Reasons Press Releases Fail to Generate Coverage

Why most web3 press releases and relations fall flat (and how yours won’t) In my agency, we handle about 15-20 press releases per month for Web3 clients. But here's the kicker: around more than 50% of them miss the mark. They don't get the traction or attention they need. Why? Because they're not connecting with journalists in the right way with their press releases, even with our personal connections. So, I decided to dig deeper. Lst week, I spent some hours of quick chatting with some of the top crypto journalists from CoinTelegraph, BlockWorks, TheBlock... Just me, a coffee, and a whole lot of insight that’s pure gold for anyone in the Web3 space. Here’s what they had to say (and, you’ll want to hear this): 1. Data speaks. Gone are the days when saying “we’re changing the game” was enough to grab attention. Journalists now want hard, on-chain data. Think user growth, transaction volume, or measurable impact. As one editor said, “Show me the data or don’t even try". 👉 What to do: Use tools like Dune Analytics to find those eye-catching stats. Make them pop with simple visuals. 2. Keep it human. Blockchain is cool, but what really catches a journalist’s eye? Real people and real stories. How is your project making a difference? Who are the faces behind the numbers? 👉 What to do: Discover and develop those stories. Connect journalists with real users or partners who have something meaningful to share. 3. Timing is, still, everything. The crypto news cycle moves fast—miss it, and your story might never see the light of day. 👉 What to do: Stay on top of trends. Time your announcements to align with major industry events. 4. Build relationships, not just pitches. Journalists love genuine connections, not just a blitz of PR pitches. One journalist put it best: “I’m more likely to consider a pitch from someone I know". 👉 What to do: Engage with them long before you need their help. Comment on their articles, share your insights, and be sincerely helpful. 5. Know your audience. Not all media is the same. What’s a headline for a crypto site might be a minor mention in mainstream business news. 👉 What to do: Do your research. Know the journalists you’re reaching out to. Make sure your story fits their style. Bonus Tip: Journalists are so over the hype. During a “crypto winter,” skepticism is high. As one editor put it: “We want projects that can survive, not just thrive in a bull market”. So, here’s the takeaway: focus on quality, build strong relationships, and deliver real, newsworthy stories. Forget those generic press releases. Your turn: What’s your best strategy for getting media attention in the Web3 world? Share your thoughts below! 👇 PS: Don’t forget to tag your favorite creator or journalist. Let’s keep this conversation going.

6 reasons journalists ignore your press releases (and what to do instead) After 12 years in both journalism and PR, I've seen the same mistakes over and over. How many are you making? 1️⃣ Leading with "We're excited to announce..." Journalists care about their readers, not your excitement. Instead, lead with the impact your news will have on their specific audience. 2️⃣ No clear "So what?" factor "We launched a new feature" isn't news. "This new feature helps companies reduce carbon emissions by 40%" is. 3️⃣ Writing for your CEO, not for journalists Dense paragraphs filled with industry jargon and meaningless superlatives? Instant delete. Good press releases use simple language that explains complex ideas clearly. 4️⃣ Pitching the wrong journalists If they've never covered your industry, why would they start now? Research is everything. 5️⃣ Treating PR as an isolated tactic The most successful companies integrate PR with content strategy, social media and thought leadership. One press release won't change your business. A comprehensive communication strategy will. 6️⃣ No compelling story angle "We're growing" isn't a story. "We're growing because we've found a solution to [industry problem] that no one else has solved" might be. If you're struggling with PR results, the problem might not be the media. It might be your approach. P.S. What's your biggest PR frustration? Share it in the comments and I'll give you my honest take. 👇 #PublicRelations #Sustainability #MediaRelations

(A note to all my overwhelmed comms managers who are doing it all!!) If you’re in a comms role and suddenly expected to “do PR,” you're definitely not alone. Press isn’t just an extension of marketing, it’s a completely different discipline with its own rules, rhythms and relationships. Over the years, I’ve worked with lots of comms managers who were expected to “just send a press release” and instantly generate coverage. Often, they're given KPIs that simply don’t work in press, because media coverage doesn’t follow the same logic as campaign impressions or email open rates. Below are a few common mistakes I see (as a former journo), usually driven by pressure to deliver arbitrary amounts of coverage, that can actually backfire (and what to do instead.) ❌  𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 I know your internal stakeholders think it’s a big deal, but unless it’s a senior appointment, a substantial survey (2k+ sample) that has something new to say, or a genuinely new product/service, a press release is overkill. Focus on the story, not the format. 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 Sending a generic release to 200 journalists isn’t outreach, it’s a lot of unnecessary noise. Offer an exclusive where you can. Build fewer, stronger relationships. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗞𝗣𝗜 Press releases aren’t monthly deliverables. Only send one when there’s actual news. It’s better to pitch strategically than tick a box. Focus on outcomes, not output. ✅ 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵) I rarely pitch to more than 10 target titles. And each one gets a slightly different version - based on what that journalist actually covers. Spend the crafting your pitches, instead of pushing out hundreds of emails. 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 Open with: why this matters and why now. Then add three concise bullet points max. You’re aiming to save the journalist time, not take more of it. 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 - 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 If the story isn’t strong, even the best contact can’t place it. The story always comes first. Showing that you care about a journalist's time and respect their craft, also leads to better relationships in the long run anyway! 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 Polite persistence is fine. Pestering is not. If it’s a “no,” consider reworking the angle or holding it for a better moment. Or if they do respond with a no, ask them what they are working on and how you can actually help. This has led to me securing whole op-eds for my clients as a result! Personally, I prefer the little and often method. Pitch one smart idea a month - a comment, insight or news reaction. If it’s not picked up = save it, repurpose it as a newsletter or post, or pitch it later when there’s a relevant hook. Would love to know how other comms managers have managed to strike this balance!

