If you’ve landed on this page then logic says you probably searched for ‘press release example’, so I’m happy to share my top tips with you for writing a good one. If you want to skip to the chase and just need a press release example / template – here you go and you’re welcome.
PR and PR
Before we continue, please note ‘a PR’ is a person who works in public relations. A PR is not and never will be a press release. If you want to sound informed, don’t confuse the two.
What is a press release?
A press release is a written communication containing information that an organisation wants to convey to its target audience or stakeholders. That may be information about a new product or service, or it could be aimed at getting the organisation’s message across about a certain issue or to protect its reputation.
Whatever the content, the purpose is to persuade the media (journalists/bloggers) to use/publish the content, with as few changes as possible. Of course, with earned media, the organisation is not paying for the content so any coverage is hugely valuable but it does mean there is less control or say in what actually gets used.
That’s why it’s fundamentally so important to get a press release right. A well-written release not only serves a purpose for the organisation but should also make the lives of journalists easy. If the latter can lift large chunks of the content without having to do any editing, it’s much more likely to be used than a release that over-uses superlatives (you know the sort of thing – ‘best’, ‘leading’, ‘only’), has typos, or has no real new value.
Let’s start with the story element.
What’s new?
There’s a reason that a press release is sometimes called a ‘news release’. If there isn’t anything new then you’re probably writing the wrong sort of content and your idea may be better served as a blog post, article, or thought piece. ‘New’ can also be a new opinion, a new trend, a new observation, a new reaction etc. but if there isn’t anything of this ilk, tread carefully.
What to include in a press release
There’s generally a set format that journalists are used to receiving. This is NOT the time to be reinventing the wheel.
However, it never hurts to state ‘press release’ at the very top, so that journalists are prepared for what’s to come.
The date should come next. Some press releases may include an embargo instead of the date if the content cannot be published before a certain date or time e.g. before a new product or service is available, or before a speech is being made. An embargo should be saved for situations when it is really needed – using it every time a press release is issued, when the content doesn’t justify it, is just annoying!
Next up – the heading or title. This is also usually used in the email subject line so think carefully here. It needs to sum up the story well, it can be a little quirky but not to the extent of being misleading or not explaining the story. It’s a ‘heading’ or ‘title’ – leave the ‘headline’ writing to the journalist!
You may like to include a couple of bullet points below the heading to highlight some of the key features of the press release so that a journalist gets a feel for the entire press release within the first three lines.
The first paragraph should generally answer the who, what, where, and when-type questions. If you can’t answer these, refer back to the paragraph on whether a press release is the right format. You would usually include a link back to the organisation’s website here – either to the home page or perhaps to a useful product, service or blog page, where relevant. Try to write in the third person as though you the writer are somewhat detached from the organisation you are writing for. That way, it will be easier for journals to lift the copy that they need
The second and possibly third paragraphs give a little more detail and context about the first paragraph. You could consider this section a justification for why this is newsworthy or what has led the organisation to take a certain action or have a certain viewpoint.
Before you write too much, it’s good to include a quote at some point. This should always be from a named individual and include their role/job title, and the organisation’s name. It’s generally good practice to keep any facts and data out of the quote and instead, use it to back up what has been said elsewhere in a more personal manner. Try to think how the individual would speak: quotes are always better if they sound like the journalist has interviewed the individual, rather than if they’ve swallowed a corporate dictionary.
After the quote, you might add more detail or some extra information in a paragraph or two and then conclude with another quote. You don’t need to write out the quoted individual’s job title again and I like to say ‘<spokesperson name> continued’, or ‘<spokesperson name> concluded’ but these are not hard and fast rules.
Try to avoid very technical language or jargon throughout the press release unless your target journalist and audience will understand it. If you’re writing for a particular market sector or trade niche, however, leaving these out may detract from the story or leave the organisation looking less-than-expert.
When you’ve finished writing the main body of the release, it’s common to put the word ‘ENDS’ on a new line, which demonstrates to the journalist that everything above is for print.
Below this boundary word, you might include some additional information about the news and the company itself that gives the journalists more information if they are not familiar with the organisation.
If you refer to any statistics or data in the main body of the release you should use a footnote to give the source. You can also include a mention here if there are any images available.
You should also include contact details for the organisation. Please note, that any contact details for the target audience should be in the main body of the release.
And Bob’s your uncle. You won’t go too far wrong if you stick to this format.
More here on how to curate a media list, as that is most likely to be your next step. And don’t forget to think about using images for your PR pitch if appropriate.
