What is the main purpose of a press release?

• A. To boost overall brand awareness
• B. To manage internal communications
• C. To announce newsworthy information to the media and generate earned publicity
• D. To run promotional campaigns

Answer: (C)

Press releases aim to share newsworthy information with the media so reporters can cover it, creating earned publicity for the organization. The main goal is to attract media attention and get third-party coverage, not to speak directly to customers through paid ads or to inform employees.

To be effective, a press release presents the essentials in a newsy, concise way—the what, who, when, where, and why—often with a quote from a spokesperson and a brief company boilerplate. When journalists find it useful, they publish or broadcast the story, which lends credibility because it comes from journalistic coverage rather than paid advertising.

Other purposes, like internal communications to employees or running promotional campaigns, use different tools and channels. A press release can support those efforts, but its primary function is to generate earned publicity by informing the media.