included
70%
Exclusive story angles
57%
Original research or data
55%
Notice what is at the top? It is not a better headline template. It is relevance. Journalists want to know why you are emailing them specifically. That is the whole thing.
KEY STAT
72% of journalists still name press releases as the most useful PR resource — but only when they are tight, relevant, and built like a story pitch instead of a company announcement. (Cision, 2025)
The Shrinking Newsroom Makes This Worse
3,434 journalism jobs were cut in the UK and US in 2025 (Press Gazette, 2025), with 475+ already cut in Q1 2026 — including 300+ at the Washington Post alone. Fewer journalists means each one receives more pitches. Spray-and-pray does not work when there are fewer people catching.
3,434
journalism jobs cut in UK and US in 2025
Press Gazette, 2025
1 in 3
journalists now self-publish independently
Muck Rack, 2025
That newsletter writer with 15,000 subscribers covering your industry? They are a pitch target now.
The Bottom Line
Press releases are not dead. They are just badly written. The format works when you stop treating it like an announcement and start treating it like a story pitch.
- Lead with the news, not your feelings about the news
- Target relevance over volume — 86% of journalists delete off-beat pitches instantly
- Journalists are under more pressure than ever — make their job easier, not harder
Continue Reading: The Press Release Series
part 1
Why press releases get deleted and what journalists actually want (this post)
part 2
The Startup Press Release Template — The section-by-section template, built from journalist data
part 3
Press Release Distribution vs. Direct Pitching] — Distribution vs. direct pitching: what actually works
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