12 Press Release Mistakes That Kill Your Credibility

Avoid the most common press release errors that make editors hit delete and damage your brand reputation. Learn what to do instead from a professional distributor.

The Cost of Getting It Wrong

A poorly written press release does more than waste your distribution budget. It actively damages your credibility with journalists, editors, and the public. Once your name is associated with amateurish or misleading press releases, rebuilding that reputation takes time and effort.

The good news is that most press release mistakes are entirely avoidable. After distributing over a thousand releases for businesses across Utah and nationwide, we have identified the twelve most common errors that undermine credibility. Here is what to watch for and how to fix each one.

Mistake 1: Writing an Advertisement Instead of News

This is the single most common mistake, and it is the one that most quickly identifies an amateur press release. A press release is not an ad. It is a factual announcement written in the style of a news article.

Advertising language uses superlatives, subjective claims, and calls to action. News language uses facts, specific details, and attributable quotes. When your press release reads like a sales pitch—"Our amazing product is the best solution on the market and will change your life!"—editors immediately categorize it as spam.

The fix: Write your press release as if a journalist were writing it about your business. Use third person. Make factual claims you can support. Let the facts speak for themselves rather than editorializing.

Mistake 2: Burying the Lead

Journalists are trained to put the most important information first, and they expect press releases to follow the same convention. If your press release opens with two paragraphs of company background before getting to the actual news, you have lost your audience.

The "inverted pyramid" structure places the most newsworthy information in the first paragraph, supporting details in the middle, and background information at the end. This structure ensures that even readers who only scan the first paragraph get the essential message.

The fix: Answer the five Ws—who, what, when, where, and why—in your opening paragraph. Everything else is supporting detail.

Mistake 3: Using Jargon and Buzzwords

Industry jargon creates barriers between your announcement and the audiences who need to understand it. Buzzwords like "synergy," "disruptive," "paradigm shift," and "best-in-class" have been so overused that they have become meaningless.

Technical terms are acceptable when your audience is technical. But remember that your press release will appear on general news sites, financial terminals, and news aggregators with diverse audiences. If your grandmother could not understand your headline, it is probably too jargon-heavy.

The fix: Use plain language. Replace jargon with specific, concrete descriptions. Instead of "leveraging synergies across verticals," say "combining the marketing expertise of Company A with the distribution network of Company B to reach more customers."

Mistake 4: Including Unsubstantiated Claims

Claims like "industry-leading," "the fastest-growing," or "the most trusted" are red flags unless they are backed by specific, verifiable evidence. Editors are trained to spot unsubstantiated claims, and including them signals that your press release is more marketing than news.

The fix: Replace subjective claims with specific facts. Instead of "the fastest-growing firm in Utah," write "the firm has grown revenue 40 percent year over year for the past three consecutive years, according to internal financial data." Instead of "industry-leading customer satisfaction," write "the company maintains a 4.9-star rating across 500+ reviews on Google."

Mistake 5: Writing a Novel

Press releases should be concise. The ideal length is 400 to 600 words for the body text, plus your headline, subheadline, and boilerplate. Going significantly beyond this length tests the patience of editors and reduces the likelihood that your full release will be published.

This does not mean you should strip out important details. It means you should edit ruthlessly, removing anything that does not directly support your main announcement. Background information, extensive product descriptions, and detailed executive biographies belong on your website, not in the body of your press release.

The fix: Write your first draft, then cut it by 30 percent. Every sentence should either advance the story or provide essential context. If it does neither, remove it.

Mistake 6: Missing or Weak Quotes

Quotes in a press release serve a specific purpose: they provide perspective, emotion, or forward-looking statements that cannot be made in the objective body text. Many press releases either skip quotes entirely or include quotes that simply repeat what the body copy already says.

A weak quote: "We are excited about this new development," said John Smith, CEO. This adds nothing. An editor gains no new information from reading it.

A strong quote: "This partnership allows us to serve 2,000 additional families in Washington County who previously had to drive to Las Vegas for specialized care," said John Smith, CEO. This adds context, specificity, and emotional weight that the factual body text cannot.

The fix: Use quotes to add the human element—perspective, motivation, or impact—that straight reporting cannot convey. Write quotes that a journalist would actually want to include in their coverage.

Mistake 7: Neglecting the Boilerplate

The boilerplate is the "About" section at the end of your press release. It is your standard company description and appears in every release you distribute. Many businesses treat it as an afterthought, copying whatever is on their website's About page without adapting it for press release format.

Your boilerplate should be three to four sentences that concisely describe what your company does, where you are located, who you serve, and what distinguishes you. It should be factual and specific, not aspirational.

The fix: Write a dedicated press release boilerplate that includes your company name, location, founding year, primary services, and key differentiator. Update it annually or whenever your business undergoes significant changes.

Mistake 8: Forgetting the Media Contact

Every press release needs a media contact—someone a journalist can reach for follow-up questions, interviews, or additional information. Omitting this information is like putting up a billboard with no phone number.

The fix: Include a media contact name, email address, and phone number at the top of your press release. Make sure the listed contact is actually available to respond to inquiries promptly. Journalists work on deadlines, and a delayed response can mean a missed opportunity for coverage.

Mistake 9: Poor Timing

Distributing a press release at the wrong time can dramatically reduce its impact. Releasing news late on a Friday afternoon, during a major holiday week, or on the same day as a major national news event means your announcement will be buried under competing content.

The fix: Distribute on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday mornings for maximum visibility. Avoid holiday weeks and be aware of major industry events or news cycles that might overshadow your announcement. If your news is time-sensitive, prioritize getting it out quickly regardless of timing.

Mistake 10: Ignoring Formatting Standards

Press releases have established formatting conventions that editors expect. Deviating from these conventions signals inexperience and can cause your release to be overlooked or improperly processed by news aggregation systems.

Standard formatting includes a clear headline, optional subheadline, dateline with city and state, body paragraphs in decreasing order of importance, properly attributed quotes, a company boilerplate, media contact information, and the end notation marker (###).

The fix: Follow AP style guidelines for your press release. If you are using UtahPressWire's Distribution Only package, we review your formatting before distribution and flag any issues.

Mistake 11: Not Including Multimedia

Press releases that include images and video consistently outperform text-only releases. Images make your release more visually engaging on media websites, increase the likelihood of social media sharing, and give editors visual assets they can use in their coverage.

The fix: Include at least two high-resolution images with your press release. These could be professional headshots, product photos, office images, or event photos. Images should be at least 400 by 300 pixels and in JPG or PNG format. If you have a relevant video, include a YouTube URL for embedding.

Mistake 12: No Follow-Up Strategy

Distributing a press release and then doing nothing with the results is like planting seeds and never watering them. Your press release placements are assets—use them.

Too many businesses distribute a press release, receive their placement report, and file it away. They never update their website, never share the coverage on social media, and never reference their placements in sales materials.

The fix: After receiving your placement report, update your website with an "As Featured In" section showcasing your most impressive placements. Share individual placement links on your social media channels over the following weeks. Include placement links in email signatures, proposals, and investor decks. Reference your media coverage in future marketing materials.

The Credibility Compound

Every press release you distribute either builds or erodes your credibility with media outlets, search engines, and the public. Avoiding these twelve mistakes ensures that each distribution strengthens your reputation rather than undermining it.

The businesses that get the most value from press releases are the ones that treat each release as a professional communication worthy of careful attention. They invest time in crafting clear, factual, well-formatted announcements that respect the conventions of journalism and provide genuine value to readers.

Your press releases are a reflection of your business. Make sure they reflect well.