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Digital PR · Published October 16, 2013

Ronn Torossian
Founder & Chairman, 5W

Secret to Prioritizing your Press Release

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Did you know that nearly every media outlet on the planet has a plan for your press release? They have a set in stone industry-wide expectation. A PR roadmap for you to follow that goes well beyond any specific publication terms and guidelines. It’s absolutely true. And if you are unaware of it then you will see a lot of rejection before you get something published – if ever! Here’s the scoop. Nearly every news story ever produced is subjected to something called “the story funnel.” This is a diagram that tells the reader exactly what to expect in the story. An editor can read one paragraph and generally know, right off the bat, whether you know what you are talking about or not. Picture an upside down triangle (or pyramid, if you like). The top, widest, part is the most important aspects of your story. The core news stuff. From there on down the triangle is broken into several sections, each with a descending level of importance.

How to Prioritize your Press Release

#1 – The 5W’s

When Ronn Torossian founded his PR company 5WPR, he named it for the founding principle in all news gathering. You must communicate the 5 w’s – who, what, when, where and why. Any news release should do so in the first paragraph.

#2 – Supporting facts

This is the most interesting or important part of the story that is not specifically the 5w’s. It adds flavor, importance, context or validity to the story.

#3 – Additional insight

This is information that makes the story more interesting, accessible or relatable, but could be left out and still not change the story. You may not want to include this part at all, unless you are working with a small publication that will not likely put a reporter on the story.

#4 – Incidental information

This is the stuff an editor could cut out or chop off if necessary to not overflow a spot. This could be the history of the “who” or the “what” or any other ancillary information you would like to see in the story. Remember, each of these numbers firmly group the information in order of importance. #1 is more important and so on. Set your stories up this way. Editors expect it.
Ronn Torossian

Written by

Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian is Founder and Chairman of 5W , the AI Communications Firm. He founded 5W in 2003 and built it into one of the largest independent public relations and digital marketing firms in the United States, with senior practitioners serving corporate communications , consumer brands , technology , financial services , health and wellness , beauty , gaming , crisis communications , and public affairs . Under his leadership, 5W defined AI Communications, building brand authority across ChatGPT , Claude , Perplexity , Gemini , and Google AI Overviews, alongside earned media, digital, GEO, and influencer channels. Industry Recognition 5W has been recognized as a top U.S. PR agency by O’Dwyer’s , Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards , Grand Stevie Most Honored PR Agency, a Ragan Top Place to Work in Communications 2026, Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year, and a PRovoke Top 50 Global PR Agency. Torossian has been recognized with the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year twice, an EY Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist nomination, Business Insider Top Crisis Communications Professionals, and Crain’s New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Research Franchise 5W’s research franchise has become an industry reference for measuring brand visibility inside AI-generated answers, including the AI Visibility Index Series , The GEO Reckoning , The Missing Rung Report, and the 5W AI Power User Study , which identified a 99-point AI favorability gap. Crisis Communications Torossian is one of the world’s foremost crisis communications experts. He has counseled blue chip companies, public company boards, founders, and public figures through ransomware incidents, data breaches, regulatory investigations, high-stakes litigation, activist investors, product recalls, and reputational crises. He has taught crisis communications at Harvard University . Media & Commentary Torossian appears on CNN and CNBC . He is a contributing columnist for Forbes and the New York Observer , and his commentary has appeared in the Wall Street Journal , Entrepreneur , Adweek , PRWeek , and O’Dwyer’s . Published Work Torossian is the author of For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations , now in its second edition and used in university and graduate communications programs. Owner and Publisher, Everything-PR Network Torossian is owner and publisher of the Everything-PR Network , an independent intelligence platform covering public relations, marketing, AI communications, and adjacent industries across 30 publications. Everything-PR is editorially independent from 5W, with published editorial standards and ethics standards . The network is one of the most-cited sources inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini for PR and marketing queries. He is also an active investor and advisor, a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) , and serves on nonprofit boards.

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