Press Release: Lab

WBN Press Release Hub™ is a dual-lane content and community product that accepts press releases from businesses, organizations, and individuals — and transforms them into a structured part of the WBN publishing ecosystem. Submitted releases are handled one of two ways: they are either written up by WBN editors as original editorial articles and published in the WBN news feed, or they are published in full in a dedicated Press Release section where the WBN community can read them as submitted.

This is not a wire service. It is a curated, community-facing press release platform backed by WBN's editorial credibility. Submitters get reach and visibility inside the WBN audience. The WBN community gets a structured, indexed source of business news direct from the source. And WBN generates a new, scalable revenue channel that requires no reporters and minimal overhead.

Why This Fits WBN

• WBN already produces and distributes business content — this adds inbound supply to an outbound machine
• The WBN audience — entrepreneurs, operators, and business professionals — is exactly who issues and reads press releases
• A dedicated press release section creates a new, indexed content vertical that grows with every submission
• Editorial write-ups from press releases extend WBN's publishing output with minimal original research required
• Recurring submission packages create predictable, scalable revenue from businesses that issue releases regularly
• This product complements WBN Publishing Partner™ — press release clients are a natural upsell pipeline

Any organization that issues press releases is a potential submitter. The WBN audience skews toward small and mid-sized businesses, which are historically underserved by major wire services — too small for Newswire or PR Newswire to be cost-effective, too serious to leave on social media. WBN fills that gap.

Primary Submitter Profiles

• Small and mid-sized businesses — product launches, new hires, location openings, milestones
• Professional services firms — law, accounting, consulting, real estate — announcing partnerships, awards, or expansions
• Startups and growth-stage companies — funding rounds, partnerships, product releases
• Nonprofits and community organizations — events, campaigns, board changes, annual reports
• PR agencies and communications firms — distributing on behalf of multiple clients
• Existing WBN subscribers and Publishing Partner™ clients — natural cross-sell
• Local and regional businesses — the segment most ignored by national wire services

What Submitters Are Really Buying

The Community Reader Angle

The Press Release section is not just a submitter benefit — it is a reader product. WBN community members gain a dedicated, curated destination for official business announcements from companies they care about. This increases time-on-site, return visits, and positions WBN as the regional and sector business record for its audience. The section is browsable, searchable, and a genuine editorial resource — not a cluttered classified board.

Every submission enters a single intake process and is then routed through one or both of the two publication lanes. The lane assignment is driven by editorial judgment, package tier, and news value — not exclusively by price. This preserves WBN's editorial integrity while creating meaningful tier differentiation.

Lane One — The Press Release Section

All accepted submissions are published in full in the WBN Press Release Hub™ section. This is the community-facing archive: organized by date, searchable by company or keyword, and formatted consistently to WBN standards. The submitter's release is published verbatim (subject to formatting and standards review). It is attributed to the submitting organization. WBN's editorial voice is not applied — this is the source document, published as a community resource.

• Available to all paid submission tiers
• Published within the agreed turnaround window
• Formatted in WBN standard press release template
• Indexed and searchable on the WBN platform
• Shareable link provided to submitter for distribution

Lane Two — The Editorial Article

Select submissions are developed by WBN editors into original editorial articles and published in the main WBN news feed under a WBN byline. This is not a reprint of the press release — it is a real WBN article, written from the press release as a source. These articles carry WBN's editorial brand and are treated as standard WBN news content.

• Available as an upgraded tier option or at editorial discretion
• Written by WBN editorial team (AI-assisted, human-reviewed)
• Published in the main WBN news feed — full platform visibility
• 500–800 words, WBN editorial voice and standards
• Submitter is referenced as the source; WBN carries the byline
• Not guaranteed — subject to news value assessment at higher tiers

The Submission Flow

WBN Press Release Hub™ is structured in four tiers. Lower tiers cover Lane One publication only. Higher tiers include editorial consideration for Lane Two. Volume retainer options are available for PR agencies and organizations with regular release cadences.

Volume and Agency Options

PR agencies and communications firms managing multiple clients require a different pricing model. Volume options are structured to reflect their needs while maintaining WBN's standards across all submissions.

Pricing is to be finalized following competitive analysis of wire services (Newswire, PR Newswire, EIN Presswire, PRWeb) and regional digital media alternatives. The framework below anchors the tier structure. WBN should price below national wires while offering superior audience relevance and editorial upside as the differentiator. All amounts are placeholders pending final pricing decisions.

Pricing Principles

• Position below national wire services on price; compete on audience quality and editorial credibility
• Per-submission pricing is the entry model — retainers are the revenue model
• Article Write-Up carries a meaningful premium — it is WBN editorial time, not just a publication slot
• Annual retainer commitments receive a discount (suggested: 10–15%)
• Agency accounts command volume pricing with a separate rate card
• Rush submissions (24-hour turnaround) carry a surcharge (suggested: 30–50%)
• Add-ons to define: social media announcement copy, SEO keyword optimization, translated releases

The WBN Press Release Hub™ delivery model is built around a lightweight, repeatable intake-to-publication process. It must scale without requiring significant editorial overhead for Lane One submissions, and maintain quality standards for Lane Two articles without compromising WBN's editorial brand.

