How to write a press release – templates and examples

A good press release is an effective marketing tool when you want to share news about your company or association. You might want to share about an exciting concept, a product launch, an event, or a new innovative solution. But how do you write a good press release that catches the recipient’s attention already within the first minute? In this article, we’ll dive into what makes an eye-catching press release. We’ll also provide a template and a practical checklist that you can use when writing your text.

What is a press release?

A press release is a formal document issued by a company or association to share newsworthy information with the media. The purpose of writing and issuing a press release is to ensure media coverage, achieve visibility and create publicity. Today, press releases are typically sent via e-mail. The majority is sent via a news agency but as the owner of a small business, you can also choose to write and send your press release directly to the editors of one or more news media.

Press release examples

To give you a better sense of what a press release looks like and in which situations you can use the format, here’s three examples from the real world:

• Apple is launching an audio walking experience in the Fitness + smartwatch app
• group.one expands the WordPress ecosystem with the SEO plugin Rank Math
• Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds announce release of upcoming album

The examples above are from relatively large companies and organisations. However, even if you have a smaller online shop, a band, a restaurant, or a small association, you can still benefit from using press releases as part of your marketing strategy, as long as what you share has real news value and captures the reader’s interest.

Checklist for your press release

No matter what type of text you need to write, it is always an advantage to have a checklist. Below you will find a checklist of the basic building blocks your press release should contain. In the sections below the list, we zoom in on a number of other things you should consider before you start the writing process.

• Date: The date you send your press release to the news media.
  
• Headline: Write a short, catchy headline that whets the recipient’s appetite to read more, 8 to 9 words max.
  
• Introduction: A razor-sharp and concise summary of your news. Aim for 3 lines. Think: who, what, how and why.
  
• Body text: Expand your news with the most important information. Here you can advantageously insert suitable quotations. Furthermore, it is a good idea to divide the text into short sections with corresponding subheadings.
  
• Contact information: Name of contact person, telephone number and link to your website.

The inverted news pyramid

News agencies often recommend that you use the inverted news pyramid when writing a press release. The inverted news pyramid is a method that can help you structure the content of your press release in such a way that the text starts with the most important information.

Imagine an inverted pyramid with the tip pointing down and the wide part at the top. Many readers just skim a text and quickly lose patience. The purpose of the inverted news pyramid is to catch the recipient’s eyes and attention even before they have spent a minute reading the text.

If you follow the inverted news pyramid, your text should be structured like this:

1. The most important part of the story/news 

2. Expand the story 

3. Additional details 

Remember visuals and photos

The inboxes of the news media’s editorial offices are overflowing with press releases and everything else every single day of the year. Your goal is to compose a press release that captures the attention of both the editors and your target audience. A captivating image can help you increase the chances of your press release being pulled out of the inbox and published.

The optimal image for your press release is an image that captures attention, supports your story, and seems authentic. If you have taken a really good picture yourself from an event in your company, a customer who uses your product, or the people who are involved in the news, you should use it. Stock images can also be used, but the risk with them is that they can be hard to relate to or simply don’t create a sense of authenticity.

Consider the target audience

When you send your press release to a media outlet, you should have the target audience in mind. The chance that your they will pick up your press release is significantly greater if your news is angled in a way that is relevant to their target group. If necessary, take a look at other press releases the media has previously published, to get a better sense of the tone and angle they might prefer.

Credibility is important

If you include quotes in your press release, which is always a good idea, you should make sure the source you cite is reliable. Should the news outlet publish your press release and later discover that your quotes or other information were not truthful, it will be difficult to get them to publish other news that you want to share. Credibility in all your marketing is important as it can help you strengthen your brand trust.

Send from a professional e-mail address

When you need to send press releases and otherwise communicate with the media, customers and partners, a professional email on your own domain will increase your chances of appearing professional and credible. Let’s assume that you yourself receive e-mails from two different companies or associations. They send respectively from companyname@gmail.com and press@companyname.uk. The last of these will be perceived by most as the more reliable and legitimate of the two. Therefore, important communications, such as your press release, are also more likely to be answered when you send from an email address with your own domain.

At one.com, you can easily get started creating a professional email. You can read more about how to do it here.

