What World Wire's USA Today package requires: a content score of at least 65 out of 100, and no prohibited-category flags. Both conditions must be met when you order USA Today distribution from World Wire. A member of our editorial team still reviews every release before it goes out.
World Wire's USA Today package guidelines
USA Today distribution is a World Wire package. The bar is higher than it is for a standard news-network release. The rules below are World Wire's acceptance guidelines for this package. Current package pricing is on our pricing page. These rules sit alongside our site-wide Editorial Guidelines.
Requirement 1
Content score of at least 65/100
The release should read as news, not as an advertisement. A clear headline, a dateline, supporting facts, at least one real quote, an About section and a media contact all help the score. The self-check at the bottom of this page estimates that score from those signals. It is an estimate only.
Requirement 2
No prohibited-category flags
The release must not fall into a category that we do not accept for World Wire's USA Today package. If the self-check or our editors flag a prohibited category, the release cannot go out on this package, even if the content score is high.
Prohibited categories
The following categories are not accepted under World Wire's USA Today package guidelines. This list is not exhaustive. Our editors may decline any release that they believe could mislead readers or is not suitable for this package.
- Gambling and online casinos. Casino, sportsbook, betting, lottery and similar promotions.
- Crypto and financial promotion, where it applies. Token sales, investment solicitations, price targets, promised returns or other financial promotions. A factual announcement from a legitimate company may still be reviewed case by case, without promotional claims.
- Adult content. Pornography, sexually explicit material or escort services.
- Weapons. Sale or promotion of firearms, ammunition, explosives or instructions for making them.
- Drugs, cannabis and CBD. Controlled substances, cannabis, CBD and related products or services.
- Hacking. Hacking tools, exploits, or services that help people evade the law.
- MLM and get-rich-quick schemes. Multi-level marketing, guaranteed wealth claims and similar pitches.
- Payday loans. Payday, title and other short-term, high-cost lending promotions.
- Miracle health claims. Claims that a product cures, treats or prevents disease without appropriate evidence, or "miracle" weight-loss and wellness promises.
Tips to raise the content score
- Lead with news. Open on a real development: a launch, partnership, hire, funding round, milestone, event or research finding that a reader would care about.
- Write a clear headline. Specific, in title case or sentence case, and not in ALL CAPS. Aim for a line a journalist can understand in one glance.
- Include a dateline. City, and state or country, plus the release date at the start of the first paragraph.
- Use quotes. At least one quote from a named person with a real role in the news, approved by that person.
- Back the story with facts and figures. Dates, numbers, names and sources make the release more useful and more credible.
- Keep promotion in check. Avoid superlatives and sales language such as "revolutionary", "best ever" or "act now", except inside a measured, attributed quote.
- Aim for 400 to 800 words, or a little more. That range is usually enough for context without padding. Much shorter releases often lack substance. Much longer ones are harder to scan.
- Add an About section. A short boilerplate paragraph that explains who the issuing organisation is.
- Finish with contact details. A named media contact, a working email and/or phone number, and the organisation's website.
- Do not overload the release with links. A few relevant links are enough. Keyword-stuffed anchors will be edited or removed.
- Check grammar, spelling and punctuation. A clean draft is faster to approve and easier for editors to trust.