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"Don't send on a Friday." "Add more quotes." "The press release is dead." New Medianet data busts some of PR's long-standing myths

Medianet

Key Facts:

• Medianet's State of the Press Release report debunks some of PR's assumptions about press releases

• Based on the analysis of 7,850 releases sent between January and August 2026 via Medianet.

• Press releases remain thriving and essential, serving as the primary story source for 86%. Two in three were picked up by the media. 

• Friday distributions outperformed all other weekdays, while off-peak sending (before 6am or after 6pm) beat the congested 9am–12pm window with a 76.5% pickup rate.

• Genuine news hooks (72.5%) and breaking news reactions (88.5%) beat promotional copy (50.6%), with risk/warning headlines dramatically outperforming launch announcements.

• Quote volume did not affect pickup, but placing a quote within the first 75 words did; meanwhile, small lists (<200) delivered a far higher efficiency rate (17%) than massive lists.

Some of the most common assumptions about press releases have been debunked by new Medianet data, based on an analysis of 7,850 press releases distributed between January and August 2026.

Friday releases were picked up more often than those sent on any other weekday. Releases with multiple quotes performed no better than those with none. And far from being dead, the press release is thriving: two in three were picked up by the media between January and August 2026.

“As Australia’s press release distribution service for more than 40 years, we were able to use proprietary data and decades of experience to put this report together,” said Amrita Sidhu, Managing Director of Medianet.

The State of the Press Release report analysed 7,850 press releases from 553 organisations sent between January and August 2026, excluding media alerts and invitations. Pickup was measured by Medianet's Pickup Tracker technology, which scans around 2,000 Australian news websites and matches published articles to the releases they originated from.

“The report is a practical guide to what journalists actually run, rather than what they say they want. It backs up some well-known best practices with data, while debunking others,” added Sidhu.

Journalists still rely on the release

Medianet's 2026 Australian Media Landscape Report, a survey of 803 Australian journalists, found that press releases are now the source journalists use most: 86% said they rely on them as a story source, ahead of industry and professional contacts at 83%.

As one journalist pointed out in the report: “Media is now dependent on press releases as there is not enough time or resources to hunt independently for stories.”

Additionally, press releases are increasingly cited as sources by Large Language Models (LLMs), making them one of the most valuable assets in a communicator’s toolkit.

What the report confirms

The single biggest factor in a press release's success was the story itself. Releases with a genuine news hook were picked up 72.5% of the time, compared to just 50.6% for those written primarily to promote a product or company.

Releases that paired clear impact with tension, conflict, or a high-profile name performed even better. Releases reacting to a breaking news moment performed best of all, achieving an 88.5% pickup rate.

Structure and timing also proved critical. Headlines that flagged a risk or warning achieved a 77.4% pickup rate, compared to 50.2% for headlines announcing a launch. Introducing a quote within the first 75 words yielded a 72.4% pickup rate, versus 64.2% when the quote appeared later in the copy.

What the data debunks

Releases sent before 6am or after 6pm had a 76.5% pickup rate, yet only 6.9% of releases were distributed during these windows. Conversely, the busiest window, 9am to 12pm, had a lower pickup rate than those sent outside peak hours.

“Journalists reward a real story told clearly,” Ms Sidhu said. “If you want a release to have a strong chance of pickup, state clearly why the news matters and consider timing it when there is less competition.”

Other myths busted were:

• “The press release is dead”
   65.7% of releases were picked up. That is two in three releases.

• "More quotes mean more coverage"
  Releases with no quotes or more than one quote did not make a difference in pickup. Where the first quote sits mattered more than how many there are.

• "Lead with the announcement"
  Headlines that announced, launched or unveiled something as opposed to flagging a risk or warning had the lowest pickup of any headline type.

• "A bigger list is always better"
  When a release was sent to a list of 1,500 or more, it was picked up more often, at 73.7% against 58.4% for lists under 200. But releases sent to under 200 people earned pickups equal to 17% of the list, against 0.7% for the biggest lists. The right list depends on the goal.

Download the full report here.

About the report

State of the Press Release covers 7,850 press releases from 553 organisations distributed through Medianet between January and August 2026. It excludes 646 media alerts and invitations, which function as media notices rather than publishable stories.

A release was counted as picked up when a news outlet published it using substantially similar wording, as tracked across roughly 2,000 Australian media websites by Medianet's proprietary Pickup Tracker technology. It does not measure original, bespoke articles generated from a release. News values were assessed from the headline analysis of a sample of 862 press releases.

About Medianet
Medianet is Australia’s most trusted media intelligence and communications platform, backed by over 40 years of expertise. Owned by Australia’s largest media houses, Medianet offers integrated PR solutions, including press release distribution, a comprehensive journalist database, intuitive media monitoring, and expert analysis. Medianet empowers organisations to connect with target audiences, achieve earned media and measure the success of their communication strategies.

Contact details:

Amrita Sidhu, Managing Director - Medianet

M: +61 481 177 686
E: [email protected]

Mercedes Carrin, Head of Marketing - Medianet

M: +61 430 729 397
E: [email protected]