Check it's news first, then write a headline that states the news, an opening paragraph that carries the whole story, one quote that adds a view, a short boilerplate about your business and clear contact details.
Most press releases fail before anyone reads the headline, because the thing being announced isn't news. A journalist's inbox is full of releases about new websites, new logos and new hires nobody outside the company cares about. If yours sounds like that, it doesn't matter how well it's written.
So the first job isn't writing. It's deciding whether you've got a story at all.
Is this really news? Run the test first
Before you open a blank document, answer these honestly. If you can't say yes to at least one, you don't have a press release yet.
- Does it change something for people outside your business, such as customers, a community or an industry?
- Is it new, surprising or the first of its kind somewhere?
- Does it connect to something people are already talking about right now?
- Could you explain why it matters in a single sentence to a stranger?
- Is there something a journalist could see, ask about or check for themselves?
If you're stuck on every one, skip to the section on what to send instead. There's no shame in it, and you'll save yourself a lot of silence.
The build order, one part at a time
- Headline. State the news plainly, in words a reader would use. No puns, no slogans, no exclamation marks. If someone read only the headline, they should know what happened.
- Opening paragraph. This is the release. Who did what, where, when and why it matters. A journalist should be able to stop here and still have the story.
- Supporting detail. A couple of short paragraphs that add the context, the background and anything a reporter would need to check.
- One quote. Use it for opinion or feeling, never for facts. A quote that repeats the opening paragraph wastes the space.
- Boilerplate. A short, factual paragraph about your organisation. Keep it the same across releases and keep it free of hype.
- Contact. A real name, an email address and a way to reach that person quickly. A release with no reachable contact dies on arrival.
Write it in that order and you'll find the release almost writes itself, because each part has one job and doesn't try to do anyone else's.
Weak opening versus strong opening
Imagine a small bakery that's started delivering bread to a local food bank every week. Here's how the opening often gets written, and how it should be written.
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| A leading artisan bakery is delighted to announce an exciting new community initiative that reflects its passionate commitment to making a difference. | A family bakery in the high street is now giving its unsold bread to the town food bank every week, after staff noticed how much was going to waste at closing time. |
| Says nothing concrete. Every word could describe any business. | Tells you who, what and why in one sentence, with a detail a reporter can picture and check. |
The strong version doesn't use a single adjective about the bakery itself. It lets the facts do the persuading, which is exactly what a journalist wants to see.
Where a press release goes
Once it's written, send it straight to the people who cover your kind of story, with a short personal note on top. A relevant reporter who gets a tailored email is worth more than a mass blast. If you want wider reach, a distribution service will push it out further, and I've compared options in my roundup of press release distribution services.
Media requests are the other route in. Journalists post what they're looking for, and answering quickly with something useful can get you quoted without a release at all. My guide on answering journalist requests well covers how to do that without wasting your time.
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What to send instead when it isn't news
Plenty of good things about a business aren't news, and that's fine. They just need a different vehicle.
- A strong opinion on something in your industry can become a comment piece or an expert quote.
- A useful how-to can become a blog post that earns attention over time.
- Data or patterns you've noticed in your own work can become a story angle you pitch to a writer.
- A customer story can become a case study on your own site.
Each of these can earn coverage and links too, and the thinking behind that's in my piece on digital PR and SEO. If you'd like help with the first draft, AI tools can tidy a release, but they can't decide whether something's news. That judgement stays with you.
My verdict on writing press releases
A press release is a delivery mechanism, not a marketing brochure. Get the news right, put it in the first paragraph, and strip out every word that sounds like a brochure. If you do that, you'll already be ahead of most of what lands in a journalist's inbox.
Quick answers
How long should a press release be?
Short enough to read in a minute or two. If the opening paragraph carries the story, the rest only needs to support it.
Should I attach the press release or paste it into the email?
Paste it into the body of the email so the journalist can read it straight away, with a short personal line on top.
Can I send the same release to everyone?
You can send the same release, but the note on top should be written for each journalist and explain why it suits their coverage.
What if nobody picks it up?
Run the news test again. If it passes, look at who you sent it to; if it doesn't, turn it into content on your own site instead.
