Start with the event or change you want to announce and the people it matters to. Give us your business name, website, announcement date, the facts already confirmed and any deadline. If you have a draft, explain whether you want help shaping it or only want to discuss distribution. Do not assume the same service is included in every option.
Next, agree the scope. The package price should sit beside a clear description of writing, revisions, supplier distribution, reporting and tax treatment. A useful brief also says who approves quotations and photographs, what happens if a publisher rejects the subject and when the release can be submitted. Those details should be settled before money changes hands.
Review the text carefully. Check names, job titles, figures, dates, permissions and links. If a quotation is attributed to someone, they should approve it. If another company is involved, obtain permission to describe its role. A release can be republished, so a careless claim may travel further than a mistake on a page you control.
After the agreed submission, assess the evidence available. Publication URLs help you verify what appeared and where. Keep a copy of the approved release and any report so that future changes can be compared with the original. Do not confuse a long list of distribution destinations with readers, leads or customers.