Weak
- "We are thrilled to announce this milestone, which reflects our commitment to innovation." It gives a reporter nothing to quote.
How to write a press release
To write a press release, put the news in a one-line headline and answer the five W's, who, what, when, where and why, in the first paragraph.
Add the facts that prove it and one quote from a named person. Close with a short company description and a media contact.
Keep it to one page, about 400 words.
Illustration
Copy and send
Press release template
Copy the block below into a document. Replace every bracket and delete any line you cannot fill with a fact.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [Headline with the news and a number or a name, under 12 words] [Subhead with the second fact, optional] [City], [day month year]. [Company], a [what it is in six words], today [did what] for [whom]. [Why it matters now, one sentence with a number.] [Paragraph two. The proof, such as figures and customers who agreed to be named.] [Paragraph three. Context. One fact about the market from a public source, with the source named.] "[One or two sentences a reporter can quote as is. An opinion or a reason, not a feature list]," said [Full name], [title] at [Company]. [Paragraph four. Availability. The price and the date it goes on sale.] About [Company] [Three sentences. What it does and for whom, with the city it is based in.] Media contact [Full name], [title] [email] [phone with country code] ###
If a line stays empty, the release is not ready. The usual gap is paragraph two, the proof.
Copy and send
Startup press release example
A fictional sample with all seven parts in order. Everything in it is invented.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Northwind Grid cuts battery installs in Polish factories to one weekend Warsaw, 6 October 2026. Northwind Grid, a Warsaw energy startup, today launched a battery storage kit that factories install over one weekend without stopping production. The first three sites went live in September. The kit fits in two shipping containers and connects to an existing substation. The pilot sites cut peak grid charges by about a fifth in their first month. Orders open to factories in Poland and Czechia. "Plant managers told us they could not lose a shift to an install, so we built one that does not need it," said Maria Kowal, chief executive of Northwind Grid. About Northwind Grid Northwind Grid builds battery storage for mid-sized factories in Central Europe. It was founded in 2023 and has a team of 24 in Warsaw. Media contact Anna Nowak, head of communications press at northwindgrid.example ###
Read it against the seven parts. The headline carries the result, the dateline gives place and date, and the lead answers the five W's in two sentences. The body gives the proof and what happens next, the quote gives a reason, and the boilerplate stays at three sentences.
What are the seven main parts of a press release
| Part | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Headline | the news in one line, with a number in it |
| Dateline | city and date |
| Lead paragraph | the five W's in two sentences |
| Body | facts, data, context for the reader |
| Quote | one named person saying something a reporter can use |
| Boilerplate | three sentences about the company |
| Media contact | a real person with a direct phone |
How to write a press release step by step
Write the news as one sentence a stranger would repeat
Collect the numbers and the names of people who agreed to be quoted
Draft a lead of two sentences that covers the five W's
Add a proof paragraph and a context paragraph, each with one number
Build the quote from the speaker's own words in an interview
Write the headline from the first sentence
Add the boilerplate and a media contact who will answer that week
Cut to one page, adjectives first
Check every figure against its source and get the quote approved
Publish on your newsroom page and pitch reporters personally
Use a wire only if you need a public record.
How to write a press release headline
A headline is a full sentence built around one specific fact. Keep it under about 12 words and never in capital letters.
The examples below are illustrative and use fictional companies.
| Weak headline | Stronger headline | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Acme announces exciting new partnership | Acme and a Lviv hospital cut outage time to seven minutes | a result replaced the word partnership |
| Revolutionary platform transforms logistics | Prague startup raises €3M to fill empty truck space | a number and a place |
| Company releases annual report | Six in ten Polish SMEs delayed hiring over energy costs | the finding became the headline |
| New CEO appointed at Northwind | Former grid operator chief joins Northwind as CEO | the reason the hire matters |
How to write the lead paragraph
The lead is the release in miniature, and many reporters decide from it alone.
Answer the five W's in the first two sentences, and give the why as a number, such as hours saved or jobs created. Leave "Founded in 2021, Acme is a leading provider" for the boilerplate.
Illustration
How to write a press release quote
A good quote says what the facts cannot, usually a reason or an opinion in the speaker's own voice. Both examples are illustrative.
Stronger
- "Plant managers told us they could not lose a shift to an install, so we built one that does not need it." It explains a decision.
How many
- One quote, two at most. A quoted partner or customer approves their line in writing first.
How long should a press release be
One page, roughly 300 to 500 words. A 1,000-word release usually carries three things to cut.
- The news repeated three times
- Every feature listed
- Four people quoted
Why do you put ### at the end of a press release
Three hash signs, or the number 30 in older newsrooms, mark the end of the text, so a reporter knows nothing was cut off in forwarding.
