Every day, editors and publishing partners receive far more press releases than they could ever use. Most are skimmed for a few seconds and discarded. The ones that survive have something in common: they look like news, they are easy to use, and they respect the reader’s time.
Here is how to write a press release that clears that bar, step by step.
Start with the news, not the company
Before you write a word, answer one question: what has changed? A press release exists to announce something new: a launch, a partnership, a funding round, an appointment, an event, an award, a study or a milestone.
If you cannot finish the sentence “Today, [company] announced that…” with something specific, you do not have a press release yet. “We are a leading provider of innovative solutions” is not news. “We launched a tool that cuts invoice processing time by 60%” is.
The anatomy of a press release
Every professional press release follows the same basic structure. Editors expect it, so deviating from it makes their job harder.
- “For immediate release” or an embargo line
- Headline
- Sub-headline (optional)
- Dateline: city, country and date
- Lead paragraph: the whole story in one or two sentences
- Body: details, context and data
- Quotes from one or two spokespeople
- Call to action: where to learn more or buy
- Boilerplate: the “About” paragraph
- Media contact
Write a headline that works on its own
Your headline will appear on news sites, in Google results, in social feeds and in AI summaries, often without anything else around it. It needs to make sense alone.
- Keep it under about 110 characters.
- Include your company name.
- Use an active verb: launches, raises, partners, appoints, opens.
- Lead with the benefit or the number when you can.
- Avoid ALL CAPS, exclamation marks and hype words like “revolutionary”.
Weak: “Acme Is Excited to Announce a Revolutionary New Platform!”
Strong: “Acme Launches Atlas, an AI Assistant That Cuts Invoice Processing Time by 60%”
Put everything important in the first paragraph
Journalists use the “inverted pyramid”: the most important information comes first, and detail follows in decreasing order of importance. Your lead paragraph should answer who, what, when, where and why in one or two sentences.
If an editor read only your first paragraph, they should still be able to write a short news item.
Build the body with facts, not adjectives
The next two or three paragraphs explain the details:
- What exactly is launching, changing or happening?
- Who is it for, and what problem does it solve?
- What evidence supports the claim? Numbers, customers, results or research.
- When and where is it available, and at what price?
Replace adjectives with proof. “Fast-growing” means little; “tripled revenue in 12 months” means a lot.
Write quotes that sound like a human
Quotes are where you add perspective and personality, not repeat the facts. A good quote explains why the news matters, what it means for customers, or where the company is heading.
Generic: “We are thrilled to launch this exciting product,” said the CEO.
Useful: “Finance teams told us they spend two days a month typing invoices into spreadsheets. Atlas gives them those two days back,” said Maria Chen, CEO of Acme.
Limit yourself to one or two quotes, each from a named person with a title.
Finish with a boilerplate and a real contact
The boilerplate is a short, consistent paragraph about your company: what you do, who you serve, where you are based, when you were founded and one proof point. Keep it to three or four sentences and use the same one every time.
Then add a real media contact: a name, email address and phone number someone actually answers.
Format for the web
Most of your release’s readers will see it on a news site or in search results, so format it for screens:
- Short paragraphs of two to four sentences.
- Bullet points for features or key facts.
- One to three relevant links, ideally to a landing page made for the announcement.
- One strong image (product shot, logo or headshot) with the rights cleared.
- 400 to 600 words for most announcements.
Common mistakes that get releases rejected
- No news angle. Advertising copy presented as a release.
- Unverifiable claims. “The world’s best” or medical and financial promises without evidence.
- Attacking competitors. Negative press is rejected by almost every network.
- Too many links. It looks like spam and is often stripped out.
- Typos and broken links. These signal carelessness to editors.
A template you can copy
Use this structure as your starting point:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. [Company] [Action Verb] [What], [Benefit]. [City, Country], [Date]: [Company], a [short description], today announced [news]. [Why it matters and one data point.] “[Quote],” said [Name], [Title]. [Details, availability and pricing.] About [Company]: [boilerplate]. Media contact: [Name, email, phone].
You will find six complete, fill-in-the-blank versions, covering a product launch, funding, a partnership, an appointment, an event and an award, on our free press release templates page.
Before you hit send
Run through this final checklist:
- Would a stranger understand the headline?
- Does the first paragraph tell the whole story?
- Is every claim backed by a fact?
- Are the quotes from named people?
- Do all links work?
- Is the media contact correct?
Let an editor take a look
Even experienced marketers benefit from a second pair of eyes. Every release distributed through World Wire is reviewed by a human editor before it goes live. If you would rather skip the writing altogether, our press release writing service turns a short brief into a newsroom-ready release within 48 hours.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a press release be?
Most effective press releases are 400 to 600 words. Longer is acceptable for complex news such as research or financial results, but every paragraph should earn its place.
Should a press release be written in the first person?
No. Press releases are written in the third person (“Acme announced…”), except inside quotes, which are attributed to named people.
Can I use AI to write my press release?
AI tools can help with a first draft or headline ideas, but always fact-check, add genuine quotes and edit for tone. Releases that read as generic, unedited AI text are more likely to be rejected by publishers and ignored by readers.
How many links should I include?
One to three links is ideal: usually your homepage or landing page, plus one supporting resource. Too many links look promotional and may be removed.
