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This post is about whether press releases still help with SEO in 2026. It goes through what Google has said about the links in them, what AI tools like ChatGPT seem to do with them, and how a startup or a small business can write and send one without wasting money.
The Short Answer:
If you are wondering if press releases help SEO, the answer is yes, but not directly. The link in a press release does not make your page rank higher in Google just because it is there. The help comes from other things. Your brand name shows up on news sites, a few people click through to your website, and some of them search for your brand name later. Once in a while, a journalist picks up the story and writes about you with a link to your site, and that link is the one that actually counts.
I think of a press release as a way to tell people about news. SEO is a side benefit, and a small one.
What Google Has Said About Press Release Backlinks.
Back in 2013, Google added press releases to its link scheme guidelines. It said that links with keyword-heavy anchor text, in releases that are published on other sites, can look unnatural. Google has also said it mostly ignores these links, and most wire services add nofollow to them anyway.
So the press release backlinks you get from a wire copy are weak. If you put ten links in a release with anchor text like “cheap SEO services”, it can look spammy, and you still get nothing out of it. One or two links with your brand name are enough. A link that a writer adds in their own article later is worth a lot more than all of those.
What Can You Expect.
| What do you get? | How does it help? | How often does it happen? |
| Brand mentions on news sites | Search engines and AI tools see your name next to your topic. | This is the most common result. |
| Visitors from other sites | People click through to your website. | Not many, but they are real visitors. |
| More searches for your brand | People read about you and search your name later. | You can see it in Search Console. |
| Links from journalists | A writer links to you in their article. | Cannot be promised |
| Ranking help from the wire link | Mostly ignored or nofollow | Better not to count on it |
Press Releases and AI Search.
A 2026 study looked at the links that ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini use in their answers. About 84% came from earned media, which is news articles and other sources that are not ads or the brand’s own pages. Paid and advertorial content was only around 0.3%, and press releases were a little over 1%.
That is not a lot. But an earlier round of the same research, from late 2025, found that press release citations grew about five times in a few months, and the releases that got cited had more bullet points and more plain facts than the ones that did not. It looks like AI tools like clear facts and sites they already trust. A release that sounds like an ad probably will not get picked up, and nobody can promise that an AI tool will cite yours.
Press Release Distribution Options:
You can do press release distribution in a few ways, and each one gives a different result.
| Option: | Where does it show up? | Good for: |
| Paid wire service | Many news and finance sites; links are often nofollow | Funding news, big launches |
| Industry or regional networks | Niche sites and local outlets | Startups and small businesses that know their audience |
| Pitching journalists yourself | Only if a journalist decides to cover you | Stories with a real angle |
| Your own website | A press page on your domain | Every release, so you have a record |
At 360 Digital Idea, we try to match each release to publications in the client’s own industry. A story about a dental clinic and a story about a software tool should not go to the same list. Our press release service includes writing the release, finding the right media and tracking reach and engagement after it goes out. We cannot promise that a publication will run the story, and I would be careful with anyone who does promise that.
How to Write a Press Release for a Startup?
If you are looking at how to write a press release for a startup, begin with the news and leave the story of the company for later. Reporters don’t usually write about a business only because it exists. They write about things like a launch, a funding round, a partnership, a new hire, a user milestone, or some data you collected yourself.
Say a small startup in Delhi launches a billing app for local shops. This is a made-up example, just to show the idea. “Startup launches billing app” is too general. “Delhi startup launches billing app for shops, with 200 early users” is better, if the number is true.
- Choose one news angle and stick to it.
- Put the main facts in the first paragraph.
- Add a quote from the founder, something that actually says something.
- Use one or two numbers that you can prove.
- Finish with a short line about the company and the contact details.
A simple check when you are working on how to write a press release for a startup is to say the news in two short sentences. If you can’t, the story probably needs more work.
If you ask 360 Digital Idea to write it for you, we will still need the real dates, numbers and a quote from the founder on your side.
Press Release Format for Small Business:
The press release format for small businesses is the same as what big companies use. It should be one page, around 400 to 500 words, written in the third person. Editors get a lot of emails every day, so a normal press release format for small businesses makes it easier for them to read yours quickly.
| Part: | What goes in it? |
| Headline | Short and clear, one line |
| Dateline | City and date at the start |
| First paragraph | Who, what, when, where and why in two or three sentences |
| Body | More details, one quote, or one or two facts or figures |
| Boilerplate | Two or three lines about your business |
| Media contact | Name, email, phone and website |
| End mark | ### or “end”, so the editor knows that is the end |
For SEO, add one link to the page that matches the news, with your brand name or the page title as the link text. Put the same release on your own website too, with a clear title and a meta description. That page is yours, and it can rank for your brand name and the news.
Checking If It Worked.
Look at Search Console and compare searches for your brand name in the weeks before and after the release. Check your analytics for visitors who came from the sites that published it, and see if you got any new links, even one or two. At 360 Digital Idea, we track reach, impressions and engagement for the releases we handle, but you can do a simple version of this yourself with free tools.
Common Mistakes:
- Sending a release when there is no real news
- Putting in a lot of links with keyword anchor text
- Using words like “best” and “leading” with nothing to back them up
- Sending the same copy to every publication
- Paying for press release distribution without checking which sites really publish it
- Not putting the release on your own website
- Final Thoughts
Do press releases help SEO in 2026? A little, and mostly in an indirect way. You can get a mention on a trusted site, some visitors, more searches for your name, and a better chance of showing up when someone asks an AI tool about your area. Press release distribution works better when you choose the right sites than when you just send more releases. If you have real news, send one. If you don’t, it is better to spend that money on content or your website first.
FAQs
Q1. Do press releases help SEO in 2026?
Yes, but indirectly. They help through brand mentions, visitors from other sites, brand searches and sometimes a link from a journalist. The wire link itself does not do much.
Q2. Are press release backlinks dofollow or nofollow?
Most press release backlinks from wire copies are nofollow, and Google mostly ignores them. Links that journalists add in their own articles are different.
Q3. Is press release distribution worth it for a small business?
It can be, if you have real news and pick sites that match your industry or city. For small updates, your own website and social pages are enough.
Q4. How long should a press release be?
Around 400 to 500 words works for most announcements. It can be shorter if the news is simple.
Q5. What is the right press release format for small business?
A headline, a dateline, a first paragraph with the key facts, a short body with one quote, a boilerplate and media contact details.
Q6. Do you have tips on how to write a press release for a startup with no big news yet?
Look for a smaller angle, like a first customer milestone, a new feature, a new hire or a small data point from your own users.
Q7. How often should I send a press release?
Only when there is something newsworthy. For many small businesses, that is a few times a year.
Q8. Can a press release guarantee media coverage?
No. Good writing and the right distribution help your chances, but the editor decides what to publish.
Q9. Will ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews cite my press release?
It can happen, but press releases are a small share of what AI tools cite. Clear facts and a trusted site help.
