Product and News Release Submission Guidelines and Specifications
- Send releases electronically to [email protected].
- Send releases in WORD format (as an attachment) or as plain text in the body of your e-mail. Please do not send releases in PDF format - it is often difficult to extract text and images from them.
- Include any applicable images as separate attachments in .JPG, .GIF or .PNG format. Please do not embed images in the e-mail message or in the attached WORD document. Images 500 pixels wide by 313 pixels high work best with the website/e-newsletter layouts, so please make every effort to provide this dimension.
- Product releases must be about a new or enhanced product.
- News releases can include company news, acquisitions, application stories, new or enhanced services, literature items, catalogs, white papers, data sheets, etc.
- News & Product releases must include date of release, contact, and company information.
- Because our readers want the most recent industry happenings, we will not publish any news release submitted to Automation.com 60 days or more after the ORIGINAL release date. Our content team searches other news sites for every applicable press release to determine the original release date. Ensure that [email protected] is added to your press release distribution list for initial release dates.
- We will typically not publish news releases that are unrelated to automation or those that announce sales price promotions. Additionally, we do not publish announcements of show exhibition, application stories that do not name the end user, magazine awards, or announcements of trivial enhancements to products.
- Please include an e-mail address, phone number and web site address for further product inquiries. All releases will include a link to your web site's main page.
- Again, all releases must be timely and industry related.
- Please NO Zip files. Press releases sent as Zip files will not be published.
Note: We reserve the right to use our editorial discretion when publishing your product and news releases on our site.
Helpful Hints for Writing Press Releases
- Your press release headline should clearly state who and what. Try this format: “Company announces Model 123 Product.”
- In the first two paragraphs, describe what the product is, including its most important features and what it does. Include the core of the content; print magazines often truncate releases after 70 words, but Automation.com will run the entire release.
- Use the rest of the press release (max 2 pages, single-spaced) to describe the rest of the product features, where it can be used, how it is different and better than competitors, etc. Longer press releases will leave buyers/readers more knowledgeable about the product and when they contact you, they will be much closer to purchasing.
- Include a web address. We link directly to your desired landing page, which should contain as much information about your product as possible (data sheet, brochure, app stories, pricing, etc.).
- Do not write the release like an advertisement; it should be newsworthy and not promotional in nature.
- Write to the editor, not the customer. For example, instead of saying, “You can use the Product,” say, “An engineer can use the Product.”
- The following will be removed from press releases and should be avoided:
- Extravagant statements, particularly exaggerations or over-statements of the product’s grandeur
- Superlatives or biased descriptors (ground-breaking, industry-leading, etc.)
- Unsupported claims (faster, less expensive, etc.); however, if evidence to back up the claims exists, cite it.