Template for a press release

There are of course many ways to approach the task when writing a good press release, depending on the news, the news media, the target group, etc. Below we have created a standard template that you can adapt and use in most contexts. To clarify how the text can be structured, we have chosen to insert a fictitious press release into the template.

Template

DATE: The date you send your press release to a media outlet

HEADLINE: Manchester’s first cat café, Whiskers & Coffee Beans, opens on 1 April

EXPANDING SUBHEADING OF MAX. 3 LINES: Manchester’s cat lovers can look forward to a spinning good café experience when Whiskers & Coffee Beans in the heart of the city centre opens its doors in April.

SUMMARY OF YOUR NEWS: It will be a big day for cat enthusiasts when Whiskers & Coffee Beans will stand ready with open doors and paws on [date] at [address], to allow guests to enjoy a good cup of coffee and a delicious piece of cake in the company of cuddly cats. With renowned animal welfare campaigner, [founder’s name] at the helm, and a team of passionate cat lovers, the cafe’s vision is to offer a sanctuary for both humans and cats.

QUOTE: “We are proud to introduce Whiskers & Coffee Beans as a relaxing haven in Manchester’s busy city life,” says [Name], who is the founder and CEO of [Association Name]. 

TRANSITION LINE 1: [Name] has dreamed of opening a cat cafe for a long time and the idea has been met with almost exclusively positive comments. [Name] therefore hopes that the cat cafe can contribute to [special benefit].

TRANSITION LINE 2: The 28-year-old cat lover, [Cat lover’s name], living 10 km from Manchester, is already excited.

QUOTE: “As a dedicated cat lover, I was pleasantly surprised when [Founder’s name] told me about the cafe” says cat lover [Cat lover’s name].

MORE DETAILS: Whiskers & Coffee Beans invites you to a grand opening event on [date] with lots of fun activities, cat-friendly music and, most importantly, a chance to meet the café’s feline residents.

PHOTOS: Attach files or insert link to a shared folder.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION/CONTACT DETAILS 

• PR Officer [Name] | [Phone Number] | [Email address]

• Marketing Manager | [Marketing Manager Name] | [Phone Number] | [Email address]

• Sources Cited: [Name] | [Phone Number] | [Email address]

FACTS: Whiskers & Coffee Beans partners with local cat shelters to enable the adoption of homeless cats. For safety and hygiene reasons, the café will have a special petting area where visitors can pet the cats under the supervision of trained staff.

ABOUT: Insert a short explanatory text that clarifies basic information, preferably in bullet form.

• Whiskers & Coffee Beans is a cat cafe founded by [Name] in [Year].
• Vision: To create a unique, relaxing, and cosy oasis for cat lovers, while raising awareness of animal welfare and focusing on responsible pet ownership.

How much does a press release cost?

If you write your own press release, it won’t cost you more than the time you invest in writing, taking pictures, sending an email, and following up on your communication with the media that show interest in your news. If you choose to hire a professional writer or agency, it will typically cost you somewhere between £100 and £400 excluding VAT.

Where can I send a press release?

You can send your press release to most media, both local and national. Naturally, your chances are greater with local media if it concerns news that is most relevant in a specific area, and also because the nationwide media receive a much larger number of press releases. On the website of individual channels, you will typically be able to find information about how they want to receive press releases and which email address you should send to.

Save your press list

Once you have compiled a list of the media you want to send the press release to, it is a good idea to save it so you have it for future use. Make notes of which media were interested, which declined, and which you never heard from. This will let you quickly get a better overview of which ones are worth contacting in the future.

Even if a media outlet doesn’t show interest in the first press release, they might bite on the next one you send, so try again and again.

Timing matters

Timing is important when sending your press release to a media outlet. If your news is not topical, it is best to avoid days with big news events. On Saturday and Sunday, the pace is typically slower at the newsrooms, so here the chances of your press release being pulled out of the inbox can often be a little higher. If your press release concerns an upcoming product launch or an event, it is a good idea to send your press releases well before the event takes place, e.g. 2 to 4 weeks in advance.

Start sending press releases

Sending press releases is an effective form of marketing that can help you reach a wider audience. You can therefore advantageously include them in your marketing strategy, regardless of whether you have an online shop, a restaurant, a band, an organisation or just a fantastic new initiative that is worth sharing with the world.