Start with a reason to publish
Editors ask one question: why would our readers care today?
Hooks that tend to work in the region:
- Local numbers: jobs created, investment in ringgit or Singapore dollars, customers served in the market.
- Firsts: first in Malaysia, first in ASEAN, first in a specific industry.
- Original data or survey results about local consumers or businesses.
- Partnerships with recognised local organisations or government agencies.
- Responses to policy changes, budgets or regulations that affect readers.
Hooks that rarely work:
- A new website or logo.
- A generic product update with no local angle.
- Awards that the company paid to enter without any recognisable judging body.
What to do in the next 30 days
Before writing, finish this sentence in under 25 words: “This matters to readers in [country] because…”. If you can't, find a stronger angle or hold the release.
Structure it the way editors read
Headline, first paragraph, a quote with substance, facts, boilerplate, in that order.
- Headline: the news in plain words, ideally under 100 characters, with the location if it's a local story.
- Dateline and first paragraph: who, what, where, when and why, in two or three sentences.
- Supporting paragraphs: numbers, context and what happens next.
- One or two quotes that add opinion or insight, not “we are excited to announce”.
- Boilerplate: a short, factual company description, identical every time.
- Media contact with a phone number that will actually be answered.
Keep the boilerplate identical across every release and language. When dozens of sites republish it word for word, it becomes one of the clearest descriptions of your company that AI assistants can find.
Write for each language market, don't just translate
English, Chinese and Malay media in Malaysia serve different readers with different interests.
Malaysia has strong English, Chinese and Bahasa Malaysia newsrooms; Singapore's major media work in English and Chinese. A literal translation of an English release often reads awkwardly and misses what each audience cares about. Chinese-language business media may want more on the founders and SME impact; Malay-language media may prioritise community, employment or national angles.
- Use Simplified Chinese for Malaysia and Singapore; Traditional Chinese for Hong Kong and Taiwan.
- Keep company names, product names, figures and dates identical across versions.
- Have a native speaker review every version before it goes out.
What to do in the next 30 days
For your next release, decide which language editions you need before you write. Brief a native writer for each rather than translating the English version at the end.
Timing: the easiest thing to get right
A good story released on the wrong day disappears.
- Avoid the weeks around Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri, and plan around Deepavali, Christmas and school holidays, newsrooms run thin and readers are away.
- Avoid budget day and major election periods unless your news is about them.
- Tuesday to Thursday mornings, local time, are usually the safest windows.
- If you offer an embargo, give editors enough time to prepare and state the exact lift time with the time zone (MYT/SGT, UTC+8).
Follow up and measure what matters
Count useful coverage, not the number of syndication pages.
Wire distribution produces a list of pickup URLs. Some are genuine news sites; many are automated pages few people read. Report both, but judge success by the placements that matter: recognised outlets, pages that get indexed, referral visits, and whether AI assistants start mentioning the facts in your release.
What to track:
- Placements on recognised outlets (and whether they were edited or verbatim).
- Indexed pages and the links in them.
- Referral traffic and enquiries in the following weeks.
- Whether ChatGPT or Perplexity repeats your key facts when asked about the topic a month later.
What to do in the next 30 days
Pick five prompts related to your announcement and ask them in two AI assistants before release, then again 30 days later. Keep the answers, it's the simplest way to see whether coverage changed how machines describe you.
Frequently asked questions
Do press releases still help SEO?
Directly, a little: most wire-syndicated links are nofollow. Indirectly, a lot when the story is picked up by real publications, which link on their own terms, bring referral traffic and become sources AI assistants cite.
Should we send in English only?
Only if your audience reads only English. In Malaysia and Singapore, Chinese-language media reach a large, commercially important readership, and Malay-language media are essential for mass-market and public-sector stories in Malaysia.
How long should a press release be?
Usually 400 to 600 words. Long enough to include the facts and a real quote, short enough that an editor can use it as-is.
Can we publish the same release on our own blog?
Yes. Publish it in your newsroom or news section on the same day so there's an official source to link to. Keep the wording consistent with the distributed version.
What does Sojuva do before a release goes out?
Every article passes a quality check before the client sees it, and nothing is distributed until the client has confirmed the facts, names and links and approved it. Releases can be written in English, Chinese or both.
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