2022 in Press Releases: The Year's Must-Read Stories

The press releases sent via PR Newswire that received the most attention this year

NEW YORK, Dec. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With more than 300,000 press releases hitting the wire this year, it was difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. As another year at the wire comes to an end, the team is recapping some major stories from 2022 that couldn't be missed.

The press releases sent via PR Newswire – and how they perform – say a lot about what news audiences want to know about and the subjects they gravitate toward.

The following releases were some of the most-read on prnewswire.com over the past 12 months, and the analysts at PR Newswire have some insight into why. Some strayed from the more "traditional" press release format to focus on storytelling and appeal to readers' emotions. Others tied into some of the year's biggest new stories, including social media acquisitions, the housing market, extreme weather and more.

Click on the press release headlines to access the full story and accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

Tech Acquisitions Dominate the News

Technology-related headlines consistently showed up among the year's most-read press releases. Among them were several high-profile acquisitions (whether they went through or not), including:

• Elon Musk to Acquire Twitter: In the most-viewed release of the year, the social media platform confirmed Musk's offer to purchase the company and take it private in a transaction valued at approximately $44 billion.
• Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, to acquire Parler platform: "In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves," Ye said of the proposed acquisition.
• eBay has Entered into an Agreement to Acquire TCGplayer: eBay announced its plans to purchase the trading card marketplace for a total deal value of up to approximately $295 million in August.

The metaverse and smart home tech were also among the recurring tech news trends in recent months. Read more in our latest recap of business technology news trends from the wire.

Health Stories Draw in Readers

As the pandemic rolled through its third year, the country also grappled with a baby formula shortage, the "tripledemic," new legislation and more. So it should come as little surprise to see several health-related press releases among the year's most-viewed.

• Golden Retriever Poisoned by Thanksgiving Bread Rolls: The Pet Poison Helpline tugged at pet parents' heartstrings with this timely release about the dangers of unbaked dough just before Thanksgiving – making it the second-most-read release of 2022.
• Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company's Online Pharmacy Launches: The pharmacy's January launch represented a critical milestone in bringing affordable medications to millions. This release performed so well that Cision took a deeper look at what made it stand out.
• Abbott Voluntarily Recalls Powder Formulas Manufactured at One Plant: The company conducted this voluntary recall after four consumer complaints related to Cronobacter sakazakii or Salmonella Newport in infants who'd consumed the formula.
• Newsweek Releases 2022 World's Best Hospitals List: The United States has a dominating presence on the Global Top 150 list, claiming 33 hospitals overall and an extraordinary half of the top 10 spots.
• Sony Electronics Launches its First Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids in the US: The FDA approved access to OTC hearing aids in the fall, and Sony's announcement of two simple, app-enabled options for consumers was a big draw for readers.

Catch up on the latest health news trends, including mental health and flu season.

Big Finance Headlines

The economy had a roller coaster year, and some of the most-read finance headlines reflect many of the ups and downs.

• Bank of America Loan Solution to Expand Homeownership Opportunities in Black/African American and Hispanic-Latino Communities: In August, Bank of America announced a new zero down payment, zero closing cost mortgage solution for first-time homebuyers, which aims to help eligible individuals and families obtain an affordable loan to purchase a home.
• Fortune Announces 2022 Fortune 500 List: The top five companies held their positions on this year's list, with Walmart taking the top spot for the 10^th year in a row, generating $5.1 trillion cumulative revenue over that time.
• FTX Launches Strategic Review of Its Global Assets: In November, crypto exchange platform FTX announced its plan to begin preparing the company for sale or reorganization. Several of the company's releases in 2022, including this one from July, were among the year's most read.
• The Number of Consumers Living Paycheck to Paycheck Has Increased Year-Over-Year: "Now, as inflation continues its upwards swing, consumers are finding it more difficult to manage spending and are eating into their savings as financial pressures mount," said Anuj Nayar, LendingClub's Financial Health Officer.

Read more about the latest finance news trends, including inflation, housing and more.

Auto & Transport Newsmakers

This year, the travel industry continued its rebound and electric vehicles dominated the conversation. These were a few of the top auto and transport press releases of 2022:

• DeLorean Announces New Reveal Date with Teaser Image: The company released a three-quarter shot of its new electric vehicle and DeLorean CMO Troy Beetz said, "Excitement is rising like the doors of our iconic sports car." The cliffhanger headline was hard for readers to resist.
• Luggage Company Disrupting Airlines - Saving Travelers From Carry-on Fees: This unique travel solution is designed to save travelers money by giving them the ability to transform their carry-on to an under-the-seat personal item.
• Carnival Cruise Line Removes Pre-Cruise Testing for Vaccinated Guests and Welcomes all Unvaccinated to Sail: In a sign of the evolving nature of the pandemic, the cruise line unveiled its new protocol in August.

The travel industry's return to normal is just one of several recent news trends the PR Newswire team noticed in recent auto and transportation press releases.

Top Consumer & Retail Stories

Consumer and retail press releases are consistently among PR Newswire's most-viewed releases and regularly show up in the weekly recaps.

These are just a few of the consumer product releases that caught readers' eyes in 2022:

• New HARD MTN DEW® Hits Shelves in Select States: Full of eye-catching images, this release announced MTN DEW's return to its roots – the beverage was originally designed to be a mixer for alcoholic spirits.
• McDonald's USA x Cactus Plant Flea Market: Adults want toys too, and McDonald's proved it with its popular launch of its limited-edition Happy Meals in the fall.
• LensCrafters Announces Sharon Stone as the Face of New 'Your Eyes First' Campaign: Brands' partnerships with celebrities tend to generate a lot of views each year, but this pairing of actress Sharon Stone and the eyewear company was a step above the rest. Other newsworthy partnerships this year include Fritos + Thomas Rhett and Miller Lite + J Balvin.

The PR Newswire team scoured more than 5,000 consumer and retail headlines in September and October. Read what they found.

More of 2022's Most-Read Releases

To round things out, here are a few more of the year's top releases that stood out from the pack.

• Are you ready to Shake, Shiver, and Shovel? Farmers' Almanac Releases an Extreme Winter Forecast: This seasonal and relevant release featured an infographic to help easily break down the predictions, which included "unreasonably cold" weather for the Great Lakes region and a "hibernation zone" for North Central states (which seems spot-on given the weather over the last week).
• Kenneth W. Starr, Former Federal Judge and U.S. Solicitor General, Dies at 76: The wire is utilized for many reasons. In addition to product launches, earnings and everything else company-related, it's also used to share obituary news.
• Court TV to bring cameras into the court room for Johnny Depp, Amber Heard defamation trial: In a decision that launched one of the most talked-about events on social media this year, the network announced it would "provide viewers unobstructed and unbiased views of the proceedings."

Dig deeper into the year's top press releases – and some of the reasons behind their strong performance – in our recent blog post.

Read more of the latest releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases in 2023 by following @PRNalert on Twitter.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the year's big press releases that consumers and the media were drawn to. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area in the new year, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features:

• Customization: Users can create customized newsfeeds that will deliver relevant news right to their inbox. Newsfeed results can be targeted by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.
• Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include in a journalist or blogger's next story.
• Subject Matter Experts: Journalists will have access to ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in their articles.
• Related Resources: Our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, features regular media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists

For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages.

PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals.

For questions, contact the team at [email protected].

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