Help and Requirements for Send2Press Press Release Distribution Services

Getting started is very simple: we have no account sign-up, no membership fees and all service pricing is per project.

1. Review our service package pricing and features page.
2. Review this page (you are on now) with our content and format requirements.
3. Review our Acceptable Content Policy (ACP) to check the types of news we do and do not accept/allow.
4. Use our secure Order Center to order desired service then upload project.

Business Hours:
Based in California, USA, our normal business hours are 9 a.m. PST/PDT to 5 p.m. PST/PDT (12 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST/EDT), Monday through Friday. We are closed weekends and U.S. holidays. See our pricing and features page for deadlines and cut-off times.

Note the first section below is an overview, while the second section has the mandatory requirements with examples for our news formatting.

OVERVIEW - GETTING STARTED:
You may find it useful to first click or tap the thumbnail image at right to see a visual example of what a proper press release looks like (opens in new browser "tab"), with sections identified by numbers 1 through 5. We'll be using those numbers in a moment to explain each section as simply as possible. Generally, we follow AP Style. Example files are also found below, which you may download to review and/or use as a starting point for your own project with Send2Press®.

File Formats:
We accept MS Word (.doc/.docx), Rich Text (.rtf), and text (.txt) files for submitted press releases only. We cannot use PDFs, or any design program file. If using Apple Pages or similar, please “save as” (or export) to MS Word format. Google Docs can export to MS Word format, also.

Press Releases are Not Articles:
We can only issue, transmit and disseminate proper press releases, not articles with byline, or feature push. All releases must have proper headline. First paragraph of all releases must start with dateline city and state. There must be proper attribution from the "news source" in the text of first paragraph to make clear "who" is issuing the release (this is covered with examples, below).

Stale and/or Duplicate Content:
Please note that we strongly discourage issuing a release with stale headline already issued via another wire service. Because various systems pull news from all major wire services like ours, using same content across multiple services can result in content spam complaint, duplicate content penalties, and other problems. No newspaper site syndicating news wants multiple copies of the same headline on their site, and may actually delete all copies vs. sorting out the primary version. So, it's mandatory to change headline, and perhaps first paragraph for news submitted to Send2Press, if the news has already been issued or scheduled with another news service.

Word Length Limit Reminder:
Please remember that our premium S2P+CISION distribution plans have a specific word length limit which includes all of the required elements noted below. You calculate the “word length” by using the word count feature in your word processor (they all have this function). For our normal plans we generally limit length to 1,200 words. This is noted in the full features info for each plan on our price list and package info page.

Deadlines and Cut-off Times:
For complete information on our daily deadlines and cut-off times for submitting content, please visit our pricing and features page, linked to above and in the navigation menu. Generally, we need a fully proofed ready to go release by 2 p.m. PST/PDT to push next morning prior to when we open. For same day push, we need content by 9 a.m. PST/PDT. Projects for early Monday must be submitted Friday prior to our closing.

CONTENT REQUIREMENTS - STEP BY STEP

All projects submitted must meet these mimimum content and format requirements to be accepted and transmitted.

1 The Headline
All press releases start with a headline (or “title”). This is the main element used to link to your news online, used as the subject line in emails to media folk, and describes what it is you're announcing as news. It should contain your most important focus keywords. Headlines are now done as Initial Capped and not ALL CAPS.

Also note, only ONE secondary headline (or “subhead,” sometimes called a “deck”) is supported, which also should not be longer than 20 words for best results online. If you are submitting the same release to multiple newswires, or mixing junk free posting sites with legitimate wire services, you should change the headline and first paragraph on the junk site to avoid duplicate content problems with Google (content coming from a newswire like Send2Press is identified to Google as the “syndication source”). Text in headlines cannot contain hyperlinks.

For our style, quote marks in headlines are done as single quotes.
Example below:
The New Memoir, 'Bunny Loves Rabbit' hops onto best seller list

Important SEO Note:
Be aware using trademark symbols, percentage sign, dollar sign, ampersand, tildes, and similar HTML elements may adversely affect your ability to search/find content based on "quoted searches" for your headline in Google.

2 The First Paragraph
All press releases have (following a headline and optional sub-head, as noted above) a first paragraph which is sometimes called the summary. This is primarily what is seen in social media (e.g., X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), Google News, and most search engines related to your press release. This section always starts with the “dateline” which is the city and state where the news is originating (such as where the business/company is, or an event location). For international cities, city and province should be used or applicable locales.

The city is done ALL CAPS, and the state is abbreviated to AP Style and not post office abbreviations (we'll fix this if needed), and then the date the release is being issued (not a date in the past or future). The dateline is followed by our wire service identifier which is (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) and then two hyphens, then the text of the summary about your news.

