Editorial Guidelines

These guidelines define what PR Underground accepts for distribution, required formatting, and our publication policies. Submitting a release constitutes your agreement to these guidelines.

These are minimum requirements for acceptance. To maximize your chances of pickup by media outlets, we strongly recommend also following the best practices outlined on our Press Release Best Practices page.

1. Formatting requirements

Your release must meet all of the following before it will be accepted:

• Written in English
• Written in third person (e.g. "Company XYZ today announced…" not "We today announced…")
• Between 100 and 2,000 words (under 800 words strongly recommended for best chance of PR pickup)
• Written in standard press release format: headline, dateline, body copy, boilerplate, and contact information
• Must include a headline
• Must include a dateline (city, state, and date)
• Must include a company boilerplate at the end
• Must include a contact name, email address, and phone number
• All links must be active and functional at time of submission
• Content must be original — the majority of your release must not be templated, recycled, or duplicate content from a previous release

If a summary is included:

• Must be 170 characters or fewer
• Must not be identical to the first paragraph

Images (if included):

• Up to 5 images per release; one will be marked as featured
• You must have legal permission for all images used
• Accepted file types: .jpeg, .gif, .png

2. Prohibited content

The following content types will not be accepted under any circumstances:

• Negative press releases about any third-party person, company, government, country, religion, or race
• Guns, weapons, or firearms (including any mention of these in the release)
• Direct sales of alcohol
• Illicit drugs, including federally illegal marijuana, cannabis, or THC (hemp and CBD are acceptable)
• Tobacco, vaping, or electronic cigarettes
• Cosmetic procedures and body modification (e.g. plastic surgery)
• Dating apps, websites, or events with adult or sexual themes
• Adult or sexual content of any kind, including any use of the word "sex"
• Sexual reproductive health content
• ICOs, Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, NFTs, crypto wallets, crypto trading, crypto investing, or crypto mining
• Non-FDA approved medicines, pharmaceuticals, or Google banned supplements (See list of banned pharmaceuticals and supplements: Google's banned supplements list)
• Unsubstantiated medical, financial, or safety claims
• Money-making schemes or scams
• Legal cases or litigation
• Tax, legal, or financial advice
• Statements or interpretations of laws
• Online gambling
• Material news about publicly traded companies (US National plan does not accept publicly traded companies)
• Stock recommendations
• Investment opportunities
• Slander, libel, defamation, or allegations against any third party
• Press releases about third-party companies or individuals without their written permission
• Personal loans, cash advances, or predatory lending
• Conspiracy theories
• Anti-vaccine content or similar rhetoric
• Content that promotes or condemns any religion
• Political content or op-ed pieces
• Pornographic material or content promoting illegal activity
• Sponsored or guest posts
• Templated, recycled, or duplicate content — the majority of your release must be original

Note: Press releases that mention media outlet names (e.g. NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, Hearst, Gannett, Tribune) may be blocked by some of our distribution partners, as these networks may not accept content that references competitors.

3. Submission & publication policies

4. Additional requirements for EIN Presswire distribution

If your plan includes EIN Presswire distribution, the following additional requirements apply on top of PRU's standard guidelines above.

Writing style:

• Written in third person throughout. No pronouns of direct address ("you," "I," "we," "our") except within direct quotes from a named spokesperson.
• No hype language — no exclamation points, no ALL CAPS for emphasis, no hyperbolic claims (e.g. "AMAZING," "revolutionary," "groundbreaking").

Headline:

• Must identify the company or organization issuing the release directly in the headline.

Links:

• Maximum 1 link per 100 words.

Additional prohibited content:

• Health supplements of any kind, regardless of legality claims
• Weight loss products or ingredients
• Sexual enhancement products
• Academic writing services (essay writing, dissertation writing, homework help, etc.)
• Reprints of articles, news stories, or opinion columns from other publications
• BlackHat SEO services (link buying, keyword stuffing, paid followers, etc.)
• Forex trading platforms, demo accounts, or AI-based trading tools
• Cloud mining services
• Fantasy sports or pay-to-play gambling platforms

Authorization requirements:

• Network marketing or MLM companies require written authorization from a company executive
• Use of stock ticker symbols requires written authorization from the issuing company

For EIN Presswire's full guidelines, visit: einpresswire.com/legal/editorial-guidelines

5. Guidelines for Google News pickup

PR Underground submits every release to Google News. Whether Google News indexes your release depends on factors outside our control, but the following guidelines significantly increase your chances. Releases that don't follow these guidelines will still be published to our full distribution network but are unlikely to be picked up by Google News.