Why Your Financial Announcements Aren’t Getting Media Coverage

Let’s say you’ve pulled together the perfect press release. You’ve got all the numbers to share, a milestone to celebrate, and updates that you believe matter not only to your business, but to the industry as a whole. So you hit publish, send out a few emails, and then nothing happens. You notice a slight bump in traffic, but by the next day, you’re back to baseline. No headlines were made. No interviews landed. Just back to the regular grind.

That’s a familiar story for many finance companies out there. Leaders and comms teams are left wondering why their carefully crafted announcements don’t land in the press. The truth is, journalists aren’t purposefully ignoring you out of spite. They are simply flooded with stories, announcements, and scandals every single day. The media space is saturated, making it increasingly difficult to stand out. 

So, what exactly is the problem, and what can you do about it? 

Why Your Financial Announcements Aren’t Landing 

In most cases, financial updates and announcements aren’t getting picked up the way founders and marketing teams want them to because they don’t answer the most critical question a journalist (and their readers) will ask: “Why should I care?”

If your announcement is written like a dry set of numbers or corporate jargon, it’s already going to be an easy pass for most of the media. Financial news is naturally quite dry and black and white. But the space has evolved over the past decade. Both journalists and readers want to read more than just cold, hard facts, they want a story, relevance, and they want the news to connect with them. Here are a few common reasons financial announcements get ignored:

• It reads like a spreadsheet, not a story. Numbers without any context are unlikely to get quoted.
• No apparent angle for readers. Journalists need a hook to draw readers in. They want to know what your announcement means for the market, investors, and everyday people.
• Too much jargon. If it feels like it was written for regulators, not humans, it won’t resonate.
• No supporting quotes or voices. A CEO’s or founder’s perspective adds credibility and color to your announcement.
• Bad timing. Announcements buried in earnings season or big news cycles get drowned out.

Now that we know the “why,” here’s how to fix it.

Build a Real Financial PR Strategy

Many companies view financial announcements as a one-time task they must perform periodically. Every few weeks (or perhaps even months), they prepare the numbers, draft the release, and send it out to a select group of journalists, hoping for the best. That approach is unlikely to bring any real visibility. 

To garner genuine media attention, you should approach financial PR as an ongoing strategy rather than a one-time event. This starts with actively planning. For the most part, journalists aren’t really fans of last-minute pitches (unless it’s dramatic breaking news). This means you’ll have a much harder time getting coverage if you wait until the day before to push your news. 

Instead, map out your financial calendar weeks in advance, know exactly when you’ll have results or news ready to share, and give reporters a heads-up before the announcement goes live. You can also establish a regular cadence and collaborate with press release distribution companies that specialize in the financial sector. This means that all you need to do is draft your press release, send it to the newswire, and then it will automatically get distributed to key financial outlets. You get to skip speaking with journalists altogether. 

Aside from the distribution aspect, you also need to develop a deeper understanding of the end reader (your audience). A quarterly update might be crucial for investors and analysts, but it’s not relevant to the general public. On the other hand, a milestone like hitting profitability for the first time or reaching a new sustainability goal that you promised could be the kind of human story that mainstream business outlets love. 

Knowing which story belongs where and adapting your message accordingly makes the difference between being published or ignored.

Give Your News a Story (and Make It Human)

Numbers themselves don't really tell much of a story. They are cold and don’t exactly get people’s attention (unless they’re really dramatic). What does get attention is the story behind the numbers.

For example, a fintech startup announcing user growth could position it as part of a larger trend toward mobile-first banking. A sustainable investment firm sharing quarterly gains might connect those results to the rising demand for climate-focused financial products. In both cases, the numbers serve as proof points within a larger narrative.

Even better is when you can highlight the human side of the announcement. Saying “we onboarded 5,000 new small businesses last quarter” lands differently than just stating a revenue jump. It paints a picture of real people using your product or service. Adding quotes from your CEO, CFO, or even customers makes the release feel alive, rather than just corporate.

Time It Right

You could have the best press release you’ve ever written sitting in your hands, but if you send it out at the wrong time, it’s going to get drowned out. This is why timing often makes the difference between your announcement being widely covered and one that gets ignored. 

Keep an eye on what’s going on in your respective industry and the media as a whole. Try to avoid launching your announcement at the same time as any major breaking news, such as a massive industry event, a new product/feature drop from a major tech player, or even a broader macroeconomic event, like the stock market hitting a new all-time high. 

If you just publish at any time, you’re gambling that it won’t get drowned out, and there is a clear lane from your company to the end reader. Instead, take the time to adopt a measured approach, and you’ll avoid unnecessary collisions with larger events.

Final Word

If your financial announcements aren’t getting media coverage, it’s not because what you’ve got to say isn’t newsworthy or essential. It’s usually because you’re making a few mistakes that are stacking the odds against you. Maybe your announcement isn’t framed in a way that makes journalists or their readers care. Perhaps you don’t have a clear strategy. Or maybe your story just isn’t human, or you send out your announcements during a media frenzy. 

The solution isn’t complicated, but it does require a shift in mindset. Treat your financial news as part of a broader PR strategy, not a one-off task. Focus on telling a story, not just reporting numbers. Pay attention to timing and consider amplification beyond the press release. That way, you’ll stand a much better chance of seeing real ROI from your efforts.