Gaining trust is one of the most valuable assets a business, brand, or individual can possess. While modern marketing tools have evolved with social media, influencer campaigns, and content automation, one longstanding tool continues to play a key, yet often underestimated role: the press release.

A press release can be more than just an announcement when used strategically. It can act as a trust catalyst. It operates at the intersection of owned and earned media, quietly reinforcing your brand or corporate credibility, solidifying your messaging, and creating momentum for greater visibility in the future.

Most people associate a press release with trying to "get picked up" by a journalist or news outlet. While media pickup is certainly a goal, the immediate coverage or traffic isn't the only value. The most powerful benefits of press release distribution come from how it shapes awareness over time, amplifies your authority, and builds a discoverable record of legitimacy across the internet.

At 24-7 Press Release, we will explain how leveraging a press release service strategically—beyond the basic act of publishing—can lay the groundwork for stronger relationships with media, customers, and partners alike.

Understanding Owned, Earned, and Paid Media

In marketing and public relations, content is often categorized into three types of media: owned, earned, and paid. Understanding how press releases fit into this structure is key to understanding their hidden power.

• Owned media includes assets you control: your website, blog, newsletters, and your social media accounts. These platforms allow you to communicate directly with your audience.

• Earned media refers to coverage or exposure gained through third parties, such as bloggers interested in you, journalists writing a story about your business, organic social media sharing, or word-of-mouth. This media type is considered the most credible but is also the hardest to obtain and control.

• Paid media includes advertising across digital or print platforms.

When distributed through a press release service, a press release lives in a gray area. It's technically owned media because you control the message and pay to have it distributed. However, when syndicated or picked up by journalists and blogs, it can quickly evolve into earned media. This dual role makes it a powerful and underutilized tool in brand communication strategy.

The Trust Gap: Why Press Releases Still Matter in 2025

Consumers, journalists, and even investors are inundated with content daily. Attention spans are short, and skepticism runs high. In this environment, any claim made on a business's website or social channel is often taken with a grain of salt. A press release, however, comes with a built-in layer of objectivity and professionalism. When your message appears on a third-party newswire, it sends a subtle but powerful message: this information is newsworthy and has passed through an external gateway.

This perception, even if the press release was self-published via a press release distribution service, cannot be overstated. It demonstrates initiative, legitimacy, and transparency. Rather than relying solely on flashy marketing copy or vague promises, a press release delivers a concise, factual narrative that allows readers—and journalists—to make their judgments.

1. It provides a timestamped, public record of your announcement.

2. It allows you to present your message in a journalistic format.

3. It can be referenced later by media, researchers, or customers verifying your history.

This action alone builds trust. And trust, as countless studies have shown, is a critical factor in purchase decisions, media interest, and long-term brand success.

Momentum Through Repetition and Visibility

One of the least appreciated aspects of a press release is how it contributes to brand visibility through digital repetition. Unlike a social media post that disappears in hours or a paid ad that disappears when the budget runs out, a press release lives online for years. At 24-7 Press Release, some news articles from 2004 and 2005 still appear in search results.

Reputable press release services provide lifetime hosting and syndication to networks of news sites, blogs, business portals, and sometimes even major search engines. Each publication of your release creates a backlink and digital breadcrumb that increases your footprint.

When someone searches for your company name or product months after the release, the press release may still appear in results, instantly increasing your perceived authority. This level of presence adds layers of trust without requiring additional effort. Each release contributes to a narrative arc that journalists and customers can follow. This accumulation of visibility often becomes the tipping point that convinces a reporter to write about you or a potential client to reach out.

Case in Point: A Startup Building Momentum

Consider the example of a fictional startup, "EcoWater Filters," which develops sustainable home water filtration systems. After launching a basic website and social media presence, the company issues its first press release using a reputable press release service like 24-7 Press Release. The announcement covers its product launch, patent-pending technology, and environmental mission.

