The PR Week 10.15.2025: Why AI puts press releases back on top
Press releases aren't dead. AI just made them a core source of truth again.
On this week's The PR Week, Matt Brown, president of PR Newswire, makes the case that large language models are steering communicators back to the release. As more PR pros use AI to research, draft, and validate messaging, structured, attributable updates rise in value. The press release is the asset LLMs can cite, index, and cross-check.
Why it matters for PR and comms
- Authority: LLMs favor original, verifiable sources. Releases with dates, names, numbers, and quotes become the factual anchor.
- Distribution: Wire services add structure and reach, improving discoverability across AI assistants, search, and news databases.
- Consistency: A clear release reduces conflicting narratives across channels and cuts AI hallucination risk.
Make your next release AI-ready
- Lead with the news in the first two sentences. Keep it clear, concrete, and free of jargon.
- Include hard data: SKUs, timelines, pricing, locations, executive titles, and contact info.
- Use consistent naming for brands, products, and spokespeople to improve entity recognition.
- Add brief FAQs or bullets in the body to help models extract key facts.
- Link to source docs (fact sheets, filings, spec pages) and keep URLs stable.
- Publish on your newsroom and through a wire; use the same headline and timestamp.
- Provide quotes that add context, not fluff. Aim for one sentence per idea.
- Track pickup beyond clips: monitor how AI assistants summarize or cite your release.
Workflow upgrades for AI-heavy teams
- Set a house style for product names, metrics, and disclaimers; enforce it across teams and regions.
- Create a "source of record" folder for each announcement (release, Q&A, visuals) and keep revisions synced.
- Use a red-team step: ask an AI assistant to summarize your draft and flag missing facts or ambiguities.
- Publish faster with smaller, verified updates rather than holding for an all-in-one mega announcement.
This week's headlines to watch
- General Motors is unifying its marketing and communications teams under Lin-Hua Wu - a signal that integration is non-negotiable heading into 2026.
- Brands should get in shape now for the World Cup. Global timelines, local rights, and retail tie-ins take months to align. See the official tournament hub for timing and host city context: FIFA World Cup.
- A major departure at Burson underscores how leadership moves can reset client portfolios and positioning. Have your client comms plan ready for executive changes.
- PRDecoded lands in Chicago tomorrow - a good pulse check on what's working in integrated comms and AI-led workflows.
Bottom line
AI has raised the bar for precision. The press release wins when it functions as a clear, structured artifact that models and journalists can trust. Build for clarity, publish with consistency, and let AI do what it does best: find and amplify well-structured facts.
If your team is leveling up AI skills for comms work, explore role-based learning paths here: AI courses by job.
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