Editorial & Disclosure Policy

1. Why this policy exists

United Press secures press coverage for clients and manages their online reputation. Readers, publications, regulators and search engines all have a legitimate interest in knowing when content has been arranged commercially. This policy sets out the standards we apply so that clients know what they are buying and the public is not misled. It works alongside our Terms & Conditions, which are the binding contract for every order.

2. Types of coverage

• Guaranteed placements: articles, features, interviews or listicle inclusions that we arrange with a publication and confirm in writing before work starts. These are what our publication guarantee covers.
• Press releases: announcements written on your behalf and distributed to, or published by, named outlets and newswires.
• Earned media: coverage a journalist chooses to write independently after we pitch your story. Earned coverage is never guaranteed unless your order confirmation specifically says so.
• Owned and amplified content: LinkedIn articles, thought-leadership pieces and other content we write for channels you control.

3. How arranged content is labelled

Publications are independent businesses with their own editorial standards. Some publish arranged content as editorial, some with a discreet label such as “Partner content” or “Brand feature”, and some as sponsored content. The label is decided by the publication, not by us, and it is disclosed to you in your written order confirmation for every title before you commit.

We follow the UK Advertising Codes (the CAP Code) and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations, which require that commercially arranged editorial content is obviously identifiable as such where the publication presents it to readers. We will not ask a publication to remove or hide a label it applies, and we do not describe arranged content as independent journalism in any material we produce.

4. Who writes and approves content

Content is drafted by United Press writers and editors from information you supply, interviews with your spokespeople and our own research. Nothing is submitted to a publication until you have approved the final wording. You are responsible for the accuracy of the facts, figures and claims you give us; we are responsible for presenting them clearly and in a form the publication will accept.

Where a journalist interviews you directly, you speak for yourself. We may prepare you for the interview and agree messaging in advance, but we do not put words in a journalist’s mouth and we do not promise how an independent journalist will write their story.

5. Accuracy and substantiation

• We publish only claims that you can substantiate if asked, such as awards, figures, client names and results.
• We do not invent quotes, testimonials, statistics, endorsements or news events.
• We do not write content that is defamatory, infringes someone else’s rights, or breaches a publication’s own guidelines.
• Health, financial, legal and regulated-sector content is written to the additional rules that apply to that sector, and we may ask for supporting evidence before submitting it.

6. Editorial independence of publications

Every publication we work with keeps final control over what it publishes. Editors may make minor edits for style, length or legal reasons, and may decline material that does not meet their standards. We cannot guarantee how long an article will remain online, how it will rank in search engines, or how it will be shown in AI tools, unless your order confirmation says otherwise. Our guarantee is that the agreed article goes live in the agreed publication within the agreed time; if it does not, our Refund Policy applies.

7. Reputation management standards

In review removal, link removal, suppression and monitoring work we use only lawful routes: platform policy reports, publisher and webmaster requests, rights-based requests and, where appropriate, legal processes handled with qualified advisers. We do not create fake reviews, post misleading content, impersonate anyone, hack or gain unauthorised access to any system, or offer any inducement for the removal of content in breach of a platform’s rules. We only accept reputation work where the content concerned is inaccurate, unfair, out of date, unlawful or otherwise breaches the rules of the platform it appears on.

8. AI tools and automation

We may use AI tools to help research, structure and edit drafts. Every piece of content we submit on your behalf is reviewed and finalised by a person, and you approve it before it is published. We do not use automation to generate reviews, comments or mass-produced articles.

9. Corrections and complaints

If something we published contains an error, tell us and we will ask the publication to correct it as quickly as possible. If you believe we have not followed this policy, please use our complaints process. Concerns about a publication’s own labelling or conduct can also be raised with the Advertising Standards Authority or the publication’s regulator.