Most press releases arrive in a journalist’s inbox, where they compete with several hundred other emails a day and are deleted in bulk. A smaller number arrive a different way: on the wire feed that runs inside the newsroom’s own editorial system, alongside the news agency copy that reporters and editors read all day. PA Mediapoint is how a press release gets onto that second route in the UK and Europe.
This guide explains what Mediapoint is, why newsrooms treat wire copy differently from email, which releases suit it, how to format for it, and how Presswire submits releases to it as an official PA Media partner.
What a newsroom terminal is
Every working newsroom runs on an editorial system. Reporters write in it, editors commission and cut in it, and the incoming news agency feeds land in it. In the UK and much of Europe that agency copy comes from PA Media (formerly the Press Association) as well as the international agencies. Journalists watch the feed because it is where breaking news, court copy, sports results and diary stories appear first.
That feed is what people mean by “the wire”. The screen it appears on, whether a dedicated application or a panel inside the editorial system, is the terminal. It is trusted because everything on it arrives through a known agency pipeline in the same structure every time, so a journalist can scan dozens of items in a minute.
An email pitch has none of those advantages. Reaching the terminal instead of the inbox does not guarantee that a story is used, but it puts the release where editorial decisions are actually made.
What PA Mediapoint does
PA Mediapoint is PA Media’s press-release wire. Releases submitted to it are delivered into the editorial systems used by newsrooms across the UK and Europe, where they appear alongside the news feed. A reporter or news editor sees the release in the same environment and format as agency copy, and can pick it up and follow it up directly.
Two points are worth being clear about. First, Mediapoint is a delivery channel, not editorial endorsement. A release on the wire is still a release; PA is not reporting the story, and the newsroom knows the difference. Second, it is a UK and European channel. It reaches the newsrooms that use PA Media’s systems, which is why Presswire describes it as newsroom-terminal delivery for the UK and Europe rather than a global wire.
Presswire is an official PA Media partner and has built its own XML feed into Mediapoint. Releases go from Presswire’s editorial desk into the wire in the structured format the terminals expect, rather than being retyped or pasted.
Which releases suit the wire
Not every release belongs on a newsroom terminal, and sending one that does not belong there wastes money and goodwill. The releases that work share three characteristics.
A clear public-interest angle. Newsroom terminals are watched by people looking for news. A product update with no consequence for readers will be scrolled past. An announcement that affects jobs, prices, health, travel, public services, a well-known organisation or a large number of people gives a news editor something to act on.
A timed announcement. Results, appointments, launches with a fixed date, survey findings with an embargo, and reactions to a running story all suit the wire because the newsroom is planning its day and knows when the item will land. Presswire supports embargoes and future distribution times when you file; say so on the form and the release goes out at that moment.
A regional story with a national hook. Regional newsrooms on the wire are looking for stories that matter to their patch. A national announcement with a regional breakdown, a local investment with named locations, or a story that explains what a national change means for a specific area travels well on a terminal.
Releases that do not suit it: marketing copy, anything without a date, a place and a named spokesperson, and stories with no reason to exist beyond the sender wanting attention. Presswire’s editors will say so before anything is sent.
Formatting for a terminal
Wire copy has a shape, and releases that match it are easier for a busy journalist to use.
Headline. Plain, factual and specific, in sentence case. Say what happened. Leave out the brand slogans and the exclamation marks.
Dateline. City and date at the top of the body: “LONDON, 5 September 2026 -“. It tells the journalist at a glance where the story is from and how fresh it is.
Lead paragraph. One or two sentences carrying who, what, when, where and why. If the journalist reads nothing else, the lead should stand alone as the story.
Body. Short paragraphs in descending order of importance. Facts and figures before quotes. A quote should say something a reporter would want to use, not restate the headline with “delighted” in front of it.
No images in the body. Terminals carry text. Logos, charts and photographs pasted into the release body do not travel and can break the item. If you have images, host them and give a link, or supply them separately.
Contact details. A named person, a direct phone number that will be answered, and an email address. Newsroom journalists work to deadlines and will not fill in a web form.
Notes to editors. Boilerplate about the organisation goes at the end, clearly separated, so it can be dropped without losing the story.