Press release examples by type of news
Each kind of news has its own must-have fact. Illustrative leads, fictional companies.
| Type of news | The fact reporters look for | Illustrative lead |
|---|---|---|
| Funding round | amount, lead investor, what the money pays for | Kraków payroll startup Paylane raised €4M led by a Warsaw fund to open in Germany next spring. |
| Product launch | who it is for and what it replaces | Brno software firm Kovo today opened a free energy audit tool for workshops with fewer than 50 staff. |
| Data study | sample size, method, one surprising finding | A survey of 400 Czech retailers found that half now close on Mondays to save on heating. |
| Key hire | where they come from and what they will change | Former rail regulator Petra Holá joins Trackwise to lead its public tenders business. |
| Milestone | a verifiable number with a date | Kyiv clinic network Medline passed 100,000 video consultations on 30 September. |
Copy and send
How to embargo a press release
An embargo lets a reporter prepare a story before the news is public, on the promise not to publish before a set time.
Offer it only to reporters who agreed in advance.
Send it a few days ahead and put the exact time, with its time zone, on the first line.
Exclusives are covered in how to pitch journalists.
EMBARGOED UNTIL [time and time zone], [weekday day month year] Hi [first name], Ahead of [the news in five words] on [weekday], here is the release under embargo until [time and time zone]. You wrote about [their recent story] in [month], so I wanted you to have it first. [Founder name] can talk on [two time slots] before the embargo lifts. Figures and photos are ready. [Your name], [title], [phone]
Are press releases outdated
A release still works as the dated record a reporter checks and quotes from. On its own it rarely wins press coverage.
The personal pitch that links to it does that work.
Use a release
- For funding news and anything else a reporter will want to quote exactly.
Use a pitch
- To get the story covered, one reporter at a time, with a reason it fits their beat.
How much does a press release cost
Writing it yourself is free. Distribution is what you pay for.
- €1,000 to €1,800writing and distribution of one release in Ukraine, Poland or CzechiaDistribution prices compared
- $75 to $750one release on a US wire that publishes its price; the largest wires quote per releaseDistribution prices compared
Can ChatGPT write a press release
It can draft one, but a person must check every fact and quote. Most journalists object to AI-written pitches, and an invented figure in a release is hard to take back.
For a starting point, request a free press release draft. A PR editor writes it by hand from five answers and sends it within one business day.
Common press release mistakes
In the text
- A headline with no news. "Acme announces partnership" says nothing. Put the result or the number in it.
- Company history first. The founding year and the mission belong in the boilerplate.
- Quotes nobody would say out loud, and jargon a general reader would need a glossary for.
In the facts
- Numbers without a source. Every figure traces to your data or a named public study.
- Five contacts instead of one. One person who answers the phone that week.
In the sending
- Sending the release as the pitch. Each reporter still gets a short personal note on why the story fits their beat.
Press release checklist before you send
- The headline states the news in under about 12 words
- The lead covers the five W's in two sentences
- Every number has a source you can name
- One quote, approved in writing by the person quoted
- The page is under 500 words
- The boilerplate is three sentences and current
- The media contact will answer that week
- The release ends with three hash signs
- Photos and the full release sit on your newsroom page, linked, never attached
How we write a release with you
Facts first, then words
We collect the numbers and the names before anyone drafts a line, so every sentence in the release can be checked.
One quote worth printing
We interview the founder for ten minutes and build the quote from what they said out loud, not from a slogan.
Release plus pitch
The release goes to your newsroom page and the wire if needed, while each reporter gets a short personal pitch that links to it.
A seed round release cut to one page
A seed round release rewritten around one number, illustrative
- Situation
- A fictional Prague logistics startup drafted a 900-word release about its seed round that opened with its mission and named five investors before the news.
- What we do
- The release was cut to 410 words. The headline led with the round size and the customer problem, the lead answered the five questions in two sentences, and one quote replaced three.
- Outcome
- The final release fitted on one page, every figure had a source, and the pitch to each reporter linked to it instead of attaching it.
Illustrative example, not a client result
Anastasiia Bratkova
Chief Brand, Marketing & Communications Officer, RSE
Signs every pitch
Questions
Release length, cost and the end mark
How do I write a press release?
Write the news as one sentence, then build the headline from it. Answer the five W's in a two-sentence lead, add one paragraph of proof and one quote from a named person, and close with a short boilerplate and a media contact. Keep it to one page.
What are three qualities of a good press release?
Real news, proof in facts, and a quote a reporter can use as is.
How long should a typical press release be?
One page, roughly 300 to 500 words. Anything longer usually hides the news or repeats it.
Why do you put 30 at the end of a press release?
It is an old newsroom mark that means the end of the text. Today most writers use three hash signs, and some use nothing.
What are common press release mistakes?
A headline with no news and a lead that opens with company history. The costliest one is sending the release as the pitch itself.
How much does it cost to have a press release written?
Freelance and agency rates vary widely. Pocket PR writes the release for you in the Growth plan, from $890 a month.
Can you give me an example of a press release?
Yes. The Northwind Grid release in this guide is a fictional sample with all seven parts in the order a reporter expects.
Read next
Related guides
- Press kit templateThe page a reporter opens to check a fact or grab a logo without writing to you first.
- How to build a media listBuild a short list of reporters who covered your topic this quarter.
- Media pitch examplesTen short pitches for launches, rounds, data and podcasts, each with a note on why it gets a reply.
Next step
Get the press release template
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