You want your business published on WROC, on rochesterfirst.com, the News 8 site Rochester has watched for over 75 years. This page gives you the complete answer: whether it is possible, what you actually get, how a published article differs from a distributed press release, what decides the price, and the one email that starts it. No question should be left in your mind by the end, only a decision.
The short answer: yes, a Rochester business can get featured on WROC
Yes. A Rochester business can be featured on WROC through a paid article placement on rochesterfirst.com. This is not pitching a story to the News 8 newsroom, and it is not a press release bundle that mentions the station's name. It is a separate, legitimate route: a written article about your business, published as a real page on rochesterfirst.com, reviewed by the outlet before it goes live, labelled as paid content, and permanent once published.
We arrange placements on WROC for businesses like yours, which means the route is already open. You do not need a PR firm, a media contact, or a wire service. You need a business worth writing about and one email to us. The rest of this page explains exactly what happens after that email.
Ready to get your business on WROC?
Send us your business name, your website, and what the article should be about. You get a fit confirmation and your individual quote back by email.
uzairasad@pressfeature.orgOne email starts it. No form, no obligation.
What you actually get: your business in a News 8 headline
Picture the finished thing, because that is what you are buying. A live article page on rochesterfirst.com carries your business name in the headline and your story in the text: what you do, why you are good at it, and where Rochester customers can find you. It sits on the same site, under the same News 8 name, that your customers open for news and weather.
Then the link starts working for you: you send it to the customer deciding between you and a competitor, and you add WROC to the "As Featured On" row on your own homepage, where every visitor understands in one second that Rochester's own news station published a story about your business. That moment of recognition is the product.
Why WROC carries weight in Rochester
WROC is Rochester's oldest television station, signing on 11 June 1949 as WHAM-TV. It is the market's CBS station, branded News 8, and it has aired the full CBS schedule since 1989. This is the station that gave the area its first 11 p.m. newscast back in August 1957, and it still broadcasts from studios on Humboldt Street in downtown Rochester, with its transmitter on Pinnacle Hill in Brighton. Its Golden Apple Award, honouring educators who go the extra mile, is the kind of community institution that tells you how deeply the station is woven into local life.
In our outlet directory, WROC carries a Domain Authority of 66 and roughly 1.2 million monthly organic visits. But the real reason a News 8 article works is simpler: longevity is trust. An article on the city's oldest station site says your business belongs in this market, in a way no newcomer platform can copy.
What a sponsored article on rochesterfirst.com actually looks like
Let us be precise about the product, because precision is where vague offers fall apart. The article is a full page on rochesterfirst.com itself. The domain check matters here: whenever anyone offers you a News 8 placement, open the sample link and confirm the article truly lives on the station's real site. A page anywhere else is not this product.
The article is labelled as paid content. That labelling is not a weakness; it is what makes the placement legitimate and durable. The outlet reviews the article before it is published, so what goes live has passed the station's own check. Once live, the placement is permanent. It does not expire when a campaign ends.
The article links to your website, and those links carry sponsored attributes, as paid content rules require. Anyone who promises you a plain editorial dofollow link from a paid WROC placement is describing something that does not exist. What you get is a permanent, credible page about your business on the site Rochester trusts, reviewed, labelled, and yours to use.
A press release is not a published article
This is the section that saves Rochester businesses money, because release bundles are the main alternative you will be offered. A press release service distributes your text to wires and inboxes. Distribution is not publication. A release that is sent everywhere and lands nowhere a customer can open is not an article, it is an email campaign with your name on it. Even when a bundle advertises a big station's name, ask what you can actually click on afterwards.
The paid placement is specific in a way a bundle never is: one written article, about your business, published on rochesterfirst.com, reviewed by the outlet, labelled honestly, permanent once live, with the live link as the deliverable you can hold. The tests are simple: the real domain, a finished published page, and permanence. Run any offer, including ours, through those three tests. If you want the wider picture of how placements differ across outlets, our guide to which news outlets accept sponsored content explains it.
