What makes a press release newsworthy?

Two questions, in the first two lines: why now, and who cares?

If the headline and first sentence do not answer both, most editors stop reading. This is the most common reason small-business releases are ignored. They open with the company ("X is delighted to announce") instead of the change and the people it affects.

Flip it. Put the reader's stake first and the company second.

Journalism has used the same filters for decades. They still apply.

• Timeliness. It is happening now or about to. Last quarter's milestone is history.
• Proximity. It matters to this outlet's readers or region. A Dubai licence is news in the Gulf, less so in Ohio.
• Prominence. A recognisable name is involved: a known investor, partner, client or person.
• Impact. A defined group is affected, and you can say how many or how much.
• Novelty. It is a first, an unusual pairing, or something that contradicts what people assume.

A regional business opening a second branch has proximity and some impact, but little novelty. It needs a specific detail to carry it. An unknown startup's funding round has novelty, but no prominence. Naming a recognisable investor or a concrete use of the money closes the gap.

1. Write the change in one sentence, with no company name in it. "Clinic patients in Sharjah can now get lab results the same day." If you cannot, you may not have news yet.
2. Name the audience. Patients, buyers, investors, a sector, a region. One primary audience per release.
3. Find the specific fact. A number, a named partner, a first in a market, a before-and-after. It must be something you can stand behind if an editor asks.
4. Attach it to something editors already cover. AI adoption, regulation, a regional economic shift, a seasonal story. You are helping them fill a line they already run.
5. Write a quote that says something. An opinion, a forecast, a reason. "We are excited" adds nothing.
6. Cut. Remove every word that describes your company rather than the news: innovative, leading, best-in-class, world-class. Aim for 300 to 500 words.

Hypothetical. Say you run a property management firm in Dubai that has launched a tenant app.

Before: "Leading property management company XYZ is proud to announce the launch of its innovative new tenant app, which offers residents a world-class experience."

After: "Tenants in 400 Dubai Marina apartments can now log maintenance requests by WhatsApp and see a technician's arrival time, as XYZ moves its repair queue off phone and email."

The second version has proximity (Dubai Marina), impact (a defined number of tenants, if that number is real), novelty (WhatsApp for repairs) and a concrete change. An editor can picture it. A property title can run it.

• The headline contains the word "announces" and nothing else of substance.
• The first paragraph is about the company's history.
• Every claim is unverifiable: "leading", "first-class", "trusted by many".
• The quote could be pasted into any release from any company.
• There are three different news items crammed into one release.
• It is sent on a date that has nothing to do with the news.

Before we write anything, we test the news against the five factors and tell you which two or three it really has. If the answer is none, we say so and suggest what would make it a story, such as a figure you already hold, a customer willing to be named or a timing hook coming up.

We write to wire and publication standard: fact first, audience second, one quote with a view, a short boilerplate. Then we match the release to channels where that audience reads. That filter comes from seeing what gets picked up across 9,000+ placements, and what does not.