The rise of new political parties has increased interest in understanding how these parties reach the electorate. New parties depend heavily on media exposure to connect with voters and establish legitimacy, as traditional news outlets remain primary information sources. This study examines how specific message attributes—such as party type, popularity, leader recognition, leader gender, leader’s political background, and message sentiment—shape journalists’ decisions to cover press releases from new versus established parties. Drawing on original survey data with a conjoint experiment involving Italian media practitioners, we find that, unlike established parties, new parties do not benefit from leader recognition in press release selection and face stricter penalties for extreme tones, whether highly negative or self-promotional. Moreover, new parties gain more media attention when the release is issued by the party leader, underscoring the importance of direct leadership engagement for visibility. This research highlights the unique challenges new parties encounter in securing media attention, offering insights into political media access and representation.