We regularly get the question from (new) users: can't we just send the press release to a much larger group? It seems like a logical thought, since that one extra journalist might just be interested in your story. And this could mean an additional publication that you otherwise wouldn't have had!
However, it doesn't work that way. More is simply not always better. A press list of 200 journalists is not twice as good as a press list of 100 journalists. There will be a group of journalists interested in your story, but at a certain point, the size of that group reaches its maximum. An additional journalist then adds little (something they call 'diminishing sensitivity' in psychology and economics).
Actions speak louder than words
We can imagine that the initial thought of 'more = better' is hard to let go of, no matter how strongly we say that's not always the case. Thus, we analyzed the entire month of November, and some remarkable results emerged.
We monitored all sent campaigns, compared these with the number of publications per campaign, and identified several variables, such as the number of recipients and the Presscloud score. We gave a small teaser about this in this blog, which in simple terms is a score we assign to press releases based on a wide range of evaluation criteria, including structure, length, and language use.
What the data tells us
The data from November shows a striking outcome: the number of recipients of a press release has almost no predictive value for the eventual number of publications. The correlation between these two variables is only -0.12, which is so low that it has no statistical significance. In other words: a larger list does not necessarily lead to more publications, but a smaller list doesn't mean you will get fewer results either.
The fact that a large press list doesn't automatically work aligns with what we often see in practice. Journalists don't publish because they receive a press release, but because the release is relevant, newsworthy, and well-written. Factors like a sharp angle, a clear newsworthy reason, and strong timing weigh more heavily than the number of people on the distribution list. The quality of that list also plays a significant role. A well-composed press list with a smaller, but relevant, group of journalists will always beat a large, unfocused list.
Important for PR strategies
It's tempting to think that more reach automatically leads to more media attention. But this dataset shows exactly the opposite. The foundation remains content. A strong story gets attention, regardless of whether you have 50 or 500 recipients. A mediocre story won't get that attention, even if you send it to a huge list.
For PR teams and entrepreneurs, this is good news. You don't need to chase giant lists or expensive databases. Invest primarily in a good story, a sharp positioning, and a list that truly fits your topic. That's where the difference lies. We are happy to help you with that, so feel free to reach out!
