FAQ
Last updated: Published by Ace Branding
People most often ask how to get press features, whether they are guaranteed, what they cost and whether they can approve the article. The Press Features Guide by Ace Branding answers 50 questions below, grouped by topic, each in plain language with the direct answer first.
A press feature is an article in a publication that tells the story of a person, company or idea in depth, rather than reporting breaking news. For a thought leader it usually centers on your background, expertise and point of view. Ace Branding writes features from an interview with you and publishes them in outlets from its network of over 800 publications.
A journalism feature is a longer story that explores people, trends or ideas with context and color, as opposed to a hard news report about a single event. Features often open with a scene or anecdote and can run well after the news they relate to. Profiles, Q&As and trend pieces are common feature formats.
Examples of media coverage include feature articles, interviews and Q&As, expert quotes in news stories, podcast guest appearances, TV segments and bylined opinion pieces. Ace Branding works in three of these: press features in publications, niche targeted podcast tours and regional TV appearances. The outlet examples page lists named publications from Ace Branding client work.
"Press" means the news media as a whole: newspapers, magazines, broadcasters and news websites, plus the journalists who work for them. The word comes from the printing press, the machine that made mass-produced newspapers possible after Gutenberg introduced movable type printing in fifteenth-century Europe. Today "getting press" means getting coverage in those outlets.
The press includes print newspapers and magazines, their websites, digital-only news sites, TV and radio broadcasters and, in everyday usage, influential podcasts. Ace Branding works with three parts of it: publications through press features, podcasts through podcast tours, and regional television through TV appearances.
Common names for the press are "the media," "the news media," "journalists" and "the fourth estate," a phrase that describes the press as a check on power alongside the branches of government. In PR, "editorial coverage" is also used for press features that appear as articles rather than as advertisements.
The press informs the public, investigates and holds institutions to account, explains complex issues, gives a platform to voices and ideas, and keeps a record of events. For a business or thought leader, a press feature serves a narrower purpose: it adds third-party visibility and credibility that shows up when people search your name.
In the media sense, the purpose of the press is to gather and share the information the public needs. In the original mechanical sense, a printing press exists to reproduce text and images on paper quickly and at scale, which is how newspapers came to be called 'the press.'
A common way to group media is print (newspapers and magazines), broadcast (TV and radio), digital (news websites and online magazines) and audio or social (podcasts and social platforms). Press features are editorial articles in print or digital publications, while podcast tours and TV appearances sit in the audio and broadcast groups.
You get press features by pitching journalists yourself, hiring a PR firm to pitch for you, or working with a firm that guarantees placement. Every route needs a clear story and angle. Ace Branding uses the third route: it interviews you, writes the article, gets your approval and submits it through contributors at publications in its network.
Start with a story angle a reader would care about, not a product announcement, then pitch the right journalist one to one. Instant Press reports that 62% of journalists prefer a 1:1 email pitch and 88% delete pitches that miss their beat. Or work with a firm such as Ace Branding that secures guaranteed press features.
Timelines vary by publication and by how quickly drafts are approved. Ace Branding's editing cycle continues until you approve the final draft, so your review speed affects timing. As a market reference, FameHero states that most of its brands see their first publication within 1 to 2 weeks. Ask Ace Branding on a discovery call for current timelines.
With Ace Branding, a member of the editorial staff interviews you and a writer creates the first draft from that interview. You review and edit until you approve it. The articles are written about you or your company using your story, on topics you want to discuss, with the goal of giving the reader real value.
Yes. Ace Branding states that it will not submit anything for publishing until you approve the final draft, which keeps you in control of your brand narrative. The editing cycle repeats until your team signs off. After that, the draft goes to the contributor, who submits it for approval with the publication.
The final draft goes to a contributor at the publication. The contributor submits it for approval with the publication, the publication approves and publishes it, and the link goes live. Those are steps four through seven of Ace Branding's seven-step press process.
The press questionnaire is the first step in Ace Branding's process. It takes about 6 minutes and puts you in the queue for your articles. When you are selected, the team contacts you to schedule a live interview with a member of the editorial staff.