See examples in next section (3).

About AP Style and Datelines:
Please note that although AP Style indicates certain cities should stand alone in datelines (e.g., LOS ANGELES, CLEVELAND, etc.) we always include both city and state for better SEO and geolocation. Specifically, using Cleveland as an example, without the word Ohio in dateline, and if nowhere else in text, then the news would not be searchable via AP newsrooms, Google News Alerts, etc. via a quoted search for "Ohio."

3 News Source Attribution
This first paragraph section should also include your most important focus keywords (for SEO), and must have what is called “attribution,” which is the name of the news source announcing the news to make clear who is issuing this press release (Cogsworth Cog Co. in two examples below, or Neotrope in the graphic example; top of this page).

For example, in a press release being issued by Cogsworth Cog Co., the agency submitting the project is not the source, nor is the product being announced. The “news source” would be Cogsworth Cog Co. No release will be issued without proper attribution (we do not accept anonymous news or fake articles about a company written in positive light). The entire summary section should generally be one solid paragraph of your most important information and never more than 80 words or less than 20 words.

Two examples follow with attribution highlighted and with example datelines:

Example One:
LOS ANGELES, Calif., July 1, 2023 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Cogsworth Cog Co. today announced their new line of whacky widgets to wash wonderful rabbits for relief from wrestling. The company is adding more hop to every pop for every cognoscenti attending their annual events.

Example Two:
CHICAGO, Ill., Sept. 15, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- A new line of cogs for logs shaped like dogs will be revealed at the 20th anniversary CogShow in Chicago, Cogsworth Cog Co. announced today. Cogsworth will be showing the new systems at booth #1234 in Coggy Hall, Oct. 20-24, 2024.
 

Event News:
Note that when announcing events, we do recommend including the full date of the event, including year, as some websites may only show this excerpt and not the remainder of the releasw text. It also helps annual event news not appear stale, if a release is done annually with similar content each time.

4 Body of Press Release
The body continues the first paragraph information (not repeating it), and this is the meat and potatoes of what you want somebody in the media to know about your news and why they should consider it of interest to their audience. The last paragraph in a release is often used for a “boilerplate” which is a section about the company, or about a person such as a book author along with link to a website for further information.

Note that color text, H2 and H3 tags are not supported in press releases for maximum legibility when syndicated. Interior sub-heads for paragraph sections work better as ALL CAPS, due to the AP not supporting BOLD text.

Quotes - Best Practices:
Between the first paragraph and the boilerplate, a quote from someone at the company, or from a book author, or musician doing self-promotion, is always recommended as modern “lazy media” will often take a quote from the release and never contact you. Real quotes are always preferable to quoting a positive third-party review, as media cannot use possibly paid positive review quotes about a company or book or service.

All quotes from a person at the company should be properly attributed to that person by real name and title, as applicable. Anonymous quotes should not be used or elements like "According to a company executive...." A press release is news coming from you (or your client), not being written about you. Similarly, use of aliases or abbreviations for a person's name is not proper attribution unless your client is Cher or Sting.

Media folk won't quote or work with people trying to hide who they are. International firms should not be shy about using real names as there is no bias in the media for a particular ethnic or non-English family name.

For AP Style, we put periods and commas inside quote marks; single quotes go inside any double quotes, and we don't put trademark symbols inside quotes, as people never "speak" a trademark symbol.

Multimedia:
Multimedia elements (links to image(s) or video), and social media links are often put at bottom after the main news text, and before the media contact info. Video links should be to YouTube, Vimeo, your own site or similar. We do not host videos.

Anchor Links:
Using unlimited anchor links (links to your website on words/phrases, or visible URLs) is allowed, however be aware that due to Google's guideline changes as of Aug. 1, 2013, these kinds of links will likely no longer help your SEO as they will be set as “rel=nofollow.” Visible (or “naked”) URLs/URIs are recommended. Anchor links on text and visible links are supported, including shortcode and/or tracking links.

See the using anchor links section, below this page, for additional information on this topic.

Using Charts and Tables:
It's best to avoid trying to include charts/tables in a press release as the column width varies on websites and tends to break the layout due to differences in local HTML style sheets, font sizes, etc. Copies in email which push as plain text may no longer line-up and defeat the purpose of the information. For charts — such as tables with columns and rows — using a web .jpg, or including a link to PDF, or a detailed web page, is preferable. (We cannot host PDFs on our site.)

