When should a nonprofit send a press release?
Send a release when the news is significant, specific and dated. Releases on Susan’s site lead with what is new: a first community partner, a book arriving November 17, a show on October 19, a campaign goal of $11,000.
Routine updates usually work better as pitches, social posts or newsletter items. Saving releases for real milestones keeps them credible with the journalists who receive them.
Exclusive versus pre-brief: two release models
| Model | How it works | Good fit |
|---|---|---|
| Exclusive | One outlet gets the story first, in return for running it prominently. | A milestone with one ideal outlet for the audience. |
| Pre-brief | Selected journalists see the news before it is public so stories run on release day. | News that several outlets may want at once. |
Newswire distribution and Business Wire
Definition card
How Susan von Seggern uses a newswire
After a release is serviced personally by email, Susan von Seggern posts it to a newswire only if the budget allows. For wire releasing she recommends Business Wire because of its respectability. She has an annual deal with Business Wire that, according to her site, significantly saves her clients money compared with one-off releases there or on other wires.
This sequence, personal servicing first and wire second, keeps the focus on journalists who are likely to cover the news, with the wire adding reach and a public record.
A nonprofit press release checklist
- A headline that states the news, plus a subhead with the key detail.
- City and date line, then the who, what, when and where in the first paragraph.
- Named people, partners and beneficiaries, with short quotes.
- Practical details: dates, venues, ticket or donation links.
- An About section for each organization.
Read more in the media relations framework or the nonprofit PR Los Angeles guide.
Common questions
- What is the most widely used PR tool?
- The press release, delivered by email and often posted to a newswire, remains one of the most widely used PR tools, alongside the personal email pitch. Susan von Seggern announces significant milestones by release using an exclusive or pre-brief model, then services the release by email and posts it to a wire if budgeted.
- What is an exclusive or pre-brief press release model?
- In an exclusive, one outlet gets the story first in return for running it prominently. In a pre-brief, selected journalists see the news before it is public so they can prepare stories for release day. Susan von Seggern uses one of these models for significant milestones, followed by email servicing.
- Is a newswire release worth the money for a nonprofit?
- It depends on the milestone. A wire release adds broad distribution and a public record, but personal email servicing to targeted journalists often does the heavy lifting. Susan von Seggern posts releases to a wire only if budgeted, and recommends Business Wire for its respectability, using her annual deal to lower the cost.
- What counts as news for a nonprofit?
- News is something new and specific: a launch, a partnership, a notable speaker or headliner, a milestone, a report, or a timely response to a current issue. The Sleep To Live Well Foundation’s first community partnership and a 64-page family guide release are examples of cause news announced on Susan von Seggern’s site.
- What if our nonprofit has no news right now?
- You can still earn coverage. Lead service monitoring matches your experts to journalists already asking for sources, and podcast pitching offers interview slots that do not depend on a launch. Susan von Seggern uses both, and her lead service work has produced placements in outlets including Good Housekeeping and the New York Times.
- Can PR guarantee coverage?
- No. Earned media is decided by editors and producers, so no honest publicist can guarantee a specific story or outlet. What a publicist controls is the quality of the angle, the targeting and the follow-through. That is the value of a structured approach like Susan von Seggern’s four-part framework.