How to write a press release journalists will read

A press release is a short news story written by the organisation it is about, in a format journalists can use quickly. Put the news in the headline, answer who, what, when, where and why in the first paragraph, add detail and a quote, then finish with background and a media contact, all in about a page. The press release generator lays it out in that standard format; this guide explains each part and the judgement calls that decide whether anyone reads it.

Is it news?

The hardest part comes before writing. Journalists receive far more releases than they can use, so ask whether a reader outside your organisation would care. Launches, results with real numbers, research findings, significant appointments, partnerships, events and responses to a current story can all be news. A minor website update, an award nobody has heard of or a product "now with improved features" usually is not. If you cannot state the news in one sentence that would make sense to a stranger, work on that first. A local angle, a surprising figure or a link to something already in the headlines makes a story easier to place.

The standard format

Newsrooms expect a predictable layout, which makes a release faster to judge:

• Release line: "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE", or "EMBARGOED UNTIL" with a date, time and time zone.
• Headline stating the news, with an optional subheadline adding the key detail.
• Dateline: the city and date, followed by the lead paragraph.
• Body: two to four short paragraphs of supporting detail.
• One or two quotes from named people.
• Call to action: availability, price, dates or where to find out more.
• Boilerplate: a short "About" paragraph on the organisation.
• Media contact, then the end mark, ###.

Headline and lead

Press releases follow the inverted pyramid used in news writing: the most important facts first, then detail in decreasing order of importance, so an editor can cut from the bottom without losing the story. The headline should say what happened in plain words, ideally in under about 100 characters; the generator counts characters and warns above that. "Northwind Launches Free Energy App for Small Businesses" works; "Northwind Revolutionises the Future of Energy" says nothing. The lead paragraph, one or two sentences, should answer the five Ws so a journalist could write a short item from it alone. For example: "Leeds Community Kitchen today opened a second site in Harehills that will serve 400 free hot meals a week, funded by a three-year grant from the city's food partnership." Who, what, where, when and why are all there.

Body and quotes

Use the body for the facts a reporter needs: numbers, dates, prices, how it works, who benefits and any evidence. Keep paragraphs short and avoid jargon, superlatives and words like "innovative" or "world-leading" unless you can prove them. Quotes are the one place for opinion. A good quote says why this matters or what comes next, in words a person would actually say; a weak one repeats facts already given or strings together corporate phrases. Attribute each quote to a named person with their job title, and write it so a journalist could lift it straight into an article.

Boilerplate, contact and the end mark

The boilerplate is a standard paragraph about the organisation, reused on every release: what it does, where it is based, when it was founded and one fact about its scale. Keep it to three or four sentences. The media contact should be a person who will actually answer the phone or email on the day of release, with both details given. Three hash marks, ###, at the end are the traditional sign that the release is complete. The generator assembles all of this, keeps the draft in your browser only, and its word count suggests that most releases run 300 to 500 words.

Sending it

Most releases are now sent by email, ideally to journalists who cover your subject rather than to a generic newsdesk address. Paste the release into the body of the email as plain text rather than relying on an attachment, with the headline or a shorter version of it as the subject line; the email subject line tester shows how it will be cut off in an inbox. Add a two-line personal note at the top explaining why the story suits that journalist. Use an embargo only when there is a real reason, such as a coordinated announcement, and only with journalists you trust to respect it. Before sending, read the release aloud, check every name, figure and link, and run it through the readability checker; Flesch reading ease and grade level, explained honestly explains the score it gives. Publish a copy on your own website too, so it is there when people search, and use the word counter if a distribution service has a length limit.