Press releases for BPOs: When they work and how to write one
At a glance
- Most BPO press releases fail because they announce things nobody outside the company cares about.
- A release earns its keep when you have real news: a new site, a named client win, a certification, a senior hire or a credible award.
- Good releases follow a fixed shape, with the key fact in the first sentence and the company history at the end.
- Targeted pitching, clean links and tagged URLs decide whether a release produces coverage and leads.
- Marketing Hub lets you publish company news and press releases to an outsourcing audience and see who engages.
You just opened a second site in Davao. The CEO wants the world to know, so someone drafts a release by lunchtime.
A week later, it has two views on a wire page and zero calls.
That story is common. Press releases for BPOs still work, but only when the news is real and the release reaches the right editors.
Otherwise it is a page nobody reads.
Here is when a release is worth it, how to write one, and how to measure the result.
5 moments when a press release pays off
Journalists rely on releases more than you might think. In fact, 72% of journalists still cite press releases as the most useful resource PR teams can offer.
However, they want news, not promotion. These five moments usually qualify.
1. You open a new delivery site
A new site signals growth and local jobs, so regional business press often covers it. Include the city, seat count, hiring plan and services.
2. You sign a major client you can name
Named wins are strong news, but only with written permission. Many contracts include confidentiality clauses.
If the client agrees, a joint quote adds real credibility.
3. You earn a certification
Certifications such as ISO 27001 matter to buyers in regulated sectors. Explain what the certification means for clients, not just the acronym.
4. You hire a senior leader
A new COO or head of sales shows investment in the business. Trade outlets often run these moves.
Give the person’s background and why they joined.
5. You win a credible award
Awards work when the judging body is known to your buyers. Skip awards you simply paid to enter.
When a press release is a waste of time
A new website, a minor tool update or a team party rarely interests editors. Those stories fit better in a blog post or a LinkedIn update.
So ask one question first: would an editor care if a competitor announced this? If not, skip the release.
Put that effort into building your reputation as a specialist provider instead.
How to structure a BPO press release
Editors scan fast, so releases follow a familiar shape. Key facts come first and background comes last.
As a result, an editor can cut from the bottom without losing the story.
Headline and dateline
Write a plain headline of about 12 words or fewer. A factual line about seats and sectors beats “Exciting new chapter begins.”
Then open with a dateline: city, country and date.
Lede
The first sentence answers who, what, where and when. For example: “A Manila BPO today opened a 300-seat site in Davao City.”
The why comes next.
Quote and body
Add one leadership quote that explains the reason behind the news. Avoid empty lines like “we are thrilled.”
After that, the body adds services, sectors and hiring details.
Boilerplate and contact
Finish with a short “About” paragraph and a named media contact. Keep the boilerplate identical across releases for consistency.
Here is a short example outline:
- Headline: Manila BPO opens 300-seat Davao site for healthcare clients
- Lede: what opened, where, seats and jobs
- Context: why now and which sectors it serves
- Quote: CEO on the reason for the expansion
- Boilerplate and media contact
How to distribute a release so it gets read
Distribution decides whether anyone sees your news. Each route has a trade-off.
This table compares the three main routes:
| Route | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| Paid wire service | Wide syndication, fast, official record | Costs money; syndicated copies rarely earn real stories alone |
| Direct pitch to editors | Best chance of real coverage; builds relationships | Slow; needs a targeted media list |
| Owned and industry channels | Reaches buyers already researching outsourcing | Smaller reach outside your niche |
Send a short, personal email to editors who cover outsourcing, your city or your client sector. Relevance matters most, because Cision’s survey found that 86% of journalists reject pitches outside their beat.
One SEO warning applies too. Google treats links with optimized anchor text in press releases distributed on other sites as link spam.
Therefore, link your brand name or plain URL only.
How to measure whether a release worked
Coverage is nice, but pipeline matters more. Track pickups by real outlets, site traffic and inquiries from target companies.
For traffic, tag every link you control. Google Analytics lets you add utm campaign parameters to the destination URLs, so each visit maps to a release.
Then log inquiries in your CRM with the release as the source.
Review results after 30 days. If one type of news keeps producing calls, do more of it.
Feed those lessons into your wider BPO marketing plan.
How Marketing Hub helps BPOs publish and track press releases
The hard part is reaching buyers who are actually exploring outsourcing. Marketing Hub gives outsourcing companies one workspace to promote their brand and see who engages.
- Submit news, articles and press releases to OA’s site, which gets 400K+ monthly visits. Paid tiers include 2 to 4 submissions a month.
- Point readers to a verified profile in OA’s directory of 4,000+ BPO companies.
- Use Source Track to identify the companies visiting your site and directory page afterwards.
The Standard plan costs $29 a month with news submissions included. Or start free and book a strategy call with the OA team.
Independent
