embargoes
How Press Embargoes Work: Rules, Risks, and Etiquette
By Sunny Goyal · · 10 min read
A press embargo is an agreement that a reporter will receive news in advance but will not publish it before a specific date and time. It gives reporters time to interview sources and write a better story, and gives the company a coordinated moment of coverage. An embargo only works if the reporter agrees before seeing the details, the time and time zone are explicit, and everyone keeps their word.
Embargoes are standard practice for funding rounds, product launches, research findings, and major corporate news. They are also one of the easiest places for a launch to go wrong. A missing time zone, an unagreed embargo, or a quiet exclusive given to one outlet while others wait can damage relationships with reporters for years.
Photo: Raymond Petrik on Unsplash.
What is a press embargo?
A press embargo is a request, accepted by a reporter, to hold information until an agreed publication time. Before that time, the reporter can use the materials to prepare: read the release, interview the founder, call outside experts, and write the story. At the agreed moment, the story can run.
EurekAlert, the science news service run by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, gives a clear definition in its help pages: “A news embargo is a prohibition against making public, in any way, certain information before a specific date/time.” In science journalism, it notes, the embargo is typically set by the journal publisher to coincide with publication, and journalists who agree get early access to materials such as the manuscript and author interviews.
The key word is agreement. An embargo is a professional arrangement between a source and a reporter. In TechCrunch’s guide to pitching tech journalists, Danny Crichton put it bluntly: “A reporter’s inbox is on-the-record.” If you send embargoed details to someone who never agreed to the embargo, you cannot expect them to honor it.
How is an embargo different from an exclusive, off the record, or background?
An embargo controls timing; an exclusive controls who gets the story first. The two are often confused, and combining them without telling everyone involved is a common way to lose trust.
| Arrangement | What it means | Who gets the information | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embargo | Publish no earlier than an agreed time | One or several reporters who agreed in advance | Launches, funding rounds, research, earnings-adjacent news |
| Exclusive | One outlet gets the story first, usually also under embargo | A single reporter | High-value news where depth in one outlet matters most |
| Exclusive plus embargo for others | One outlet leads; others publish later or at the same time | Disclosed to all parties | Major news with a lead outlet and broad follow-up |
| Off the record | Information may not be published or attributed | Reporters who agreed before hearing it | Context in sensitive situations |
| On background | Information may be used but attributed only as agreed | Reporters who agreed before hearing it | Explaining complex situations without a named quote |
Crichton’s guide notes that “embargoes are not exclusive,” so an embargo lets you brief several reporters at once, and that when exclusives and embargoes are combined, “transparency is key.” If one outlet is getting an exclusive and others an embargo, say so to everyone.
Why do companies and reporters use embargoes?
Companies use embargoes to get better, coordinated coverage; reporters accept them to get time and access they would not otherwise have. Done well, both sides gain.
- Better stories. Reporters can interview the founder, call customers and outside experts, and check numbers, rather than rewriting a release in twenty minutes.
- Coordinated timing. Coverage lands when the product is live, the website is updated, and the sales team is ready.
- Fair access. Several outlets get the same head start, rather than one leaked story setting the narrative.
- Review time. For hardware and software, embargoes give reviewers time to test. Outlets such as The Verge describe agreeing to embargoes so editors can evaluate products before release.
Reporters still choose what to cover. An embargo is not a promise of coverage. In Muck Rack’s State of Journalism 2026, as summarized by the University of Minnesota, journalists most valued clear relevance to their beats (70%) and interview access to relevant sources (58%). An embargo works when it delivers that access around news that is relevant in the first place.
How do you set up a press embargo, step by step?
The process below is the one we use for launches and funding announcements. It keeps the agreement explicit at every step.
- Decide whether the news needs an embargo. Real news with depth (a funding round, a launch with traction, a study) benefits. Minor updates do not. If one outlet’s readers matter most, consider an exclusive instead; our guide on announcing a funding round covers that choice.
- Pick the reporters and set the time. Choose a short list of reporters whose recent coverage fits. Set a date, an hour, and a time zone. Crichton’s guide suggests giving at least two to three days of notice but probably not more than five to seven.
- Ask first. Send a short note describing the news in general terms and asking whether the reporter accepts an embargo until the stated time. Do not include the details yet.
- Send materials only after a yes. Once the reporter agrees in writing, send the release, data, images, and interview availability, with the embargo time repeated at the top. Our guide to an online newsroom and press kit covers which assets reporters expect.
- Stay ready and watch for leaks. Keep spokespeople available for interviews before the lift, prepare the website and social posts, and monitor for early publication.
- Lift on time. Publish your own announcement at the agreed moment, share coverage as it runs, and thank the reporters who honored the terms.
What should an embargo request say?
An embargo request should be short, clear about terms, and free of the confidential details until the reporter agrees. Here are two templates.
The ask:
Subject: Embargoed: [Company] news on [general topic], [date]
Hi [Name], we have news about [general description, no specifics] that I think fits your coverage of [beat]. It is under embargo until [day, date, time, time zone]. Would you be willing to accept the embargo? If yes, I will send the release, data, and interview times with [Executive].