5 Media Contact Info
All press releases issued and sent by email to media folk must have a contact person for the media. This is not optional when the package purchased includes sending news to media by email. A media contact is a person by full name, company or agency, phone and valid email address. Normally this is coded “for media only” but you may also instruct us to make the information visible to all online. You cannot issue a release anonymously or without a point of contact for media when it will be sent to media by email.

When Contact Info Not Needed:
With our ONLINE BASIC, ONLINE PRO, NATIONAL BASIC, REGIONAL BASIC, and S2P+CISION BASIC packages, a media contact is *not* required as these plans do not include email push to media folk. It is entirely optional to have a publicly visible media contact in any format for these packages.

Public and Media Only Contact Options:
In some cases you may want to have some contact info be for the public, and print online with all the release copies, and also have the normal “for media only” contact info which is required — and this can be totally different information. In these cases, the simplest way to let us know what should be public is to put three number signs (also called hash marks) at bottom of your text as ###. So, anything above the ### will be public, and anything below will be only for media, including any true note to editors, link to a press kit or other.

With distribution packages that include the AP (Associated Press), we do have an option to have media contact info visible online only on Send2Press.com/wire version and on APNews.com press release version. This will not be visible in AP newsrooms, or anywhere else online. For AP Newsrooms, if you represent a client as its agency, then some publicly visible media contact info is advisable.

These example file downloads show what a typical press release looks like as far as formatting, following the requirements specified above.

When you click/tap a link, below, you will need to save to your local hard disk or cloud app to open.

• Example - MS Word .docx [link]
   
• Example - MS Word .rtf [link]

Example Press Releases Online:
You can review any of our client news from our Daily News Desk as well as search our news archives by keyword and/or topic.

View Our Client Newsdesk   

These formats are general guidelines: note we will "resize" images to fit as applicable. All of our distribution packages include one image*, with additional images offered as optional add-ons at added cost. Images should ideally not be ad banners unless something like event poster, or "black friday sale" type content (media will NOT use advertorial images)

QUICK TIP: use the button link in above section to jump to our newsroom to see how images appear in actual live press release content.

Legal Disclaimer:
Image content should be either fully owned by you or your client (if an agency), sourced from an open source image bank that does not require licensing, or be generated with AI and be as original as possible (e.g., using a high "seed factor"). Using "found" content, or paid licensed image bank content, is not acceptable and may open you up to major copyright and/or licensing fees for infringement of intellectual property. Per our terms of service (TOS), you are responsible for any/all legal risks of content you provide to us, and we will be held harmless for any mis-use on your behalf. In the event of a complaint, there may be substantial costs involved in attempting to remove any offending content from our content partners and social media accounts.

Online, Social & Syndication - 800x600px:
Our normal image size for 2026 is 800x600 pixels, horizontal (landscape). The safe area is 796x570 pixels. Visit our newsroom (link above section) to see how images appear online. Note that when adding multiple images (e.g., author photo, plus book jacket), many sites, including the AP, will only show the "primary image." With multiple images in addition to a "primary" image, it's often better to link to a gallery page on your website.

Print Image for Media - 4x3" 300dpi:
With many of our "PRO" distribtuion packages, we host a print-ready image for media in addition to a web image used for online, social and syndication. This will be a size of 4x3-inches, 300dpi. Images larger than this will be downsampled to fit the dimensions, either horizontal or vertical. Be aware this print image is also used for the online image, and so again, a horizontal image is preferred. You may also link to an image on your own website if desired.

Required Image Caption(s):
With all images, except company logos, we do need a short description (caption or "cutline"). For example with three people on a stage holding company award, you would have a short caption notating who is shown left-to-right (L-R) in the picture. A caption is not ad copy, and should be short and to the point, not paragraph about information that should be in the body of the actual release.

*Special note for S2P+CISION PRO package: with this package we will only have link to an image on the CISION/PR Newswire (PRN) copies of the release; meaning, their online copies will not have a visible inline image in text.

This section provides some important information about using anchor links ("hyperlinks") in modern press release content, and recommended usage with Send2Press.

NOTE: We do not allow affiliate links of any kind in press releases.

Limited Number of Links:
For many years we limited the number of links used in releases, but this is no longer an issue since Google made it a requirement for all legitimate newswire services to make links in press release content rel="nofollow" back in 2013; which means there is no longer a linking penalty for using more than 10 links in your release (within reason, of course).

Word Links vs. Visible Links:
It's important to ensure your most important hyperlinks in the release are visible, meaning something like https://www.send2press.com/help as opposed to only using anchor links on words or sentences (e.g., Send2Press Help + Requirements). The reason visible links are essential is that links on words or sentences do not work in emails to media and some websites strip them out. So a link like CLICK HERE FOR HELP is highly discouraged.