No major media outlets cover the story immediately, but the press release is syndicated to over 200 news sites. Weeks later, the founder follows up with environmental bloggers and trade journalists, including a link to the release. Because the press release already exists publicly and appears across multiple trusted domains, journalists view the company as legitimate and not just a random pitch in their inbox. Eventually, a niche eco-journal picks up the story. That story is then shared on social media, and larger outlets take notice.

This snowball effect often starts with the initial press release. Without it, outreach efforts may have seemed self-promotional or premature. However, with it, the company established baseline credibility that accelerated trust and coverage.

Press Releases as Authority Anchors

Another unique function of a press release is that it acts as what some marketing strategists call an "authority anchor." An authority anchor is any content that reinforces your leadership or expertise in your space. This information could be a white paper, a book, a conference appearance, or, increasingly, a well-timed press release.

When done correctly, a press release does more than announce a launch or event. It becomes part of your brand's thought leadership arsenal. For example, a software company releasing insights from original research can distribute those findings via a press release. Even if no immediate press coverage follows, the release is a public record of innovation and expertise.

Clients, journalists, and investors who stumble across that release weeks or months later will perceive the company as forward-thinking and data-driven. This single piece of content can be used repeatedly in pitch decks, investor communications, or sales conversations. Examples:

"As featured on over 200 news outlets."

"See our latest announcement on [newswire link]"

"We recently published a press release sharing our findings..."

These phrases give your brand conversational leverage and professional polish.

How to Amplify the Value of Your Press Release

To fully capitalize on your press release distribution, it's essential to incorporate it into your broader content and communication strategy. A press release doesn't end once it goes live. Its real value often begins afterward. Here are several ways to amplify its impact:

• Share the link in your email newsletter to showcase milestones or credibility.

• Use it in follow-up emails to journalists or partners as third-party confirmation of your announcement.

• Post the press release on your website's media or page to build your digital press kit.

• Share a summary of the release on LinkedIn, Twitter, X, or other platforms, linking to the hosted version.

• Use media pickup links (provided by the press release service) as social proof in ads or investor decks. 24-7 Press Release gives you the link to your story and pickup locations in your report after distributing your press release, later the same day.

Each action builds on the foundation laid by the press release, extending its lifecycle and increasing the chance of secondary exposure and trust-building.

When No Coverage Doesn't Mean Failure

One of the biggest misconceptions about press releases is that if no journalist calls, the release has failed.

That mindset misunderstands the layered function of a press release. As described above, the primary win may not be immediate coverage, but long-term visibility, discoverability, and credibility.

It's also worth noting that many journalists bookmark or archive releases for future reference. Just because your story wasn't right for a Tuesday deadline doesn't mean it won't resurface weeks later when the journalist is looking for an expert in your space. Press release services that offer long-term hosting and searchable archives further enhance this latent value.

Press Release Services Make Strategic Execution Simple

A professional press release distribution service is crucial to this trust-building process. A reputable service ensures that your press release is formatted correctly, distributed to relevant news portals, and archived in a stable and trustworthy location.

For example, 24-7pressrelease.com offers multiple packages that guarantee syndication across dozens or hundreds of outlets, permanent hosting, and links to pickup locations. These features support both discoverability and validation. Having your release appear in a consistent format across respected domains creates cohesion and consistency, two more factors that increase trust.

Summary: Trust Is Built in Layers, Not Moments

It's easy to chase clicks, shares, and coverage as the sole measure of success. But building a credible and trusted brand takes more than virality. It requires strategic layering of assets—owned media that reinforces your message, earned media that amplifies it, and timely content that bridges the two.

A press release helps with precisely that. It may not always make headlines, but it will always make an impression. Businesses can unlock long-term visibility, credibility, and momentum by treating press release distribution as a strategic act of trust-building rather than a one-time news blast.

For any brand looking to establish authority, gain media traction, or build customer confidence, a well-crafted press release—distributed through a professional press release service—is more than a tool. It's a signal. And in today's crowded marketplace, the proper signal, at the right time, can make all the difference.