Election, Holiday and Hurricane News: Press Release Trends from September and October

PR Newswire distributed nearly 40,000 press releases in the U.S. and Canada in September and October, so we understand if you had trouble keeping up. It’s a tall order even if you’re already registered for PR Newswire for Journalists. So our team monitored the headlines and is here with the big trends they spotted.

The U.S. presidential election was on everyone’s mind leading up to November and that was reflected on the wire, which featured a number of announcements related to voters’ anxieties, industry outlooks, voter registration and more. But other big trends also showed up, like brands getting an early start on holiday deals and product launches as well as hurricane preparation and relief efforts. Plus, the healthcare industry marked several recognition days/months for mental health, breast cancer and more.

Before we dive into the larger trends, let’s see which releases readers gravitated toward the most.

Popular Releases

Regardless of larger trends, some releases just draw a huge audience because they are that big or interesting. These were a few of the most-read releases of September and October and they covered a wide variety of topics and industries:

• Customer-First: Spectrum announced a series of updates for customers, including bundled pricing, bill credits and boosted internet speeds.
• Loan Forgiveness: MOHELA announced its processing of the largest amount of loan forgiveness — nearly $55 billion for 737,000 individual borrowers — by an FSA contractor in the history of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
• Top Colleges: U.S. News & World Report released its popular (and sometimes controversial) list of the best colleges in the country.
• Product Recall: TreeHouse Foods voluntarily recalled certain frozen waffle products due to a potential listeria contamination.
• Celebrity Partnership: HEYDUDE and singer/songwriter Jelly Roll co-designed a limited-edition shoe inspired by the themes in Jelly Roll’s latest album “Beautifully Broken.”

Below, we dig deeper into the larger trends spotted on the wire.

Election News

News about the presidential election (as well as state elections) was one of the largest trends on the wire during the last two months. The election results will impact nearly every industry, which was made clear by the variety of topics covered in the election-related headlines. Press releases touched on its impact on Americans’ finances, mental health, holiday spending, real estate decisions and much more.

Overall, PR Newswire distributed hundreds of press releases in September and October that were tied to the presidential election, including these unique headlines:

• Hertz Helps Drive the Vote this Election Day with One Free Rental Day with a Two+ Day Rental
• Election Scams on the Rise: Over Half of Americans Targeted with Election Scams
• Led by Millennials, Almost One Quarter of Adults Say Politics Influence Where They Decide to Live, New Realtor.com® Survey Finds
• Kamala Harris Named Winner of Nickelodeon’s Kids Pick the President “Kids’ Vote” Poll
• ‘The Ticket’: 1 in 2 Americans believe the outcome of the 2024 Presidential election directly impacts their personal finances; 24% believe the winner helps determine whether “I’m rich”
• EY survey reveals upcoming US presidential election will have notable impact on technology sector

Holidays Kick-Off

The wire started to fill up with holiday-themed press releases as we entered the final quarter of the year. Events known for big spending fill the second half of the year and consumer/retail announcements covered it all, from Labor Day deals to fall product launches, Halloween specialties and early Black Friday announcements.

These were a few of the most-read holiday releases of September and October:

• Wendy’s Drops Bone-Chillingly Fun Boo! Bag Meal, Featuring Exclusive Frosty Figure for “Kidults” and Parents
• New Rakuten Study Reveals Holiday Spending Disconnect Between Retailers and Shoppers
• Target Announces Exclusive Official ‘Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Book’ Available on Black Friday
• ALDI Commits to Thanksgiving Prices Lower Than 2019, Feeding 10 People for Less than $47

Health Awareness Campaigns

Throughout September and October, our team spotted a large number of awareness press releases from healthcare companies and other organizations participating in these health-related events.

• World Alzheimer’s Month (September): This awareness month is a global opportunity to raise dementia awareness and support people affected by the disease. During September, PR Newswire distributed more than 100 releases that mentioned Alzheimer’s and/or dementia, covering the latest research and treatment developments, charity initiatives and more.
• World Mental Health Day (Oct. 10): This year, the theme was “Mental Health at Work.” According to the World Health Organization, “Unhealthy conditions including stigma, discrimination, and exposure to risks like harassment and other poor working conditions, can pose significant risks, affecting mental health, overall quality of life and consequently participation or productivity at work.” Announcements from the past two months focused on mental health inside and outside the office.
• Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October): The international health campaign works to provide information and resources to help people “support your breast health, hear from medical experts as they share vital information, and learn how you can make a difference right now.” From the latest research developments to charity events, medical technology and more, PR Newswire distributed a variety of breast-cancer-related updates in October.

Here are just a few of the health awareness campaign releases you might have missed:

• Breastcancer.org Survey Reveals Severe Side Effects and Gaps in Long-Term Care Discussions for Breast Cancer Patients
• Instructure Integrates Microsoft Reflect with Canvas LMS, Expands Mental Wellness Resources Ahead of World Mental Health Day
• Bridge Players Raise $1.2M to Fight Alzheimer’s
• Midi Health Launches Dedicated Survivorship Program – Expert Specialty Care for Women with History or Family History of Breast Cancer
• LANGaware Announces Strategic Partnership with Bioiatriki Healthcare Group to Revolutionize Early Alzheimer’s Detection in Southeast Europe
• Healthy Minds Innovations Unveils Novel Wellbeing Index for Teens and Adults, and the “Our World of Emotions” Campaign

Hurricane Responses

The southeastern United States was recently hit with devastating back-to-back hurricanes. Hurricanes Helene and Milton reportedly caused a historic $50 billion in damages each and brands across retail, health, finance and other industries shared news of their relief efforts and resources via PR Newswire. In addition, we spotted many regional utility companies sharing important preparation tips and outage updates for their customers.

These hurricane-related press releases were some of the most engaged-with of the past two months:

• Duke Energy Florida restores power for over 99% of customers impacted by Hurricane Milton; crews continue working to restore remaining outages
• Vexcel Collects High-Resolution Aerial Imagery After Hurricane Milton
• Propane Industry Mobilizes to Provide Lifesaving Energy to Hurricane Survivors
• Bobcat Company Donates $885,000 in Equipment to Support The Salvation Army’s Disaster Relief Efforts
• CARFAX: 347,000 Cars Flood Damaged in 2024 Hurricanes
• Ashley Mobilizes Relief Efforts for Victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton

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 four major industries for September and October. Find them all on PR Newswire’s Resource Center.

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