The Press Release is Not Dead Anymore — It is Very Much Alive
Author: Becca Cooper Leebove, CEO & Chief Brand Strategsit, ShuBu Creative
Key Takeaways
Press releases are still effective in 2026 — the format evolved rather than disappeared, and strategic announcements continue to earn media coverage for healthcare, dental, wellness, and culinary brands.
Press release SEO matters more than ever — indexed, dated announcements strengthen branded search results and give AI-assisted search tools accurate, sourced information about your business.
Targeted media outreach beats mass distribution — personalized pitching to relevant journalists produces meaningful coverage, while wire-service blasts rarely do.
Newsworthiness determines results — expansions, leadership hires, awards, new services, research, and community initiatives earn attention; routine updates do not.
One press release fuels your entire marketing strategy — a single announcement can be repurposed across social media, email newsletters, website news pages, LinkedIn, recruiting materials, and award submissions.
Press releases work best inside a broader PR strategy — combined with media relations, thought leadership, and consistent brand messaging, they build long-term credibility and visibility.
Every few years, someone declares the press release officially dead.
The argument usually sounds the same: journalists ignore them, inboxes are overloaded, and social media lets brands publish news directly.
So why bother?
Here's the reality we see every day at ShuBu Creative:
The press release isn't dead. The bad press release is dead.
There's a significant difference.
The format never disappeared—it evolved. What died was the lazy, keyword-stuffed announcement blasted to thousands of uninterested inboxes.
Press releases still serve as the official record of your news, feeding journalists, search engines, AI tools, investors, referral partners, and prospective clients with accurate, sourced information.
When written well and paired with real media relations, a press release becomes a long-term content asset that supports coverage, SEO, credibility, and your entire marketing ecosystem.
Why People Think the Press Release Died
The reputation problem is understandable.
For years, businesses treated press releases as a volume game—write something vague, stuff it with keywords, distribute it to thousands of outlets, and hope for the best.
That approach failed because it deserved to fail.
Common reasons press releases lost credibility:
Announcements with no actual news value
Corporate language nobody wants to read
Mass distribution with zero personalization
No relationship with the journalists receiving them
Quotes that say nothing meaningful
No follow-up strategy
Measuring success by "pickups" instead of real coverage
The tool wasn't the problem.
The execution was.
What a Press Release Actually Does Today
A modern press release isn't just a pitch. It's infrastructure.
It creates a clear, factual, quotable record of your news that everyone else can build from.
A well-written release supports:
Journalists who need accurate details fast
Editors verifying names, titles, dates, and spellings
Search engines indexing your announcement
AI tools pulling information about your brand
Referral partners sharing your news
Investors and stakeholders tracking progress
Recruiters and prospective employees researching your company
Your own team, which needs consistent language
When your news exists in one authoritative place, everyone repeats it correctly.
When it doesn't, people improvise.
Journalists Still Want Press Releases—They Just Want Better Ones
Reporters are covering more beats with fewer resources than ever before.
They don't have time to decode a vague announcement or chase down basic facts.
What they consistently value:
A subject line that tells them exactly what happened
News that's genuinely relevant to their beat
Clear facts in the first two sentences
Quotes with actual substance
Local or industry context
Available expert sources
High-resolution photos and assets
A real person to contact who responds quickly
A press release respects a journalist's time.
That's why the format has survived every prediction of its demise.
Press Releases Build Search and AI Visibility
This is the part most businesses overlook.
When someone searches your practice, your brand, or your name, the results shape their first impression before they ever contact you.
Press releases contribute to that footprint by:
Creating indexed, dated content tied to your brand
Reinforcing your name alongside your expertise and location
Supporting third-party mentions and backlinks
Providing structured, factual information that AI tools can reference
Strengthening your Google Business Profile activity
Filling out your website's news or media page
As more people research through AI-assisted search, having accurate, well-sourced information published about your organization matters more than it did five years ago—not less.
What Actually Makes News Worth Announcing
Not every update deserves a press release. That honesty matters.
