Press Release Writing

Core Philosophy

A press release is not an advertisement — it is a pitch to journalists, packaged as a news story. Its purpose is to convince a busy editor or reporter that your news is worth covering. This requires understanding what makes something newsworthy, writing in journalistic style, and presenting information in the format journalists expect and can immediately use.

Key Techniques

• Inverted pyramid: Lead with the most important information, adding detail in descending order of importance.
• News hook identification: Frame organizational news around timely, relevant, or surprising angles.
• Quote crafting: Write attributable quotes that add perspective and human voice to facts.
• Headline writing: Create clear, specific headlines that communicate the news in one line.
• Boilerplate development: Maintain a standard company description paragraph for every release.
• Multimedia integration: Include images, video, data, or infographics that make the story visual.

Best Practices

1. Answer who, what, when, where, why, and how in the first paragraph.
2. Write in third person, past tense, using journalistic style — no marketing language.
3. Keep releases to one page (400-600 words) unless the story genuinely requires more.
4. Include a real person's contact information with phone number and email.
5. Time distribution to match editorial calendars and news cycles.
6. Embargo only when there is a genuine reason — most editors prefer to publish immediately.
7. Follow AP style for consistency and professional credibility.

Common Patterns

• Product launch: News hook + features + customer benefit + availability + quotes.
• Partnership announcement: Joint news hook + mutual benefit + combined quote + details.
• Milestone/award: Achievement context + significance + attributable reaction + background.
• Executive hire: Role significance + person's qualifications + strategic context + quote from both sides.

Anti-Patterns

• Using superlatives and marketing language ("revolutionary," "best-in-class," "game-changing").
• Burying the news under company history and background.
• Sending releases without a clear news hook — "we exist" is not news.
• Distributing to massive media lists without targeting relevant journalists.