Submission Standards

All submitted press releases must meet WBN's minimum acceptance standards before entering the publication queue. Standards are applied equally regardless of tier. Non-conforming releases are returned with guidance for resubmission.

• Length — 200–800 words (standard press release format)
• Structure — Headline, dateline, lead paragraph, body, boilerplate, contact information
• Content — Must be factual business news. No advertorial content, no opinion, no unsubstantiated claims
• Attribution — Submitting organization clearly identified; authorized contact listed
• Language — English language required; professional register
• Embargoes — WBN will honour stated embargoes in writing

The Delivery Process

• Submission — Submitter completes the WBN Press Release submission form with release content and package selection
• Acknowledgement — Automated confirmation within 1 business hour; payment processed
• Standards Review — WBN team reviews for acceptance criteria within 1 business day
• Editorial Triage — For Standard and above, editorial assesses news feed fit
• Publication — Lane One — Release formatted and published in Press Release Hub™ section
• Publication — Lane Two — WBN article drafted, reviewed, and published in news feed
• Delivery Notification — Submitter receives live links, publication confirmation, and share assets

The Press Release Hub™ Section — Reader Experience

• Dedicated section page on WBN platform — clearly separated from editorial content
• Releases sorted by date, browsable by industry or region (TBD — pending platform scope)
• Each release has a dedicated page with standardized WBN formatting
• Clear labelling: "Press Release — Published as submitted. Not WBN editorial content."
• Cross-links where a WBN article was written from the release
• Searchable archive — growing community resource over time

WBN Press Release Hub™ is primarily a transactional product at the individual submission level, but becomes a relationship product at the retainer tier. Account management scales with tier and volume.

Account Management by Tier

Editorial Standards Enforcement

• All submissions reviewed against WBN acceptance standards before publication
• One resubmission allowed per rejected release at no additional charge
• Releases failing standards after resubmission are refunded at WBN's discretion
• WBN reserves the right to decline any submission for editorial, legal, or standards reasons
• Published releases may be removed if factual errors or legal concerns are identified post-publication

Revision & Correction Policy

• Press releases are published as submitted — submitters are responsible for accuracy
• Post-publication corrections accepted for factual errors within 48 hours of publication
• Corrections noted with a disclosure line on the published page
• WBN editorial articles follow standard WBN correction policy

Renewals, Cancellations & Upsell Path

• Retainer packages auto-renew monthly unless 30-day written notice is given
• Annual packages non-refundable after 30 days of start date
• Upsell path: Basic → Standard → Article Write-Up → Retainer → Agency Retainer
• Cross-sell path: Press Release Hub™ → WBN Publishing Partner™ (for clients who want full ghostwritten columns)
• Add-on upsells: social announcement copy, SEO-optimized versions, email distribution to WBN newsletter (future)

Revenue projections below are illustrative models based on submission volume and average transaction value. Final numbers to be completed once pricing is set. This product has two revenue modes: per-submission (transactional) and retainer (recurring). The goal is to grow the recurring base while sustaining a healthy per-submission volume for discoverability and pipeline development.

Revenue Notes

• This product is designed to be low-overhead — Lane One publications require minimal editorial time
• Lane Two (Article Write-Up) is high-value per transaction; even 5–10 per month at premium pricing is meaningful
• The agency retainer tier is the highest-value account type — a single agency at volume can represent significant MRR
• WBN's existing audience and network is the primary acquisition channel — low customer acquisition cost
• The Press Release Hub™ section creates compounding SEO value — a growing archive attracts organic submitter discovery
• Year 1 goal: establish pricing, build the submission infrastructure, land first 5 paying submitters, refine the process
• Natural pipeline: Press Release submitters who want more editorial presence become Publishing Partner™ clients

The following actions are required to move WBN Press Release Hub™ from Product Brief to active revenue product.

Immediate — This Week

• Finalize pricing for all four submission tiers
• Define and document the WBN Press Release submission standards in writing
• Confirm platform scope: where does the Press Release Hub™ section live on WBN? (Standalone section, sub-section, Ghost tag?)
• Identify the editorial workflow for Lane Two article write-ups and time cost per article
• Identify first pilot submitter (at least one prospective client to be targeted immediately)

Short Term — 30 Days

• Build the submission intake form and confirmation workflow
• Design the WBN Press Release Hub™ section page template (WBN Style Guide v3.2 compliant)
• Draft the submission terms and standards document (client-facing)
• Create the WBN Press Release Hub™ sales one-pager / package sheet
• Soft-launch with 2–5 pilot submissions at introductory or complimentary pricing to populate the section

Medium Term — 60–90 Days

• Formally launch WBN Press Release Hub™ as a published WBN service offering
• Add service page to wbnnewscorp.com
• Announce the product to the WBN subscriber list and social channels
• Develop the agency outreach list — PR firms and communications teams in WBN's geographic and sector coverage area
• Integrate Press Release Hub™ cross-sell into WBN Publishing Partner™ sales conversations
• Review pilot feedback, refine standards, adjust pricing if needed