How Presswire submits to Mediapoint
The process is the same as for any Presswire distribution, with the wire added as a delivery channel.
- You submit the release through the form, choose your circuit and sectors, and tick PA Mediapoint as an add-on.
- Editorial review. One of Presswire’s editors, former BBC journalists, reads the release, checks structure, clarity and newsroom suitability, and tells you if anything will hurt its chances. Nothing is changed without your agreement.
- Distribution. The release is sent directly to the journalists who cover your sector in your chosen regions, and delivered into PA Mediapoint through Presswire’s XML feed, so it appears on newsroom terminals across the UK and Europe.
- Reporting. If you have ordered a tracking report, it follows with delivery and open data.
Presswire aims to send a release within an hour of receiving it, once it has passed review, unless you have asked for an embargo or a specific future date and time.
What it costs and how it combines
PA Mediapoint delivery through Presswire is $235 (£175 / €205) per release, and can be added to any circuit. That includes North America, Asia and Worldwide as well as the UK and Europe, which matters for organisations announcing in one market that also want UK and European newsrooms to see the story. Submitted directly to PA Media, a single release is listed at £450 plus VAT on PA’s own submission page (checked 1 September 2026). Same wire, same terminals.
The circuits it sits on are priced separately: $250 (£185 / €220) for one region, whether North America, Europe including the UK, the UK alone or Asia, and $400 (£300 / €350) for worldwide distribution. Every distribution includes editorial review, publication on presswire.com and Presswire’s Google News title, and syndication to Presswire’s content partners. There is no membership fee and no charge per word.
Other add-ons combine with Mediapoint in the same order. Online syndication at $290 (£215 / €250) publishes the release on 400 or more news and industry sites, including the Associated Press network and USA Today, with guaranteed Google News placement; it is the option for search visibility and a permanent online record, while Mediapoint is the option for reaching working newsrooms. A tracking report is $95 (£70 / €85). Translation is $380 (£285 / €335) per language for a release of up to 500 words, and media monitoring is available per release or as an ongoing monthly service. Full details are on the pricing page. Prices exclude VAT, which is added for UK-based businesses only.
Realistic expectations
Being on the wire puts a release in front of journalists at the point where they decide what to cover. It does not make the decision for them. A release with a weak story will be seen and passed over on a terminal just as it would be in an inbox; the difference is that a strong story on the wire is far more likely to be seen at all.
Coverage still depends on the news value of the announcement, the writing, the timing against the day’s news, and whether the named contact answers the phone. Mediapoint removes one of the largest obstacles, getting the release read by the right people in the right place. The rest is down to the story.
Frequently asked questions
What is PA Mediapoint?
PA Mediapoint is PA Media’s press-release wire. It delivers press releases into the editorial systems used by newsrooms across the UK and Europe, where journalists see them alongside the agency news feed on their terminals. Presswire is an official PA Media partner with its own XML feed into it.
Does PA Mediapoint reach newsrooms outside the UK?
It reaches newsrooms in the UK and Europe that use PA Media’s systems. For North America, Asia and the rest of the world, Presswire’s direct-to-journalist distribution on those circuits does the reaching, and Mediapoint can be added to any of them so UK and European newsrooms see the same release.
How much does PA Mediapoint cost?
Through Presswire it is $235 (£175 / €205) per release as an add-on to any circuit, with editorial review included. Submitted directly to PA Media, a single release is listed at £450 plus VAT on PA’s own page. VAT is added for UK-based businesses only.
Does being on the wire guarantee coverage?
No. It guarantees that the release is delivered into newsroom systems and can be seen by journalists where they make editorial decisions. Whether it is used depends on the story, the writing and the timing, which is why Presswire’s editors review every release before it is sent.
Can I set an embargo or a release time for the wire?
Yes. State the embargo or the future date and time when you file the release, and it will be held and sent at that moment. Without one, Presswire aims to send within an hour of receiving it once it has passed review.
If your announcement has real news in it and you want it seen by the newsrooms that matter in the UK and Europe, add PA Mediapoint to your next press release distribution. The pricing page has every price in USD, GBP and EUR, and online syndication can run alongside it for the online record.