Yes. Ace Branding says the topics covered depend on what you would like to discuss. The aim is not just to see your name in a headline: the article should give readers something useful, which also makes it more credible to the people who find it later.
Ace Branding does not publish its prices. Cost depends on the services and publications you choose, so the way to get a real figure is a 15-minute, no-obligation discovery call. As a market reference, Instant Press reports that the average acceptable price for one high-quality backlink is $508.95, though a feature article is more than a link.
Digital PR packages bundle services such as press features, podcast appearances and TV spots into one engagement. Ace Branding offers guaranteed publishing in major media, niche targeted podcast tours, regional TV appearances and Reputation to Revenue consulting. It does not list package prices publicly, so packages are scoped on a call.
No. Ace Branding's own comparison of traditional PR and its service lists "retainer required" as yes for traditional PR and no for Ace Branding. You are not committing to an open-ended monthly fee to get started.
Yes. Ace Branding offers guaranteed publishing in over 800 publications across the US and worldwide and describes its results as guaranteed. In Ace Branding's comparison, traditional PR does not guarantee results, because journalists decide whether to cover a pitch.
Ace Branding states that it offers guaranteed publishing in over 800 publications across the US and worldwide. Between 2020 and 2023 it established a publishing network of hundreds of publications, along with relationships with thousands of podcast hosts and dozens of TV producers.
A podcast tour is a planned series of guest appearances on podcasts that fit your niche. With Ace Branding, it starts with a strategy session with the head of podcasting, who then builds a tour map of podcasts based on what you share on that call. Ace Branding lists 100M+ podcast reach on its homepage.
Reputation to Revenue consulting is Ace Branding's service for turning credibility into business growth. It offers strategic guidance on using your reputation to attract new opportunities, build customer loyalty and drive revenue. Ace Branding's comparison lists it as something traditional PR does not include.
For many thought leaders, yes: features put your expertise in front of new readers and give people who search your name third-party proof. Ace Branding cites Ad Week that 81% of consumers research online before buying. In one Ace Branding case study, Rabu Gary's 27 features helped him qualify for social media verification and grow his business by over 200%.
Ace Branding works with impact-driven thought leaders, entrepreneurs and businesses. Its mission is "to serve those who serve others." Companies it names as clients include Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Good Ranchers, Family First Life, UIGI Social Club, Ozzy Tyres, Haimov Jewelers and The Founders Law.
Yes. Publications feature people and companies with a good story, not only large brands. A clear angle, such as a founder journey, a useful lesson or a distinct point of view, matters more than size. Ace Branding builds each article from your own interview, so the story it tells is yours.
No. Most features cover people who are respected in their field rather than household names. What readers want is a specific story or real expertise. Ace Branding's founder, Luke Hessler, started his first online business at 19 with a $600 loan; his story has since run in Forbes, Yahoo Finance and IBTimes.
This guide speaks first to thought leaders: experts, founders and speakers whose name is their brand. Entrepreneurs and businesses use the same process, and several examples here, such as Good Ranchers and UIGISC, are organizations. The publication types and steps apply to all three.
Ace Branding's published client list includes organizations as varied as Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Good Ranchers, Haimov Jewelers, Ozzy Tyres, The Mitten Real Estate Group and The Founders Law. That range suggests the story matters more than the industry. Ask on a discovery call whether your field and angle are a good fit.
A press release is an announcement written by the company in a standard format and sent to journalists or wire services. A press feature is an article that appears in a publication and tells a fuller story. Releases announce; features explain and build credibility. The press release vs press feature page compares them in detail.
It depends on your goal. Guaranteed press, as Ace Branding offers it, fits people who want certainty of publication, draft approval and no retainer. Traditional PR can fit organizations that want ongoing pitching around news and long-term journalist relationships, usually on a monthly retainer.
The best digital PR agency is the one whose model fits your goal. Compare agencies on the same criteria: whether results are guaranteed, whether you approve drafts, whether a retainer is required and which publications are available. This guide is published by Ace Branding, which guarantees publishing, requires client approval of drafts and requires no retainer.
