How to announce a new business: press releases, email, LinkedIn and local networks

1. Find the angle that makes it worth reading

Ask what a reader in your area or industry would find useful or interesting. Muck Rack's State of Journalism 2026 survey of nearly 1,100 journalists found that 78% feel a pitch is relevant when it directly affects their audience's community.

• A local gap: “The county's first mobile pet groomer for large dogs.”
• A new approach: fixed prices in a trade where everyone quotes by the hour.
• A useful fact from your own work or research (only if it's real and you can show it).
• A story about the founder that connects to the customer's problem.
• A community link: hiring locally, training apprentices, a partnership with a local group.

2. Write the press release

Keep it to one page if you can, in plain language. A journalist or reader should get the whole story from the headline and first paragraph.

• Headline: what's new and why it matters, in one line. No hype words.
• Dateline and first paragraph: who, what, where, when and why, in two or three sentences.
• Details: what you offer, who it's for, prices or how to book, and the angle from step 1.
• A quote from you that adds a reason or a feeling, not a repeat of the facts. “I started this because…” is stronger than “We're excited to announce…”.
• Boilerplate: a short “About [business]” paragraph you can reuse every time.
• Contact details for questions, and a link to your website.

3. Paid distribution vs. earned editorial coverage

These two are often confused, so it's worth being clear. Paid distribution means you pay to have your press release published on news sites. Earned editorial coverage means a journalist decides your story is worth writing about. Paying for distribution does not mean any journalist will write about you.

4. If you pitch journalists yourself

In Muck Rack's 2026 survey, 88% of journalists said they immediately disregard or delete pitches that don't match what they write about. 62% prefer a one-to-one email, and 69% prefer pitches under 200 words.

• Pick a handful of local or trade reporters who cover your kind of story. Read what they wrote recently.
• Write a short, personal email: the angle in one sentence, why it matters to their readers, and what you can offer (an interview, photos, real numbers).
• Attach or link the release; don't paste it as the whole email.
• Follow up once. If there's no reply, move on.

5. Email the people who already know you

Your existing contacts are the most likely first customers and referrers. Write personal notes to the people closest to you, and a short, friendly announcement email to the wider list: what you do now, who it's for, and one simple way to help (book, refer or share).

Commercial email in the US must follow the CAN-SPAM Act: no misleading subject lines, a valid postal address, and a clear way to opt out that you honour within 10 business days. The FTC notes there's no exception for business-to-business email.

6. LinkedIn, your Google profile and local networks

• LinkedIn: update your headline and profile first, then post the story behind the launch in your own words. Post from your personal profile as well as any company page, because that's where people who know you will see it.
• Google Business Profile: once verified, add an Update post about the launch, with a photo and a link to book. Google archives posts older than 6 months unless you set dates.
• Local networks: your chamber of commerce, business networking groups, trade associations, and people who serve the same customers (for a cleaner, that might be property managers and real estate agents).
• Tell past colleagues and clients directly. A personal message beats a broadcast.

Putting it together

Announce in a short window so each channel supports the others: website and profiles ready first, then the release, then emails and posts that link to it. Business Launch Authority's Business Launch System covers the offer, website, Google profile, an announcement published on news sites and a first-customer plan, so they all say the same thing. Whatever you use, no announcement can promise sales; the follow-up conversations do most of the work.

Questions

Sources

• Muck Rack: The State of Journalism 2026 (report PDF)
• Muck Rack: The State of Journalism 2026
• Federal Trade Commission: Native Advertising, A Guide for Businesses
• Federal Trade Commission: CAN-SPAM Act, A Compliance Guide for Business
• Google Business Profile Help: Create and manage posts on your Business Profile

General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules differ by location; check with your own adviser.