Announcements that genuinely earn attention include:
New locations, expansions, or renovations
Leadership hires and promotions
Awards and industry recognition
New services, technology, or treatment offerings
Research, data, or survey findings
Community initiatives and charitable work
Partnerships and acquisitions
Milestone anniversaries
Events open to the public
Responses to relevant industry developments
If your news connects to something people already care about, it has a place in the conversation.
A Press Release Is a Content Asset, Not a One-Time Announcement
The biggest mistake is treating a release as disposable.
One well-written announcement can be repurposed across:
Social media posts and graphics
Email newsletters
Your website's news page
LinkedIn thought leadership
Recruitment materials
Sales and new business presentations
Speaking bios and media kits
Patient and client communications
Award submissions
One announcement. Months of usable material.
That's efficiency, not obsolescence.
The Format Evolved—It Didn't Expire
Today's press release looks different than it did fifteen years ago.
Modern releases are:
Shorter and more direct
Written in language people actually use
Built around a specific, targeted media list
Paired with personalized pitches, not mass blasts
Supported by photos, video, and data
Followed up by someone who knows the reporter
Measured by meaningful coverage, not distribution counts
The tool adapted to how media works now.
That's not death. That's evolution.
Where Press Releases Fall Short
Strategic PR means knowing the limits.
A press release alone won't:
Guarantee coverage
Replace genuine media relationships
Make non-news newsworthy
Substitute for a broader communications strategy
Fix a reputation problem
It's one instrument in a larger orchestra. Used alone, it's quiet. Used within a coordinated strategy, it amplifies everything else.
How ShuBu Creative Group Approaches Press Releases
At ShuBu Creative Group, we write press releases that journalists actually open—and we pair them with the relationships and follow-through that turn announcements into coverage.
Our approach includes:
News evaluation and story angle development
Press release writing and editing
Targeted media list building
Personalized media pitching
Follow-up and relationship management
Interview preparation and coordination
Content repurposing across your marketing channels
Coverage tracking and reporting
Because a release without a strategy behind it is just a document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are press releases still effective in 2026?
Short answer: Yes, when they're strategic.
Explanation: Press releases remain an effective way to communicate legitimate news to journalists, search engines, and stakeholders. Effectiveness depends on news value, targeting, and follow-up rather than distribution volume.
Do journalists actually read press releases?
Short answer: Yes, but selectively.
Explanation: Reporters receive high volumes of pitches and prioritize releases that are relevant to their beat, clearly written, and sent by someone they recognize or trust. Personalization dramatically improves open and response rates.
What's the difference between a press release and a pitch?
Short answer: A release states the news. A pitch sells the story.
Explanation: The press release is the factual document containing your announcement. The pitch is the personalized message explaining why that news matters to a specific journalist and their audience.
Do press releases help with SEO?
Short answer: Indirectly, yes.
Explanation: Press releases create indexed content associated with your brand and can generate mentions and links from credible publications, which supports overall search visibility and how AI tools describe your organization.
How often should a business issue press releases?
Short answer: Only when there's real news.
Explanation: Quality matters more than frequency. Sending releases without genuine news value erodes credibility with journalists. Most organizations have meaningful announcements several times per year.
Should I use a paid distribution wire service?
Short answer: Sometimes, but not as your primary strategy.
Explanation: Wire services create a searchable record and can be useful for certain announcements, but they rarely generate meaningful coverage on their own. Targeted outreach to relevant journalists produces far stronger results.
Your News Deserves More Than a Social Post
The press release didn't die. It got demanding.
It now requires real news, clear writing, thoughtful targeting, and genuine relationships with the people who cover your industry. Businesses willing to do that work still see it produce coverage, credibility, and long-term visibility.
At ShuBu Creative, we help healthcare, dental, orthodontic, wellness, and culinary brands turn their announcements into earned media that builds lasting reputation.
Interested in ShuBu Creative Group's PR services?
We offer PR nationwide for our clients. Visit shubucreative.com/public-relations to learn more.