Who a WROC article is right for, and who should skip it
This placement fits Rochester metro businesses whose customers are local: professional firms, healthcare and education adjacent businesses around the city's big employers, home services, retailers, and any company that sells on trust in this market. It is especially strong when the person deciding on you checks your name online first, because the News 8 name is the one they already trust.
It does not fit a business with no Rochester connection and no use for a Rochester credibility badge. And note one distinction: the station's Why ROC features are its own broadcast segment strand, not the product on this page. If your customers are all in another region, spend the money on the outlet they actually read. We would rather tell you that now than sell you the wrong placement.
How publishing on WROC works, step by step
Step 1: Email us. Write to uzairasad@pressfeature.org with your business name, your website, and what the article should be about. That email is the whole application. There is no form, no account to create, no retainer to sign.
Step 2: Fit confirmation and your quote. We confirm that your business and your topic fit the outlet, and you receive your individual quote for this outlet. What decides that quote is covered in the final section.
Step 3: The article. You can supply the article yourself, or we arrange the writing for you. Either way, the draft goes to the outlet for review before anything is published.
Step 4: Review and go live. The outlet reviews the article. Once it is approved, it is published on rochesterfirst.com, fast once the review is complete, with the exact timeline confirmed in your quote.
Step 5: Your live link. You receive the live link to your article. It is yours to send to customers, add to your site, and use in every proposal from that day on.
Your protection is stated plainly, because it is part of the arrangement before you pay anything: payment is in full in advance, and if the article does not go live, you receive a full refund, in writing. There is no version of this where you pay and end up with nothing.
What decides the price, the honest limits, and how to start
There is no public price for a WROC article, and this page is not hiding one to force you into a call. The price is set per placement because the deciding factors differ for every business: the scope of the article, whether you supply it or we arrange the writing, the placement specifics, and timing. So every placement is quoted individually, by email, with no obligation to proceed. Our guide to how much a sponsored article costs explains the factor model in full.
The limits, stated plainly. The article is paid content and is labelled as such; it is not editorial coverage and it is not the News 8 newsroom endorsing your business. No one can guarantee you search rankings, a traffic figure, or sales from a placement like this. What it does, permanently, is put a credible, findable page about your business on the news site Rochester trusts.
If WROC is the outlet your customers trust, the next step is a single email. Write to uzairasad@pressfeature.org with your business name, your website, and the story the article should tell. You will get a fit confirmation and your individual quote back. If you want a bigger stage instead, the PIX11 guide explains the New York flagship route.
Get your business on WROC
One email with your business name, your website, and the story you want told. Your fit confirmation and individual quote come back by email.
uzairasad@pressfeature.orgFull refund in writing if your article does not go live.
Frequently asked questions
How do businesses get featured on WROC Why ROC?
Why ROC is the station's own feature segment strand, and appearances there are the station's broadcast business. The permanent written route is an article on rochesterfirst.com, which is what we arrange.
Can I buy an article on rochesterfirst.com?
Yes, as a paid, labelled placement arranged through us. The outlet reviews the article before it is published, and the placement is permanent once live.
How much does it cost to get my business on WROC?
There is no public price, because each placement is quoted individually. The factors are the article's scope, whether you supply it or we arrange the writing, the placement specifics and timing. One email to uzairasad@pressfeature.org returns your exact quote, with no obligation.
Does WROC accept sponsored content?
Yes, as clearly labelled paid content on its website, reviewed by the outlet before publishing.
Can I submit a guest post to WROC?
There is no open guest post submission route. The working route is the paid placement arranged through us.
Will a sponsored article on WROC be labelled?
Yes, labelled paid content. The labelling is part of what makes the placement legitimate and durable.
Does a paid WROC article include a link to my site?
Yes, the article links to your site. The link carries sponsored attributes under paid content rules, not a plain editorial dofollow link.
What is the difference between a press release and a sponsored article on WROC?
A press release is text distributed in the hope of coverage. A sponsored article is a finished, published page on rochesterfirst.com carrying your story and your link, and it stays live permanently.
Disclosure: PressFeature sells article placements on WROC, and this page is our own marketing content, published to explain the placement honestly. Figures cited are from our public outlet directory. Published October 2026. Last reviewed: October 2026.