Press Release or News Release?

By Dana Sotoodeh

 

You’ve followed all the rules for your news release. Or wait.. your press release.

Which one is it? You’ve heard your co-workers use the two words interchangeably, but what’s the real difference? 

Team Snackbox did some research on these two terms so everyone can put this big PR mystery to rest!

Press Release: A press release is essentially a news release. It includes all the information media needs just like a normal news release does, however it’s usually only distributed to what people consider “press” which is print media. This includes newspapers, magazines, etc.

News Release: A news release, as you have gathered from above, is exactly as it’s name states. It informs all forms of media, of something taking place without excluding any one group.

If you can’t remember the difference, the answer is in their title. However, PR and marketing pros are beginning to stray away from the term “press release.” Since the release is encompassing news, it’s safer to stick to the term “news” release, especially if you want your news to be distributed through all forms of media.