Use Semantic Links for Best Practice:
Because Google and other search engines, including AI tools, will follow all links in a release, if you do use links on words, they should be "semantic" links only. This means, linking to your home page with World's best chicken soup for a soup store, is not good practice. However, announcing a new chunky veggie soup and linking the soup name to the new product info page on the website is a good idea. Similarly, linking to the CEO's bio page on your site, where the name is the link is also good use of semantice linking. By "semantic" we mean the text and the link are strongly related to the page being linked to. However, again, remember links on words won't work in emails to media and some websites.

Use Fully Formed Visible Links:
When using visible URL links, we do highly recommend including the full https:// portion of the link. So, in first paragraph, you might have Send2Press linking to Send2Press.com, but at bottom in the boilerplate, you would use the full URL https://www.Send2Press.com/ to ensure the link actually works everyplace online. We also generally don't recommend putting mis-matched URLs on top of visible links, like putting a bit.ly link on top of the URL shown. We used to severely limit this behavior, but have completely relaxed this for 2026. "Do what you want" is our new rule on linking, as long as the link actually works at all.

How to Add Links:
We do not insert links for you. All your desired links should be properly inserted into your MS Word document. See the MS Word help information on how to add links. Typically, simply typing or pasting in a link to page on your website, then adding space after will auto-link for you. To add a link to word or short sentence (not entire paragraph!), simply right-mouse-click and choose "add link." Be sure to click all links to ensure they work.

Send2Press follows most style conventions invented and used by the Associated Press (AP), with some minor exceptions.

While we still follow many usage guidelines, such as AP Style datelines, and putting commas and periods inside quote marks, some things like using percentage vs. % or 24-inches vs. 24" are no longer enforced, although still best practices. It's also common practice to use the so-called Oxford Comma for clarity in some content, and we will not correct these kinds of variations from AP Style anymore.

Quote Marks, Not Italics:
As part of AP Style, we put book and movie titles (but not magazine names) in quotes, not italics. So, we would use "Gone with the Wind" and not Gone with the Wind. Similarly quotes from someone in the release body, would be quoted, and not put into italics.

Example:
"The puppy loves his mom, and wow what a mom," said Jason Smith, CEO of Puppy Power Pals, Inc. "We are excited to have mom at the 'Super Puppy' book signings this summer."

This example also shows proper use of commas and period properly used inside of closing quote marks, not outside. Quotes inside of quotes are used as single quotes.

Fun with Dashes and Hypens:
Although traditional print publications would run long dashes ("em dashes") together between two words, we put spaces around them for clarity in search, AI scraping, and line breaks, and also to make PR content easier to read. This also helps better offset long dashes from hyphenated words in plain text versions of content and email to media.

Example:
The monkey likes funny stories — like "Space Ghost" — much better than cut-rate and short-lived tales.

Quick Guide to AP Style U.S. State Abbreviations:
For AP Style we use AP format state abbreviations, not post office abbreviations. The following chart shows the general AP rules for usage of state abbreviations when used in datelines, and in the body text of a news announcement.

Examples:
LOS ANGELES, Calif. | ST. LOUIS, Mo. | PHOENIX, Ariz. | DALLAS, Texas | NEW YORK, N.Y. | SALT LAKE CITY, Utah

Big Bad Company, 123 My Street, Los Angeles, CA 90000.

Example Dateline:
LOS ANGELES, Calif., July 1, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) --

Months in Dateline, and AP Date Abbreviations:
Spell out months when used alone or with either a date or year but abbreviate them to the following when used with a date and year. All months with five letters or less are never abbreviated. Never abbreviate days of the week.

Examples:
Brooks went missing on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012.
The game will be held in mid-October.
The results were posted Saturday, December 5 for review.

Note that as of 2025, we have relaxed this to "do what you want" aside from datelines, where it's perfectly fine to do Sat., Dec. 5 for review from these examples.

Example Associated Press (AP) Style Guides (PDFs):
These downloads require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar to open/view PDF format files. When you click/tap button you will need to save to your local hard disk or cloud app to open. Some browsers may allow you to view the PDF online.

• Simple AP Dateline Guide PDF [link]
   
• Simple AP Style Guide PDF [link]

Before using Send2Press Newswire distribution services, all potential clients must review our ACP to check that we will accept the news announcement.

We do not accept certain kinds of content such as alleged legal/civic matters, MLM, affiliate links, crypto, gambling, international financial offerings and government news; and other topics our media and content partners do not wish to see or syndicate from us.