Your press release habit might be burning bridges with journalists. I have seen companies issuing press releases week after week, and I can tell you exactly where it leads. *Journalists stop opening your emails.* Not because they dislike you, but because you’ve trained them to expect noise. And busy people filter out noise faster than you can produce it. This is media fatigue, and it’s one of the most common self-inflicted wounds in PR. Here’s what works instead: – Use your own channels for incremental news. Share appointments, minor updates, small wins on LinkedIn, your blog, your newsletter. They matter to your audience, but they’re not stories a journalist needs to write. – Save journalist outreach for developments that genuinely affect the market. A fundraise, a new market entry, a product that changes how something works deserve a thoughtful pitch, not a bulk email blast. – Choose the right format for the right story. Some announcements call for a press release, some are better as an exclusive pitch to one journalist, while some work best as a bylined article. The format should match the weight of the news, not default to the same template every time. When you send journalists only the things worth their time, something interesting happens. - They start reading your emails again. - They pick up the phone when you call. - They remember your name for the right reasons. That’s what strong media relations actually look like. #StrategyVerse #PublicRelations

As an editor who has spent years dealing with PR agencies, I have witnessed a disturbing trend that’s becoming the norm rather than the exception: a complete lack of effort in fostering meaningful relationships on their part, especially with trade media. What was once a symbiotic relationship, where PR professionals understood the media’s needs, crafted relevant stories, and built rapport with journalists, has now devolved into a transactional exercise of “send email, expect coverage.” Today, my inbox is flooded with templated press releases, many of which have no relevance to my publication or readership. There is little to no personalization, no understanding of editorial calendars, and certainly no effort to grasp what our audience actually wants. Instead, agencies operate under the assumption that because their client is paying them a hefty retainer, media houses owe them space. This entitlement is not only arrogant, it’s destructive. When PR professionals reach out with the same tired pitch, “We have a great announcement, please cover” without context, without narrative, without value, they erode trust. They forget that media houses do not work for their clients. We work for our readers. If your client’s story is weak, it’s not our job to make it sensational just because you’ve sent over a press release. Even worse, many agencies see trade media as a mere checkbox. They blast out mass emails with no follow-ups, no relationship-building, and definitely no curiosity to understand what we actually write about. Try calling them to discuss a story, and you’ll often be met with interns who have no context or senior folks who vanish after the initial pitch. Let’s be clear: PR is supposed to be about relationships. It’s about crafting narratives, understanding the journalist’s beat, and finding alignment between a brand’s message and a publication’s audience. But if PR agencies continue to treat trade media as a dumping ground for clients' garbage, this model will collapse. And frankly, if things don’t change soon, many editors and journalists, myself included, won’t be mourning its demise.

Who here remembers blasting press releases to a giant BCC list of reporters? The crazy part? It *actually* worked...in 2014. I recently heard about someone bragging about how many reporters they contact per month for a single client. It was in the hundreds. I had to laugh. That strategy is extinct, wildly ineffective, and harmful to the future of media relations. If your PR plan still involves spraying a press release to a massive list, then I’ll save you some suspense: You’re not getting coverage — you’re getting filtered. Here’s why: -PR pros outnumber journalists 7 to 1 -Newsrooms are shrinking -SEO/link-building agencies who "guarantee media placements" are pretending to be PR shops -Reporters are drowning in bad pitches and bulk send lists Today, relevance wins. Respect wins. Precision wins. My media lists are ~30 contacts per client. This is by design. Not 300. Not 3,000. Because quality > quantity has never been more true than it is right now. Good PR is targeted, intentional, and relationship-driven. The best PR pros know this. The reporters appreciate it. And the clients who embrace it get the best results.

