Editorial guidelines
Applies to every wire we sell · last updated 16 October 2026
Every wire is run by a supplier with its own editors, and they can refuse a release. We apply these rules before anything is submitted, so a release is not turned down after it has been paid for.
What a release needs
- A real news angle. Something new, useful or surprising to a general reader: a survey result, an appointment, a launch with a point of interest, a deal, a milestone. A description of your services is not news.
- A neutral, third-person voice, with at least one named person quoted in their own words, with their job title.
- Facts and figures you can source, with the source stated in the text or in notes to editors.
- A headline that says what happened. No hype, no capitals for effect, no sales phrasing.
- Names written as you want them. Company and spokesperson names are repeated exactly across every site, so check them.
- One link to a page of yours, with your name or company as the link text, not a keyword phrase. Several links, or sales links, are removed.
- A picture you own or hold the rights to, with a caption and a credit. On SEO Wire US, if you have none, send a Shutterstock reference and we will licence it and include it.
What we will not publish
Declined outright
- Gambling, betting and casino content
- Adult content
- Vaping, nicotine and CBD products
- Anything unlawful or defamatory
Declined as a rule
- Health, medical or cure claims, and supplements
- Guaranteed financial returns, trading and forex offers
- Allegations, lawsuits or accusations against named people or companies
- Adverts, event invitations and anything promotional in tone
Sensitive subjects
Some subjects are not banned but need a check, because a wire’s operator can take a story down or refuse it, and a complaint about one story can put the whole feed at risk. Finance, crypto and other regulated products are the main ones, and a sensitive word in the headline makes a refusal more likely. If your release is in a grey area, tell us when you send it and we will say how it is likely to be received before we submit it.
How the wires differ
UK network, 65 regional titles
A permanent page on each title’s own site, labelled “Ad Feature by SWNS”, canonical to nationalworld.com, with nofollow links. Publishing runs Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm UK time, with no weekends. A release received in those hours is live within 24 hours on a working day.
SEO Wire US
Published on each site’s homepage and filed in the relevant category, with dofollow links, each copy canonical to itself. Live the same day when copy is approved by 5pm UK time.
Other wires
As each supplier publishes. Some carry translations. We confirm the turnaround with the supplier when we schedule it.
An embargo is respected: put the date and time at the top of the release and the story is held until then.
Our part and yours
- We check, we do not rewrite your facts. We read each release for news value and fit, and we tell you if it needs changes. We do not alter your claims or figures.
- The supplier has the final say. We tell you before we submit if we expect a refusal.
- Accuracy is yours. The same text appears on many sites, so an error is repeated everywhere. You approve the final copy, and a wrong figure cannot be quietly corrected afterwards.
- No guarantees of outcome. We do not promise rankings, traffic, links staying online or any particular response to a story.
Send us a release
Email your release, with a picture if you have one, to hello@prwire.co.uk. If you are unsure about anything, such as a sensitive subject, ask first.