What Makes a Press Release Actually Get Picked Up by Media?

Every business owner who sends a release secretly hopes for the same thing: the phone rings and a reporter says, "We'd love to do a story."

That moment isn't luck. It's the result of a handful of ingredients coming together. Miss one and your release sits in an inbox. Nail them and you give yourself a real shot.

1. It's actually news

The number one reason releases get ignored: there's nothing new. Newsworthy usually means at least one of these:

Timely — happening now or very soon
Local — affects people in Calgary or Alberta
Impactful — changes something for a lot of people
Unusual — a first, a record, a surprise
Human — a real person with a real story
Tied to a bigger conversation — housing, energy, cost of living, AI, small business resilience

Opening a second location? Fine. Opening a second location that hires 20 people in a neighbourhood that just lost its grocery store? That's a story.

2. The headline does the heavy lifting

If the headline doesn't earn a click, nothing else matters. Specific beats clever. Numbers beat adjectives. We break down the craft in How to Write a Compelling Press Release Headline.

3. It lands with the right person

A brilliant release sent to the wrong reporter is a deleted email. Pickup depends on matching your story to someone who covers that topic — the business desk, the tech reporter, the food writer, the trade editor in your industry.

That means building a list on purpose. Here's how: How to Create a Media List for Your Press Release.

4. The timing is right

Send a Stampede-week announcement during Stampede week and it drowns. Send it two weeks before and reporters have time to plan. Same goes for holidays, elections and big breaking news days. Good timing gives your story room to breathe.

5. It's easy to use

Journalists are on deadline. The easier you make their job, the more likely they'll use your story:

The full story in the first paragraph
Accurate names, titles and numbers
A quote that sounds human
Downloadable, high-resolution photos with usage rights
A spokesperson who's genuinely available

6. It doesn't sound like an ad

Superlatives kill credibility. "Industry-leading," "revolutionary," "world-class" — journalists roll their eyes and move on. Let facts do the bragging. If you have proof, show it. If you don't, don't claim it.

7. It avoids the classic mistakes

Typos, attachments instead of pasted text, missing contact info, mass BCC emails, three follow-ups in two days. Each of these quietly sinks your chances. We've rounded up the worst offenders in Press Release Mistakes That Kill Your Chances of Coverage.

Bonus: make it shareable

Pickup is great. Pickup plus a reporter sharing your story on their own channels is better. Releases with strong visuals, a surprising data point or a genuinely moving human story travel further. More on that in How to Write a Press Release That Journalists Will Share.

A quick pickup checklist

Before you hit send, ask:

Would someone outside my company care?
Is there a Calgary or Alberta angle?
Can a reporter understand the story from the headline and first paragraph alone?
Did I send it to people who actually cover this?
Is there a person available to interview today?

Five yeses and you're in a strong position.

The bottom line

Media pickup comes from newsworthy stories, sharp headlines, smart targeting and making a reporter's life easier. None of it requires a giant budget. All of it requires intention.

Want help finding the angle that gets you covered? That's what we do. Start your Blast at blastily.com.