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What is iwoca toro, and can it get my small business in the paper?

Last checked: 27 October 2026 · The AI Till, UK

What is iwoca toro?

Short answer: a free AI press office for small firms that don't have one.

iwoca's launch release describes toro as a tool that "spots what's newsworthy and turns a business update or launch into a story, complete with a press release, social posts and pitches". The tool page at toro.iwoca.co.uk offers three starting points:

• PR advisory: ask for advice on whether and how to get coverage.
• Launch campaigns: turn news (a new service, a new van, a milestone) into a press release, pitches and posts.
• Crisis support: help with "the hard stuff", such as replying to a bad story or complaint.

The page says it replies in whatever language you write in, and lists a support address, toro@iwoca.co.uk. It was built by Mark Di-Toro, iwoca's Director of Strategic Communications.

Is iwoca toro really free?

Short answer: iwoca calls it a free PR tool, and we found no price on its pages.

iwoca's release and the tool page don't mention a charge, a plan or a trial. When we opened it on 27 October 2026 it went straight to a "What do you need today?" screen. iwoca makes its money from business loans, so expect the odd mention of iwoca. You don't need to borrow anything to use toro.

Why would a small trade bother with a press release?

Short answer: because other websites talking about you is a big part of what AI search and Google read.

iwoca's pitch is that AI search favours businesses that are already written about. Its release quotes research from Muck Rack finding that 84% of the sources AI tools cite are "earned" (journalism, encyclopedias, academic sources and third-party coverage) rather than paid adverts or a brand's own website. That's iwoca quoting Muck Rack, not our own figure. The release also points to Press Gazette analysis showing far fewer regional journalists than in 2007, which means local reporters are stretched and a ready-made, accurate story helps them.

For a plumber, café or salon, a single piece in the local paper or on a local news site does three useful things: people read it, it's a mention on another website that Google and the AI assistants can find, and you can link to it from your own site. Our guide on how to get your business recommended by ChatGPT explains why mentions on other sites (step 8) matter.

What counts as newsworthy for a small business?

Short answer: something new, local, human or useful that a reader in your area would care about.

Ideas that suit a trade or local business:

• An anniversary (10 years trading, 1,000th boiler fitted, if that's true).
• Taking on a local apprentice, or a new job created.
• A new service people nearby need, such as heat pump fitting or emergency call-outs.
• Charity work, sponsorship of a local team, or a free workshop.
• A seasonal tip with your name on it ("five checks before your boiler's first cold snap").
• A local problem you can explain, such as flooding, a road closure hitting shops, or a rise in scam callers.

Selling something isn't news. "We're the best roofers in town" won't get printed. "Local roofer trains three school leavers" might.

How do I use toro to write a press release?

Short answer: give it the facts, let it draft, then rewrite it in your own words before anyone sees it.

1. Go to toro.iwoca.co.uk and choose Launch campaigns (or PR advisory if you're not sure you have a story).
2. Describe the business and the news in plain words: who, what, where, when and why it matters locally. Include real numbers you can stand behind.
3. Read what it produces: a press release, social posts and pitches, plus suggested journalists.
4. Edit it. Cut anything you can't prove, add a short quote from you, your town, and one detail only you know (the customer who inspired it, the apprentice's name with their permission).
5. Add a good photo: you on the job, the new van, the team. Local papers often need a picture.
6. Send it yourself to two or three named reporters on your local paper and local news sites, one email each.

If you'd rather draft it in ChatGPT, this prompt does a similar job:

I run [business] in [town]. Here's my news: [facts]. Write a 300-word press release for a UK local newspaper with a factual headline, the key facts in the first paragraph, one quote from me, and a short "About us" at the end. Use only the facts I've given. Don't invent figures, quotes or awards. Then write a three-line email pitch to a local reporter.

Our free social post generator turns the same news into posts, and how to use ChatGPT for marketing covers more prompts.

How do I pitch a story to my local newspaper?

Short answer: one short, personal email to the right reporter, with the story in the first line.

• Find the right person. Look at the paper's website for a news desk email or reporters who cover business or your area.
• Put the story in the subject line ("Heywood electrician takes on three local apprentices").
• Paste the release into the email body. Attach the photo, not a PDF.
• Say when you're free to talk and give a mobile number.
• Follow up once after a few days. Then let it go.

This matches iwoca's own advice: no blanket send-outs. Mass emailing journalists you don't know tends to get ignored.

Do I need a paid newswire to send a press release?

Short answer: no, not for local coverage.

Newswire services suit bigger companies chasing national or trade press. A local trade usually does better with a personal email to a few local reporters, which costs nothing. Post the final release on your own website too, as a news page or blog post, so the story exists online even if no paper runs it.

Will this get my business into ChatGPT or Google's AI answers?

Short answer: it can help over time, but nobody can promise it.

Coverage on a respected local site is the kind of third-party mention AI tools draw on, which is iwoca's whole point. But no tool can guarantee a mention in ChatGPT, Gemini or Google's AI Overviews. Do the basics as well: a complete Google Business Profile, genuine reviews, and a clear website. To see whether it's working, check how Google's AI Overviews describe you.

Want ready-made prompts for the rest of your marketing and admin? The AI Till Trades Pack has 40 AI prompts for UK trades plus editable quote, invoice and payment reminder templates. It's our own product.

Limits and risks

• It's a draft, not a guarantee. toro writes material and suggests journalists. Whether anyone runs the story is up to them.
• Check every fact. AI drafts can add claims you didn't make. Never send a figure, award or quote you can't stand behind.
• Customer details. Don't name customers or share photos of their homes without their permission. See can I put customer data into ChatGPT? for the UK GDPR basics.
• It's new. toro launched on 21 October 2026, so features may change. Check the tool page before relying on it.

Related questions

What is iwoca toro?

A free AI PR tool from UK lender iwoca, launched on 21 October 2026. It finds what's newsworthy about your business and drafts a press release, social posts and pitches, plus PR advice and crisis help.

Is iwoca toro free?

iwoca describes it as a free PR tool, and we found no price on its pages on 27 October 2026. You don't need an iwoca loan to use it.

Does toro send my press release to journalists?

No. It suggests journalists, but you edit the materials and contact them yourself. iwoca says it chose not to build mass sending.

How do I write a press release for a small business?

Lead with the news in one sentence, cover who, what, where and when in the first paragraph, add one quote from you and a photo, and keep it to about a page.

How do I get in my local paper?

Send a short, personal email with a genuinely local story and a photo to a named reporter or the news desk, then follow up once.

Can toro get my business mentioned by ChatGPT?

It can help you earn coverage on other websites, which AI tools draw on, but nobody can guarantee a mention.

Sources

• iwoca: AI search is hiding Britain's small businesses, iwoca launches toro (21 October 2026, read 27 October 2026)
• toro by iwoca: tool page (read 27 October 2026)
• SMEToday: iwoca launches toro, free PR for firms (20 October 2026, read 27 October 2026)

Checked 27 October 2026. Rules and prices change, so check the source before you rely on it. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.

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