Forget the supposed AI hacks. The press releases most likely to appear in AI search are the same ones journalists have always wanted: clear, factual and worth quoting. Caroline Bondy explains why writing for AI starts not with technology, but with principles George Orwell set out nearly 80 years ago.
Key Takeaways
- There’s no AI-specific trick. The releases AI cites are the ones journalists would already run.
- Front-load the news: top line, then who, what, where, when, why, in the opening sentence.
- Replace adjectives with verifiable specifics. A date, a material, a name does more work than “iconic.”
- Write sentences that stand alone, since both journalists and AI often lift single passages out of context.
- Only use a quote if it reveals something a paragraph of facts couldn’t.
- Include one detail nobody else could have written. That’s what makes a release worth citing over a summary.
Despite the headlines, there is no secret formula for making a press release “AI friendly.” Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode rely on the same core technical foundations as traditional search.
But the good news is that the same qualities that journalists have always valued, clarity, accuracy, credibility and a great story, are exactly what helps AI systems understand and cite your press release. The fundamentals haven’t changed. In fact, some of the best advice for writing in the age of AI was written nearly 80 years ago.
Start with a story. Not an announcement.
AI doesn’t decide what’s newsworthy. It simply becomes another reader deciding whether your story is worth surfacing. That’s why the oldest rule in journalism still matters: knowing what makes a good story. Before you write a single word, ask yourself one question: why should anyone care?
It’s a test every newsroom applies instinctively. The Guardian advises businesses looking to get media coverage should start by asking a simple question: “Will anyone actually care?” The New York Times, meanwhile, teaches headline writers to capture “the essence of a story,” while Condé Nast Traveller’s commissioning guidelines ask for “genuine stories not press releases.”
AI simply reinforces these rules. It doesn’t create news value. It becomes another reader deciding whether your story is worth surfacing. If the only people who care are inside your business, no amount of AI optimisation will change that.
Write a headline that does its job
A headline has one purpose: to tell people why the story matters.
Headline writing is a puzzle: distilling the essence of a story into a handful of words while following a long list of editorial rules.
Arlene Schneider, Former Editor, The New York Times
The aim isn’t to be clever or clickbait. It’s to capture what the story is really about. That’s just as important for AI as it is for humans.
The same principle applies to press releases. A headline isn’t there to intrigue your communications team. It’s there to tell a busy journalist, at a glance, whether there’s a story worth reading. The clearer it is, the more useful it becomes, not just to people, but to AI systems trying to identify what the page is about.
Avoid
A New Chapter Begins
Instead
Mantis Hiddn in Addo Officially Opens
The second version tells journalists what the story is and gives AI clear entities, places and dates to understand.
Lead with the news
A press release isn’t a feature article. Its job isn’t to build suspense; it’s to communicate the news as quickly and clearly as possible.
That’s why journalists have long relied on the inverted pyramid: put the most important information first, then follow with context and supporting detail. Get the “top line” into the opening sentence and answer as many of the classic questions, who, what, where, when and why, as soon as possible.
A useful test is to imagine a television presenter introducing your story in a six-second bulletin. Could they explain what happened in one sentence? If not, you’ve probably buried the lead. Once you’ve got the reader’s attention, then you can tell the richer story behind the announcement.
The inverted pyramid was designed for human readers, but it turns out to work remarkably well for AI too. When the key facts come first, they’re easier to identify, summarise and quote accurately. Good journalism has become good machine-readable content almost by accident.
Earn your adjectives
The quickest way to lose credibility is to rely on vague superlatives, and travel journalism and PR are full of them. Hidden gem. Best-kept secret. Breathtaking. Iconic. Exquisite. Words that tell us almost nothing. Journalists roll their eyes at them, and AI can’t do much with them either.
Avoid
“Hotel Martinez is an iconic luxury hotel offering an unforgettable experience on the French Riviera.”
Instead
“Opened in 1929, Hotel Martinez combines Belle Époque architecture with Art Deco interiors. It has its own private beach on the Croisette, a Carita spa and a Michelin-starred restaurant.”
Specificity is almost always more persuasive than adjectives. A good exercise is to write your press release without using any adjectives.
Write sentences that can travel
Never assume your reader has read the previous paragraph. Journalists rarely read every word of a press release. They scan for facts they can lift into a story. AI works in a similar way, often retrieving and summarising individual passages rather than entire documents.
That means your most important sentences should make sense in isolation.
Avoid
It will open there next September.
Instead
The hotel will open in Hanoi’s Ba Dinh district in September 2026.
The second sentence contains everything a journalist, or an AI system, needs. It can be quoted, summarised or cited without having to hunt through the rest of the release for context.
Stop writing quotes nobody would ever say
The weakest part of most press releases isn’t the headline. It’s the quote. “We’re delighted to announce…” “We’re incredibly excited…” “This reflects our ongoing commitment to excellence…”
Nobody talks like that. Journalists know it. AI does too.
A good quote shouldn’t repeat facts already covered elsewhere. The best quotes reveal personality, explain why something matters or include a memorable detail that only that person could have said. If your GM mentions the childhood memory behind a new hotel, or the chef mentions the local baker who inspired the menu, or the interior designer talks about the 27 different slabs of marble they rejected, you’ve probably got something worth quoting.
The press release provides the facts. The quote provides the voice.
If you could replace the quote with another paragraph and lose nothing, it probably isn’t earning its place.
Give AI something it can’t find anywhere else
AI can synthesise almost everything that’s already been published. What it can’t do is interview your founder, walk around your hotel or notice something nobody else has written about. That’s still your job.
The strongest press releases include something only you could have uncovered: original data, a first-hand observation, an unexpected anecdote or an expert explaining why they made a particular decision.
Instead of telling journalists your hotel has “beautiful views,” explain why every bath was positioned to catch the sunrise. Instead of saying your restaurant celebrates local produce, reveal the farmer you’ve worked with for 20 years or the one ingredient your chef refuses to buy from anywhere else.
And ask yourself one question: what would somebody miss if they only read an AI summary instead of the original release? If the answer is “not much,” you probably need to think again.
Sweat the small stuff
Finally, don’t overlook the basics. Spell names consistently. Use descriptive headings. Include dates, locations and organisations in full. Link to supporting sources where appropriate. Publish a web version alongside any PDF. None of these techniques is glamorous, but together they make your content easier to understand, verify and reference.
And finally? Be more Orwell
In 1946, George Orwell published Politics and the English Language, setting out six rules for better writing. They were written to combat political waffle, yet they read like remarkably good guidance for the AI era.
Use short words. Cut unnecessary ones. Prefer the active voice. Avoid clichés and jargon. Above all, write so clearly your meaning can’t be misunderstood.
AI doesn’t reward complicated writing. It rewards clear writing.
The best way to write for AI isn’t to think like a machine. It’s to write so clearly that neither a machine nor a human can misunderstand you.