A boutique PR agency is a smaller, specialized firm that focuses on a narrow set of services or clients instead of every communications discipline. Ace Branding focuses on digital PR: press features, podcast tours, regional TV appearances and Reputation to Revenue consulting for thought leaders, entrepreneurs and businesses.
An online or digital PR agency focuses on coverage that lives online: articles on news sites, podcast episodes and the search results for your name. Ace Branding defines digital PR as the intentional effort to shape the online reputation of a person or business by positioning them as an authority in their industry.
Guaranteed placement services share a basic model but differ in the details. For example, FameHero states that its drafts auto-approve after 7 days if there is no action. Ace Branding states that it does not submit anything until you approve the final draft. Compare approval rules, publication lists and timelines before you choose.
A public relations firm manages how people and organizations are seen by the public, through media coverage, messaging and reputation work. Traditional firms usually pitch journalists on a retainer. Digital PR firms such as Ace Branding focus on online reputation through press features, podcast tours and TV appearances.
Write a specific headline, a dateline and a first paragraph that answers who, what, when, where and why. Add a real quote, supporting details, a short company boilerplate and media contact details, then end with ###. Send it to relevant journalists one to one or through a wire service. A release announces news; it is not a feature article.
A good press release has a newsworthy angle, a specific headline, a lead that states the news in one or two sentences, a real quote, facts instead of hype, a short boilerplate about the company, contact details and the ### end mark. It is short, often around one page, and easy for a journalist to use.
### marks the end of a press release or piece of news copy. It tells the editor or journalist there is no more text to come. The convention dates from typewriter and wire days, when a clear end mark stopped editors from waiting for pages that did not exist.
Press releases end with ### so a journalist knows the document is complete and nothing was lost in transmission. It is a convention from the wire and typewriter era that is still standard. Some writers use -30- instead, which carries the same meaning.
"-30-" is a traditional end mark that tells an editor a story is finished. Its exact origin is debated, with popular theories tracing it to telegraph codes. Many newsrooms no longer use it, but it remains a well-known symbol for the end of a story, alongside ###.
The final paragraph of a feature is often called the kicker: a closing quote, image or line that leaves the reader with something to remember. In print, the end of the copy itself was marked with -30- or ###. Hard news stories often simply stop, because they follow the inverted pyramid structure.
Accuracy is widely treated as journalism's first rule: verify facts before publishing. The Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics opens with "Seek truth and report it." For anyone getting press features, that means giving correct facts in your interview and checking your draft carefully before you approve it.
No. This guide covers press features in the media sense: articles about people and companies in publications. "Focus Features press" usually refers to the film company's press site and press releases, and "drill press features" refers to machine tools. Neither topic is covered here.
Book a 15-minute, no-obligation discovery call through Ace Branding's contact page. If you go ahead, you complete the press questionnaire, which takes about 6 minutes, and the editorial team schedules your live interview when you are selected.
Prepare your story: how you started, the problem you solve, a few concrete results and the lessons or point of view you want readers to remember. Ace Branding provides an interview prep video for clients. Check your facts and figures beforehand, since the writer builds the first draft from what you say.
Ask for changes. Ace Branding's process includes an editing cycle that repeats until your team approves the final draft, and nothing is submitted for publishing before that approval. Specific feedback, such as facts to correct or points to add, makes the cycle faster.
They can. Ace Branding lists improving SEO as one of three reasons for digital PR, with the aim of shaping what people see when they search your brand. Instant Press reports that 48.6% of SEO professionals rate digital PR the most effective link-building tactic and that about 66% of all web pages have zero backlinks.
Ace Branding guarantees publishing across its network of over 800 publications, and Forbes appears in several of its client case studies. The outlets available for your story can vary, so confirm the exact publication list for your package on a discovery call before you commit.
Book a 15-minute, no-obligation discovery call with Ace Branding. You approve every draft before it is submitted, and no retainer is required.