Editorial review checks 4 things: that your release announces something real, that you can back up its claims, that a publisher can safely host it, and that it suits any premium outlet you picked. It won't rewrite your voice or ask you to sound more corporate. PR Zen's guidelines are more flexible than those of most distribution services, so most releases are approved as submitted, usually within a few hours. If something does need attention, you get one clear note that says exactly what to change.
The 4 questions review asks
Is there a real announcement?
A release should contain something new: a launch, partnership, appointment, report, event, expansion or meaningful update. Promotional copy with no news is harder to place, because a news site has no reason to run it.
Compare 2 openings:
- Reads like an ad: “[Firm name] is a trusted partner for growing businesses.”
- Reads like news: “[Firm name] opens a Tucson office on November 3 and adds payroll services for its clients.”
The first could run any day of the year. The second says what changed and when. Small news counts: a new hire or a second location makes a fine release if it's real and dated. To check your own draft, try the fill-in-the-blanks test in our first-release guide.
Can the claims be supported?
Editors may ask for a source when a claim sounds absolute or unusually large. US advertising law sets a similar bar: the FTC's policy statement on advertising substantiation says advertisers need a reasonable basis for claims before publishing them. An ad that says “tests prove” or “studies show” needs at least the proof it advertises.
| In the draft | What an editor asks | What settles it |
|---|---|---|
| “The No. 1 invoicing app” | Ranked by whom, and when? | Name the ranking and its date, or drop “No. 1” and say what the app does |
| “Twice as fast as the competition” | Compared with what, measured how? | A link to the test, or a line on the method and when you ran it |
| A big-name partner in the headline | Has the partner agreed to be named? | A quote from someone at the partner, or a link to its own announcement |
| “Trusted by thousands of businesses” | How many, counted how? | The real count and the date you took it |
Opinion is fine when a named person owns it. A founder saying “we think this is the simplest way for a clinic to take bookings” offers a view readers can weigh. Written into the body as “the simplest booking system on the market,” the same idea becomes a claim that needs support. Quotation marks don't cover measurable facts, though: if the founder says clinics cut booking time in half, that figure still needs a source.
The one-link test. For each claim, ask if you could send an editor a link that backs it up today. If you can, add the link to the release. If you can't, rewrite the claim as something you can show.
Is it safe for a publisher to host?
Your release will run on other people's websites, in front of readers who don't know you, so review checks the basics a publisher needs:
- The company name is the legal or recognized one, and the website works.
- Quotes come from real people with accurate job titles.
- The media contact is an inbox someone actually reads.
- You have the rights to every image, logo, quote and piece of data you include.
Does the story fit the outlet?
Audience fit matters most for premium placements. A strong release can still be wrong for a particular title: a new restaurant is good local news but a hard sell on TheStreet, which covers markets, companies and personal finance. When that happens, adjust the angle or pick a premium outlet whose readers match the story.
A purely local story may not need a premium outlet at all. The Quick Start package covers 100+ outlets for $15. Each publisher is independent and keeps its own rules, which can be stricter than ours.
What review leaves alone
Review looks at what you say and whether you can stand behind it. How you say it stays yours. If your brand writes casually, the release can too, and nobody will send it back for being plain.
You don't need press release jargon either. Phrases like “is pleased to announce” and “leading provider of” add words without adding facts, and cutting them gives a reviewer less to question.
The few things that stop a release
Most questions are settled with a quick reply. A handful stop a release:
- Deceptive or unlawful claims. Invented awards, fake reviews, partnerships that don't exist, or anything illegal where the release will run.
- Impersonation. Posing as another company or person, or implying an endorsement you don't have.
- Guaranteed returns. Promises of high returns with little or no risk head the list of red flags in the SEC's guide to avoiding investment scams, which notes that “there's no such thing as high guaranteed investment returns.”
- Medical promises. Words like “cures” or “replaces your medication.” The FTC's health products compliance guidance counts press releases as advertising and says health benefit claims generally need randomized, controlled human clinical testing.
- Content you have no rights to. A copy of someone else's release, or an image you found online and have no permission to use.
Deception and impersonation can't be edited away. The rest usually can: explain a fund's risks instead of projecting its returns, or keep a supplement's health claims to what your trials show. The full editorial guidelines list the other hard limits, such as defamation and malware. Restricted industries may also need a specific network and extra review.
If you get a note
Most notes ask for something small, like a link behind a claim or the full title of the person quoted. Reply with what's asked and change nothing else, since rewriting other sections gives the reviewer new text to check.
If you're submitting for a client, get the source or sign-off from the client directly, since the claim is theirs. And make every change before launch: once distribution begins, a correction may be delayed or impossible on some copies.
How to get approved as submitted
The quickest releases to approve answer a reviewer's questions before anyone asks. The news and its date sit in the first sentence, and every number or superlative has a source next to it.
Before you send, run your draft through a quick pre-submission checklist. If you're new to PR Zen, request access on the get started page and the team will reply by email.