The materials, after a yes:
EMBARGOED UNTIL [Day, Month Date, Year, 9:00 a.m. ET]
Thanks for agreeing to the embargo. The release, data sheet, and images are below. [Executive] is available [times] before the lift. Please do not publish or post about this before [time and time zone].
Crichton’s advice on time zones came with an expletive attached, and he was not exaggerating. A launch set for “Tuesday at 9” will be read three different ways by reporters in three time zones.
What happens when an embargo breaks?
When an embargo breaks, tell every reporter covering the story immediately, and lift the embargo for all of them. Crichton’s advice is direct: “When an embargo is busted, you should immediately contact all writers who were covering your story.”
Breaks happen for ordinary reasons: a scheduling error in a content system, a reporter in a different time zone, a partner who posts early, an investor who mentions the news on social media. Occasionally an outlet decides the news is fair game because it learned of it independently.
A practical response plan:
- Confirm the break. Verify that the story or post is live, and capture a screenshot with the time.
- Notify everyone at once. A single short email to all embargoed reporters: the embargo is lifted, effective now, with a link to the early story.
- Publish your own materials. Push the release, blog post, and social posts live immediately.
- Handle the relationship later. If the break was a deliberate violation by a reporter who agreed, decide calmly whether to keep working with that outlet. If it was your error, own it with every reporter involved.
Some organizations formalize consequences. EurekAlert requires every reporter and press officer to sign an embargo agreement before accessing embargoed releases, and its reporter eligibility rules exclude applicants with conflicting roles, such as financial analysts, because mishandling nonpublic information can raise securities issues.
Do embargoes work differently for public companies?
Yes. Public companies must think about securities law, not only etiquette. Material news shared before it is public can move a stock, so legal and investor relations teams should approve any embargo plan.
The SEC’s Regulation FD, at 17 CFR 243.100, requires an issuer that discloses material nonpublic information to certain people, such as brokers, investment advisers, investment companies, and shareholders who may trade on it, to make the information public: simultaneously for intentional disclosures and promptly for unintentional ones. The rule excludes disclosures to a person who expressly agrees to keep the information confidential. Reporters are not among the listed categories, but that does not remove insider trading risk if embargoed news leaks to people who trade on it.
In practice, many public companies avoid embargoes for financial results entirely and release material news through a wire service and regulatory filing at a set time. For product or research news that is not financially material, embargoes are more common. Either way, counsel decides, not the PR team.
What do most teams get wrong about embargoes?
Most embargo problems come from vague terms and undisclosed side deals, not from reporters acting in bad faith.
| Mistake | What happens | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Sending details before asking | No agreement exists; the reporter may publish | Ask first, send details only after a written yes |
| No time zone | Stories run at different times | Date, hour, and time zone, every time |
| Embargo for minor news | Reporters stop accepting your embargoes | Reserve embargoes for news with depth |
| Secret exclusive alongside an embargo | Other reporters feel misled | Disclose the arrangement to everyone |
| Too much lead time | Higher leak risk, news goes stale | Roughly two to seven days for most news |
| Partners and investors not briefed | A partner posts early and breaks the embargo | Share the embargo terms internally and with partners |
| No plan for a break | Chaotic, uneven response | A prepared notification email and live-ready assets |
How do embargoes fit into a launch plan?
Embargoes are one tool inside a wider launch plan. They work best when the story is strong, the assets are ready, and the right reporters are chosen. Our product launch PR plan shows where the embargo sits in the timeline, and our guide to getting featured in TechCrunch covers how one major tech outlet handles exclusives and embargoes. For security research, outlets such as Dark Reading expect early access under a clear embargo with a researcher available for questions.
Before any embargoed release goes out, test the headline: our press release headline checker scores word count, verbs, numbers, PR cliches, and passive voice. Our media relations team plans embargoes, exclusives, and launch timing for venture-backed and enterprise clients. If you have news coming, talk to us before you send the first email.
Frequently asked questions
Are press embargoes legally binding?
An embargo is generally a professional agreement between a source and a reporter rather than a formal contract, and it only applies if the reporter agreed before receiving the information. Some services, such as EurekAlert, require a signed embargo agreement for access. Public companies also have securities law obligations that apply regardless of any embargo.
How far in advance should you send embargoed news?
For most news, two to seven days is enough. TechCrunch’s guide to pitching suggests at least two to three days of notice but probably not more than five to seven. Complex research or hardware reviews may need more time; very long embargoes raise leak risk.
What is the difference between an embargo and an exclusive?
An embargo controls when a story can be published and can be shared with several reporters. An exclusive gives one reporter the story first, usually also under embargo. If you combine them, tell every reporter involved how the news is being shared.
What should you do if a reporter breaks an embargo?
Immediately notify every other embargoed reporter that the embargo is lifted, publish your own materials, and capture evidence of the early story. Decide later, calmly, whether to keep working with the outlet that broke it, especially if it was an accident.
Can you put a press release on a wire service under embargo?
Most wire services let you schedule a release for a specific date and time, which controls when it goes public on the wire. That is separate from briefing reporters under embargo in advance. Many launches use both: embargoed briefings first, then a scheduled wire release at the lift time.
