Certifications and licences are the most under-used announcement Indian businesses have. They are objectively verifiable, which almost nothing else in a press release is — and that is exactly why they carry weight. Most companies still announce them badly, by stating the certificate and stopping there.
Why these announcements work
A journalist reading your funding claim has to take your word for it. A journalist reading that you hold WHO-GMP certification can check the register.
That verifiability is the whole value. It also means the announcement has to be accurate to the letter — the scope, the issuing body and the validity period all matter, and overstating any of them is the fastest way to lose the credibility you were trying to build.
Which ones are worth announcing
| Worth announcing | Usually not |
|---|---|
| Regulatory approval that unlocks a market — WHO-GMP, CDSCO, FSSAI licence for a new category | A licence every company in your sector is legally required to hold |
| An export or quality certification you did not previously have — ISO, BIS, GMP | A renewal of a certification you already announced |
| DPIIT recognition, if relevant to investors or tenders | Membership of a paid association presented as accreditation |
| A certification that qualifies you for government tenders | A certificate with no issuing body a reader can look up |
The distinction that matters: does it let you do something you could not do before? A GST registration does not. WHO-GMP certification that opens regulated export markets does.
Lead with what it unlocks
| Empty | Working |
|---|---|
| Receives prestigious ISO 9001 certification | ISO 9001 certification qualifies the company for public sector tenders it could not previously bid on |
| Proud to announce FSSAI licence | FSSAI licence for the new category allows retail distribution across 11 states from October |
| Achieves WHO-GMP compliance | WHO-GMP certification allows supply into regulated export markets in Southeast Asia and Africa |
What to include
- The exact certification name and standard number — ISO 9001:2015, not “ISO certified”
- The issuing or accrediting body
- What it covers — which site, which product lines, which processes
- Validity period, if the certificate carries one
- What it enables commercially — markets, tenders, customer categories
- What it took — time, investment, what had to change
That last one is what turns a certificate into a story. The audit itself is not interesting; what you had to rebuild to pass it is.
A worked example
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aarav Pharma Receives WHO-GMP Certification for Its Ahmedabad Facility
AHMEDABAD, India — 22 January 2026 — Aarav Pharma has received
WHO-GMP certification for its Ahmedabad manufacturing facility, allowing the
company to supply into regulated export markets in Southeast Asia and Africa.
The certification followed an 11-month upgrade programme covering water
treatment, air handling and documentation systems, at a cost of Rs 6.4 crore.
The facility manufactures oral solid dosage formulations and has an annual
capacity of 1.2 billion tablets. Aarav Pharma expects export orders to account
for roughly a quarter of revenue by FY 2027-28, against 4% today.
“The documentation rebuild took longer than the plant work and we had
underestimated it completely,” said Dr Sameer Bhatt, Quality Head at
Aarav Pharma. “Anyone planning this should budget twice the time for
paperwork.”
About Aarav Pharma
Aarav Pharma manufactures generic oral solid dosage formulations for domestic
and export markets. Established in 2009 and based in Ahmedabad, the company
operates two facilities and employs 410 people.
Media Contact
Nisha Patel
Corporate Communications
nisha.patel@example.com
+91 79 4960 1077
###
Why it works: the scope is specific (one named facility), the commercial effect is stated with a target and a baseline, and the cost and duration are given. The quote is a warning to peers rather than a celebration — which is the part that gets quoted and shared.
Getting the scope right
The most common accuracy failure in Indian certification releases is scope inflation, usually unintentional.
- One facility is not the company. If the certificate covers your Ahmedabad plant, say so — do not write “Aarav Pharma is now WHO-GMP certified”.
- One product line is not the catalogue. Name the lines covered.
- Certified is not accredited. They mean different things and readers in regulated sectors know the difference.
- Check the certificate wording and use it. The issuing body’s phrasing is the safe phrasing.
Frequently asked questions
Is a certification worth a press release?
Yes if it lets you do something you could not do before — enter a market, bid for tenders, supply a customer category. A licence every company in your sector is legally required to hold is not news, and neither is a routine renewal.
What should a certification announcement include?
The exact standard including its number, the issuing body, precisely what is covered, the validity period if any, what it enables commercially, and what the process took in time and cost. The last item is what makes it a story rather than a notice.
Can I say the company is certified if only one plant is?
No. State the site the certificate covers. Scope inflation is the most common accuracy failure in these announcements, it is easily checked against the issuing register, and in regulated sectors it damages exactly the credibility the certification was meant to build.
Should I announce DPIIT or MSME recognition?
Worth a mention within another announcement rather than a release of its own, unless it unlocks something concrete such as tender eligibility or a specific benefit you can name. On its own it is a registration rather than an achievement.
How long should the release be?
Around 250 to 350 words. The certification and scope, what it unlocks, what it took, one quote, boilerplate and contact. These announcements are short by nature and the detail belongs in the specifics, not in length.
When the certificate arrives
There is a full worked certification release in our Indian press release samples. Check the draft against the rejection reasons, then submit it or see the plans.
