Table of Contents

What Is Press Release Writing?

A press release is a written statement sent to media outlets announcing something newsworthy — a product launch, an executive hire, a research finding, an event, a partnership, a crisis response. Press release writing is the craft of structuring that announcement in a format journalists recognize and can use. Done well, a press release gets your news covered. Done poorly, it gets deleted along with the other 300 emails a reporter received that day.

The Standard Format

Press releases follow a specific structure that hasn’t changed much in decades. Journalists expect this format, and deviating from it signals that you don’t know what you’re doing.

Headline. Clear, specific, and under 80 characters if possible. It should communicate the news in one line. “Acme Corp. Launches AI-Powered Widget for Small Businesses” — not “Acme Corp. Announces Exciting New Innovation That Will Change Everything.” Nobody believes that second headline, and nobody will read past it.

Dateline. City, state, date, and sometimes the distribution service name. “NEW YORK, March 15, 2025 (PR Newswire) —”

Lead paragraph. The most important paragraph. It answers who, what, when, where, and why in 2-3 sentences. A journalist who reads nothing else should understand the essential news from this paragraph alone. Put the news first — not background, not context, not your CEO’s philosophy.

Body paragraphs. Supporting details, quotes from relevant people, data points, context. The inverted pyramid structure applies: most important information first, least important last. Journalists cut from the bottom, so anything you can afford to lose should go near the end.

Quotes. Include 1-2 quotes from relevant spokespersons (CEO, project lead, partner). Quotes should add perspective or opinion, not repeat facts already stated. “We’re excited to announce…” adds nothing. A quote explaining why this matters or what it means for customers adds value.

Boilerplate. A standard paragraph at the end describing the organization — what it does, where it’s based, basic facts. This is reused across all press releases and updated periodically.

Contact information. Name, email, phone number for someone who will actually answer when a journalist calls. This seems obvious, but a surprising number of press releases list contacts who are unavailable or uninformed.

End mark. The symbols ”###” or “-30-” signal the end of the release. This is a journalism tradition dating to the telegraph era.

Writing That Gets Read

The format is straightforward. Writing a press release that actually gets picked up is harder.

Be newsworthy. This is the single most important factor, and it’s where most press releases fail. “Company hires new VP” is not news unless the VP is famous or the company is major. “Company raises $50 million in Series C funding” is news. “Company publishes research showing X causes Y” is news. Ask yourself: would a stranger care about this?

Write like a journalist, not a marketer. Press releases that read like advertisements get ignored. Drop the superlatives — “leading,” “best-in-class,” “world-class,” “state-of-the-art.” Use factual, neutral language. If your product really is the fastest on the market, cite the benchmark data instead of claiming it in adjective form.

Be specific. Numbers, dates, percentages, and concrete details are more compelling than vague claims. “Revenue increased 34% year-over-year” beats “revenue grew significantly.” “The study surveyed 4,200 consumers across six countries” beats “a large-scale international study.”

Keep it short. 400-600 words. One page. Journalists don’t have time for more, and frankly, most announcements don’t need more. If you find yourself writing 1,000 words, you either have two stories (write two releases) or you’re including too much background.

A Brief History

The first press release is generally attributed to Ivy Lee, often called the founder of modern public relations. In 1906, after a train wreck on the Pennsylvania Railroad, Lee sent a factual written statement directly to newspapers. Before this, companies either refused to comment on incidents or tried to suppress coverage. Lee’s approach — proactively providing accurate information in a journalistic format — was novel.

The practice spread quickly through the 20th century. By the 1950s, press releases were standard practice for corporations, government agencies, nonprofits, and political campaigns. Wire services like PR Newswire (founded 1954) and Business Wire (founded 1961) created distribution networks that could send a press release to thousands of newsrooms simultaneously.

The internet changed distribution but not the fundamental format. Email replaced fax machines. Online newsrooms supplemented wire services. Social media added another distribution channel. But the core structure — headline, lead, body, quotes, boilerplate — remains essentially unchanged from Ivy Lee’s era.

The Modern Reality

Let’s be honest about the current state of press releases. Journalists are overwhelmed. A typical reporter at a major outlet receives 50-200+ pitches and press releases per day. Most get deleted unread. The average open rate for PR emails is around 20-25%.

This doesn’t mean press releases are useless — it means they have to be genuinely good. The releases that get coverage are the ones that offer a real story, provide usable facts and quotes, and make the journalist’s job easier rather than harder.

Some shifts in modern practice:

Multimedia releases include images, video, infographics, and social media content alongside the text. Journalists appreciate having ready-to-use assets.

SEO optimization — press releases distributed through newswires appear on news sites and can influence search rankings. This has made press releases partly a digital marketing tool, for better or worse.

Direct distribution — many organizations now bypass traditional media entirely, publishing releases on their own newsrooms and social channels. The press release becomes a public record of announcements, whether journalists pick it up or not.

The format is simple. The execution — knowing what’s actually newsworthy, writing clearly, reaching the right journalists — that’s where the real skill lies.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a press release be?

A standard press release is 400-600 words — roughly one page. Two pages is the absolute maximum. Journalists receive hundreds of press releases daily and will not read long ones. If you can't communicate your news in 400 words, you probably need to sharpen your angle. Include only essential information and provide a contact for follow-up questions.

Do press releases still work in the digital age?

Yes, but differently than they used to. Journalists still use press releases as source material, but they're less likely to run them verbatim. Press releases also serve as SEO tools when distributed through newswires, as official records of announcements, and as content for company newsrooms. About 55% of journalists say they still rely on press releases for story ideas, according to Cision's State of the Media report.

What makes a press release newsworthy?

A press release should contain actual news — a product launch, a major hire, a research finding, an event, a partnership, or a significant milestone. The news must matter to someone beyond your organization. Most rejected press releases fail because they're self-promotional rather than genuinely newsworthy. Ask yourself: would a journalist's audience care about this? If the honest answer is no, it's not a press release — it's an ad.

Further Reading

• AP Stylebook
• PR Newswire
• Britannica — Public Relations