As a journalist, I continue to see the best and worst of PR in action. Here are a few examples from the past couple of weeks. What worked: - A PR rep pitched a story idea right before a major world record attempt in Tulsa. He acknowledged in his email that our newsroom would likely be focused on the event and made it clear there was no urgency. After the record attempt was over, he politely followed up. Sometimes simply recognizing that newsrooms are consumed by breaking news, severe weather, or major events goes a long way. - A local PR agency pitched an idea about a memorial service late on a Sunday. Due to staffing, I was not sure we would be able to cover it. The team offered to send photos and video from the event just in case. When our morning crew arrived on Monday, a well organized Dropbox folder was already waiting. That preparation made it much easier to include the event in our coverage. - A communications contact for a multi state hospital system pitched a story about a summer children's health program. Anticipating the questions we would ask, she explained that media release forms had already been secured from parents and listed which children, parents, and staff members were available and comfortable on camera. That level of preparation made the story easy to approve and cover. What didn't work: - A representative from a local food festival sent a press release after the event claiming record breaking attendance. The problem was there were no tickets, entry gates, or attendance tracking methods mentioned. The release also included a quote attributed only to "a committee member" with no name attached. Anonymous quotes and unsupported attendance claims are a quick way to raise questions. - An office administrator from a business in rural Oklahoma called to pitch a story idea. He admitted he was unfamiliar with media relations, which was fine. I was happy to help walk him through the process. Unfortunately, the conversation quickly shifted into political complaints and he referred to a former presidential candidate using a gay slur. The call ended shortly after, and I won't be taking future pitches from him. - A PR rep for a small boutique continues to pitch the same story after it has already been declined multiple times. The angle centers on the owner receiving a professional certification at a conference. While that is certainly an accomplishment, it is not something most viewers would find newsworthy. Persistence is important in PR, but repeatedly pitching the same declined story rarely changes the outcome. What is the smartest or strangest PR move you've seen lately?

I was working at an event recently, writing up some post-event releases for the PR consultancy handling the media coverage, and I watched the client exhibit a fundamental misunderstanding in a particular area: how news works, and how fast the news cycle turns. Three days after the event started, they were still "tweaking" the media releases. Yes – releases. And not releases tailored for different media: releases for spray and pray. So, to put it simply, they wanted to send out five or six different releases to the same media list. First off, if you're sending out releases three days after the event starts, you might as well not bother. Please don't blame your PR agency when you don't get any coverage. The news moves fast. There used to be a saying that today's newspaper is lining the budgie cage tomorrow. How much faster do you think things move now that we have social media and digital news platforms? Exactly. Second, it's unlikely that journalists are going to care as much about your event as you do. And that's because you don't understand what news is. People have events every day, all around the world – yours is not news. You're going to have to dig quite deep to find something a news journalist will be interested in, or have some serious heavy-hitters attending. Finally, the journalist in me has one fundamental question to ask: So what? You had a conference, a summit, an expo. So what? Why should I care? How is the status quo going to change because of your event? What's going to happen when it's all over? Can't answer that question? That's why your release is in that journalist's Trash folder. Find the news. Find the 'so what'. And get it out fast – no one wants to read stale news.

Journalists delete 200+ pitches daily, including yours. Wait for a major announcement. Craft an announcement-centered pitch. Blast journalists. Wait for someone to bite. That's most companies' entire earned media strategy... and it's why they get ignored. Reporters are looking for the person who can explain what's actually happening in an industry, not waiting around for your product launch. They want the CEO with a contrarian read on where things are headed, the operator who sees a pattern nobody's written about yet. The companies earning the strongest coverage right now have stopped pitching events and started pitching ideas. For example, we helped a CEO secure a Forbes placement by offering a contrarian take on how the way the industry tends to measure success is problematic at best and misleading at worst. No partnership announcement required. For another company, we crafted a pitch that highlighted an approach to a routine operational problem that was so creative and effective, it landed them in the Harvard Business Review. In both cases that 3rd-party validation signalled the kind of clout that helped them go after enterprise clients more successfully. All the different announcements folks usually pitch... those are boring on their own. Reporters need intellectual capital they can actually use. Very few companies have a point of view worth covering. If yours does, lead with that, not the press release.

Let me clear the air. I rail against press releases a lot, but I'm not anti-press release. The bottom line is that lots of them are poorly written, many don't contain any actual news, and the reason for issuing them is often unclear or misguided. That's not to mention the companies that issue multiple press releases every week. Very few companies have that much actual news. Writing ✍️ I've shared plenty of press release and pitch writing tips in my feed. In short, lead with the news, fill in the details, and don't waste words. News 📰 Reserve press releases (official company communications) for actual newsworthy news. New and innovative product releases, high-profile executive hires, landmark partnership deals... those are news. The grand opening of your company's new break room... isn't. Rationale 🤔 If the singular goal is to generate media coverage, a press release isn't going to do it by itself. It can help fill in the details, but the path to media coverage is a targeted, well-researched media list and a killer pitch. And don't get me started on issuing a release over the wire. Public companies may issue release over the wire to keep their ticker symbol's news feed updated. There may be competitive or political reasons to memorialize an announcement. There also may be SEO value in doing so. But if media coverage is really the only goal you're wasting your money. Wire distributions suck at generating actual earned media. Cadence ⏳ If your company routinely issues multiple press releases every week, you need to rethink your definition of news. Virtually no company generates that much news, and issuing press releases is not the whiz-bang PR strategy someone at the top thinks it is. You're just making noise for the sake of making noise. Full disclosure: we have four clients with press releases currently in development. So no, Strategic Global Media is not anti-press release; we just ensure there's a solid strategy in place to accompany them.