A mat release is a finished feature story written to be published as it stands. Syndication places one story on many news sites at once. A placement is one page where your story ran, and a placement report lists them with links. Earned media is coverage a journalist chooses to give you; paid media, such as sponsored content, is space you buy.
Want to know whether your story would run? Todd Simon, National PR Director, will tell you on a strategy call.
Book a call with Todd- Advertorial
- An ad written to look like an article, placed in paid ad space and usually labeled as advertising.
- Boilerplate
- The short standard paragraph about a company at the end of a press release.
- Earned media
- Coverage a journalist or editor chooses to give you. You do not pay the outlet for it.
- Feature story
- An article that explains, advises or tells a story, rather than reporting breaking news. It can stay useful for weeks or months. More in the 2027 feature story calendar.
- Guaranteed placement
- A promise that your story will be published, either a set number of times or on named sites. Ask what counts as a placement and what happens if the number is missed. More in the pay-per-placement PR guide.
- Impression
- An estimate of how many times something may have been seen. An impression is not a placement and cannot be opened and checked. More in what a placement report should show.
- Mat release
- A finished feature story written to be published as it stands, then distributed to news sites through a syndication network. The name comes from the printing mats once mailed to newspapers. See mat release vs press release.
- Native advertising
- Paid content made to match the look of the site it runs on, usually labeled as sponsored or partner content.
- Paid media
- Any space you pay for: ads, sponsored content, advertorials and paid placements.
- Pay-per-placement PR
- A pricing model where you pay for stories that run rather than for time spent pitching. See pay-per-placement PR, explained.
- Pickup
- When a journalist or site decides to use a press release or story. Voluntary pickup cannot be guaranteed. More in alternatives to press release wires.
- Placement
- One page on one site where your story ran.
- Placement report
- A list of every placement in a campaign, ideally with a live link to each. See what a placement report should show.
- Press release
- A company's own announcement in news format, sent to journalists, often through a wire service. More in mat release vs press release.
- Sponsored content
- Content a brand pays a publisher to run, labeled as sponsored.
- Distributing one story so that many sites publish it. Feature syndication services place brand stories across networks of news sites. More in feature syndication services compared.
- Press release wire
- A paid service that distributes companies' press releases to newsrooms, databases and partner sites. Not the same as a news wire such as the Associated Press, which distributes its own reporting. More in alternatives to press release wires.
Questions
What is a mat release?
A finished feature story written to be published as it stands, then distributed to news sites through a syndication network. NewsUSA distributes them: a journalist writes the story, you approve it, and it runs on 2,000+ US news sites within 30 days.
What is the difference between earned and paid media?
Earned media is coverage a journalist chooses to give you. Paid media is space you pay for, such as ads and sponsored content. Placed feature stories are paid for, but written and edited as news.
How this page was made
Definitions written by NewsUSA in general terms. NewsUSA figures (2,000+ US news sites within 30 days, live-only billing, the 2,637-site September 2026 campaign) come from NewsUSA and its campaign reports, which Todd Simon can show you on the call. How these guides are made.
- NewsUSA: Mat release distribution, read November 5, 2026