An editor at a B2B tech publication gets 200 press releases a week. She reads none of them.

Well, that is not quite right. She reads the first two sentences of each one. If those sentences contain actual news, she reads the rest. If they contain company background or marketing copy, she hits delete. The delete button gets hit about 190 times a week.

This is not something editors admit in polite company. But ask them privately, in a bar, after the second drink, and they will tell you the truth: most press releases are written by people who do not understand what a press release is for.

A press release exists to tell a story to a reporter. Not to tell a reporter how great your company is. Not to build brand awareness. Not to drive traffic to your website. It exists to give a reporter a story she can pitch her editor.

The editors and journalists I spoke with for this piece pointed out a consistent set of mistakes. Not mistakes of grammar or style. Mistakes of approach. Mistakes that come from forgetting who you are writing for.

Here are the ones that matter most.

Mistake #1: Burying the News

The worst press releases open with three paragraphs about what the company is. Then they mention the actual announcement in paragraph four.

This is the kiss of death.

An editor needs the news in the first sentence. Not the first paragraph. The first sentence.

Before:

“Smith Analytics, a leader in data visualization software for mid-market enterprises, is proud to announce the expansion of its executive team. The company, founded in 2018 and based in Austin, Texas, has experienced rapid growth over the past three years. In response to this growth, the company is pleased to welcome Sarah Chen as Chief Product Officer.”

After:

“Smith Analytics hired Sarah Chen as Chief Product Officer. Chen was previously VP of Product at DataFlow Systems, where she led the launch of three new product lines used by 300,000 customers.”

The second version tells you what happened in the first eight words. The first version wastes your time.

Mistake #2: Vague Headlines

Many press releases have headlines that could apply to any company in any industry.

“Leading Provider Announces Strategic Partnership” is not a headline. It is a template with the specifics removed.

Editors see hundreds of these a week. They look at the subject line and think “I have no idea if this is relevant to my beat.” Then they delete it.

A strong subject line tells the editor what story she is looking at before she even opens the email.

Weak headline: “TechCorp Announces New Product Launch”

Strong headline: “TechCorp Launches AI Code Reviewer That Cuts Developer Code Review Time to 15 Minutes”

The strong version tells you the story in 15 words. An editor reads that and knows if it is relevant. The weak version forces her to open the email and guess.

Mistake #3: Marketing Fluff Quotes

Press releases almost always include a quote from the CEO or founder. These quotes are death traps.

Most of them say nothing. “We are thrilled to announce this partnership” is not a quote. It is throat-clearing.

Editors delete the quote and keep the rest of the release. But the damage is done. The release now reads like it was written by a marketing department, not a person.

Real quotes do one of three things: they provide context a reporter could not find elsewhere; they reveal an opinion that differs from the standard line; or they express skepticism about the announcement itself.

Bad quote: “We are excited about this new partnership and look forward to serving our customers together.”

Good quote: “When we started, I thought we would need to hire fifty engineers over five years to scale search at this volume. With Smith’s architecture, we did it in two years with fifteen people. That freed up our budget to double down on the core product instead.”

The good quote has information. A reporter can use it. The bad quote sounds like it was written by a lawyer.

Mistake #4: Missing Data

Editors need numbers. Not percentages. Not “significant” or “substantial.” Actual numbers.

If you say a problem costs companies money, tell them how much. If you say your product saves time, say how much time. If you hired people, say how many people.

Numbers make a story real. Without them, a press release is just a claim.

Weak: “The new tool has saved customers considerable time on manual data entry.”

Strong: “The tool cuts manual data entry from four hours a day to 30 minutes, saving customers $15,000 a year in labor costs per person.”

The strong version gives an editor the details she needs to write the story. The weak version forces her to call and ask questions or skip the release altogether.

Mistake #5: Wrong Format

Some companies send press releases as PDF attachments. Some send them as images. Some send them with weird fonts or formatting that does not copy into a word processor.

Editors receive hundreds of emails a day. They do not open attachments. They do not have time to reformat a press release that is stuck in a PDF.

Send your press release as plain text or in the body of the email itself. Make it easy to copy. Make it easy to skim. Do not make the editor work to read it.

Mistake #6: Too Long

A press release should be 300 to 400 words. Maybe 500 if the story is complex. Not 1,500.

Editors do not read long press releases. Journalists do not read long press releases. If your announcement takes longer than that to explain, you do not understand what the announcement is yet.

Cut it down. Remove the background. Remove the company history. Remove the mission statement. Keep only the news.

Mistake #7: No Contact Information

A shocking number of press releases do not include contact information. Or they include an email address with no name. Or they include a PR person’s contact info but no technical contact who can answer real questions.

If an editor wants to run the story, she will call. Make sure she can reach someone who can answer her questions.

Include a name, phone number, and email for at least one person. If the story involves a technical product, include both a PR contact and a technical contact.

Mistake #8: Bad Subject Lines

The subject line is the first impression. Get it wrong and the email goes in the trash.

Subject lines should be specific, concrete, and relevant to the reporter’s beat. “Important Announcement” is useless. “Smith Analytics Launches AI Code Reviewer” is useful.

A good subject line tells the editor the news in 10 words or fewer. It does not trick them. It does not oversell. It just tells them what the story is.

Mistake #9: Sending to the Wrong Beat

Some press releases go to reporters who cover a beat that has nothing to do with the announcement.

A release about a new accounting software should not go to the gaming reporter. A release about a partnership with a fashion brand should not go to the healthcare correspondent.

Editors get pitched every day by people who have no idea what they cover. These emails go in the trash.

Do the work. Read what the reporter has written. Check which beat they cover. Only send if the story is relevant.

Mistake #10: Too Much Corporate Speak

Press releases are full of words that mean nothing. “Leverage,” “unlock,” “synergy,” “ecosystem,” “robust,” “best-in-class,” “solutions,” “cutting-edge,” “innovative.”

Editors read press releases written by humans, not machines. Use words that sound like actual English. Use words that have weight.

Say “faster” instead of “optimized.” Say “cheaper” instead of “cost-effective.” Say “easier” instead of “user-friendly.” Say what you mean.

What a Clean Press Release Looks Like

A clean press release has four parts.

First paragraph: The news. One sentence. What happened?

Second through fourth paragraph: The details. How does it work? Why does it matter? Who is using it? What changed?

Quotes: Real quotes from real people saying things that matter.

Boilerplate: One paragraph about who you are. That is all you need.

That is the structure. No exceptions.

A strong press release gets written because you have something to say. Not because you want to make an announcement. Those are different things.

Reporters can tell the difference. So can editors. And so can readers.

Write for the reporter first. The rest follows.