Wire Recap: Press Release Trends from March and April
PR Newswire distributed nearly 40,000 press releases in the U.S. and Canada in March and April – so we understand if you had trouble keeping up, even if you’re already registered for PR Newswire for Journalists. To help out, our team monitored the headlines and made note of the big trends they spotted.
Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day in March meant we saw a wave of women-related press releases crossing the wire from a range of companies in the consumer, healthcare, public interest and tech industries, among others. And April was all about the environment, from the excitement surrounding the total solar eclipse to brands’ Earth Day initiatives.
Before we dive into the larger trends, let’s see which releases readers gravitated toward the most.
🏆 Popular Releases
Source: PRNewsfoto/Crown Royal
Regardless of larger trends, some releases just draw a huge audience because they are that big or interesting of a story. These were a few of the most-read releases of March and April. They covered a wide variety of topics and industries:
- Whisky Launch: Crown Royal claimed the top spot in March and April with its release of Blackberry Flavored Whisky. The brand utilized a Multichannel News Release full of eye-catching images.
- Pocket Pizza: Food and beverage news continued to dominate views with Little Caesars’ launch of pocket-sized pizza Crazy Puffs.
- Beyoncé Always: Queen Bey took over the wire in March with the much-anticipated debut of her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter.
- Monster Energy Embraces AR: To launch its new zero-sugar flavor, Fantasy Ruby Red, Monster Energy announced an immersive AR experience would bring the textured can’s characters to life. The company also leveraged a Multichannel News Release packed with videos and product images.
- Retirement “Magic Number”: Northwestern Mutual released findings from its 2024 Planning & Progress Study, which found that Americans believe they’ll need $1.46 million to retire comfortably.
Below, we dig deeper into the larger trends spotted on the wire.
Women’s Interest News
Source: PRNewsfoto/United Airlines
March marked the celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day (March 8), which combined led to an explosion of women-related press releases crossing the wire. This year’s theme for International Women’s Day was “Invest in women: Accelerate progress,” which aimed to address the alarming deficit in gender equality measures.
On the wire, announcements covered updates in women’s health, travel for women, consumer products, advocacy and legislation and much more. In all, PR Newswire distributed over 700 women-related press releases in March and April.
Here are a few to help you catch up:
- The Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation welcomed 35 partner organizations. The foundation and its partners are working to establish the first memorial on the National Mall dedicated to American women’s history.
- Chartwells Higher Education highlighted its Women in Culinary program, which provides mentorship, hands-on experience, and development opportunities to advance women in the culinary field.
- A survey from RecruitmentMarketing.com and The Muse found that 41% of women have felt discriminated against during a job interview due to gender.
- United Airlines encouraged MileagePlus® members to donate miles to Girl Scouts of the USA to help fund life-changing experiences through travel.
- Planet Fitness announced its second drop of limited-edition, co-branded merch with Megan Thee Stallion – also known as ‘Mother Fitness,’ in support of women’s empowerment.
Find more like this: Read our industry news recaps for health and sports to catch up on more women’s interest news.
An Eclipse and Earth Day
The theme of this year’s Earth Day celebration was “Planet vs. Plastics.” It focused on a commitment to end plastics for the benefit of human and planetary health and reduce plastic use by 60% by 2040. Brands across the wire joined the conversation leading up to the April 22 holiday with news of their environmental initiatives, which included plastic reductions, reforestation efforts, recycling projects and much more.
Source: PRNewsfoto/LG Electronics USA
Not only was Earth Day/Earth Month a big topic among news releases, but the total solar eclipse on April 8 was big news across industries. From travel to consumer/retail, environment and beyond, companies across the country got in on the excitement.
Here are a few environment releases that stood out in March and April:
- Spot Pet Insurance reminded pet parents to consider their pets’ safety during the eclipse and provided safety and health tips to help them prepare.
- Shoe brand Sanuk and the Surfrider Foundation unveiled an ocean-inspired capsule footwear collection made from recycled and repurposed materials.
- At LG’s Life’s Good Earth Day Community Fair, the company collected approximately three thousand pounds of unwanted electronics and planted native plants and flowers in its New Jersey campus Pollinator Garden.
- Eight O’Clock Coffee joined in the buzz surrounding the total solar eclipse and declared April 8 “Black Coffee Day,” celebrating black coffee drinkers everywhere.
- Bulleit Frontier Whiskey launched the “Don’t Trash Glass” glass recycling initiative in Kentucky, which has one of the lowest glass recycling rates in the nation.
Find more like this: Our recent recaps of environment and consumer news trends have additional examples of companies that were celebrating and doing their part to protect the environment in recent months.
More News Trends
Want to dive deeper into the news trends for the industry you cover? Our team has compiled the trends and top releases across nearly 10 industries for March and April. Find them all on PR Newswire’s Resource Center.
Want to see more news like this? Keep up with the latest news in your coverage area with a customized newsfeed. Click here to sign up now or email us to fine-tune your existing profile.
Rocky Parker is the Manager of Audience and Journalist Engagement at Cision PR Newswire. She's been with the company since 2010 and has worked with journalists and bloggers as well as PR and comms professionals. Outside of work, she can be found trying a new recipe, binging a new show, or cuddling with her pitbull, Hudson.
