How to Write a Press Release Journalists Will Actually Read: A Practical Guide

Journalists receive hundreds of press releases a week and publish a handful. The ones that make it share a trait: they make the journalist’s job easy, a clear story, real facts, and a contact who answers the phone. A press release isn’t an advert and isn’t a company history; it’s a news story about you, written so an editor can run it with minimal work. This guide walks through the template so yours lands in the published pile.

When to Use This

Use a press release when you have genuine news: a launch, an opening, an award, a milestone (10,000th customer, 10th anniversary), a partnership, a significant hire, or new research with interesting findings. Don’t use it for non-news, “we updated our website” isn’t a story, and sending it trains journalists to ignore you. One strong release a quarter beats twelve weak ones. Time it for the news cycle: Tuesday to Thursday mornings generally get more attention than Friday afternoons.

How to Fill It Out

Section 1: Headline and subheading. Write a headline that states the news in under 12 words: “Harbor & Pine Opens Second Showroom, Creating 14 Local Jobs.” Not “Harbor & Pine Announces Exciting News.” The subheading adds the key detail: “The 4,000 sq ft Manchester showroom opens March 15 with a public launch weekend.” If the headline doesn’t survive being read aloud in five seconds, rewrite it.

Section 2: Dateline and opening paragraph. Start with the city and date, “MANCHESTER, March 2, 2026”, then answer who, what, when, where, and why in the first 40 words. Example: “Harbor & Pine, the family-run furniture studio, will open its second showroom in Manchester on March 15, creating 14 jobs and doubling its workshop capacity.” Many editors read only this paragraph; it must stand alone.

Section 3: The body, details and context. Expand with the facts a journalist needs: the background (founded 2014, 22 staff), the specifics (4,000 sq ft, reclaimed-oak focus, launch weekend offers), and why it matters now (fifth year of double-digit growth, responding to demand from the south of the city). Two to four short paragraphs. Every claim should be checkable, journalists will check.

Section 4: Quotes. Include one or two quotes that add something the facts can’t, motivation, emotion, ambition. Good: “We started in a garage with one workbench. Opening in Manchester feels like coming home, this is where our first customers were.”, Elena Marsh, founder. Bad: “We are delighted to announce this exciting development.” Write quotes the way people actually talk, and get the speaker’s approval before sending.

Section 5: Boilerplate, about the company. A short paragraph describing the business that never changes between releases: what you do, since when, how big, where. “Harbor & Pine is a family-run furniture studio founded in 2014, crafting solid-oak furniture from its Leeds workshop. The company employs 22 people and supplies 400+ retailers.” Keep it under 80 words and update it once a year.

Section 6: Media contact. Name, role, phone number, and email of someone who will answer promptly, ideally a mobile number. “Media contact: Tom Reid, Marketing Manager, 555-0193, [email protected].” A release with no reachable contact is nearly unpublishable on a deadline. If you’re sending on a Friday, say who’s available over the weekend.

Section 7: Notes to editors (optional). Add practical extras: high-resolution photos available on request (or a download link), interview availability, embargo details if the news can’t run before a date. Keep this section strictly useful, it’s the difference between a journalist running your story with your photo or with a stock image.

Common Mistakes

1. Burying the news. Releases that open with three paragraphs of company history before mentioning the actual news get deleted. Lead with the news, the single most interesting fact, in the headline and first paragraph. If you have to hunt for the news in your own release, the journalist won’t bother.

2. Writing marketing copy instead of news. Superlatives (“revolutionary,” “world-class,” “cutting-edge”) and jargon make editors’ eyes glaze over. Write plainly, let the facts impress, and save the adjectives for the quote. A good test: if you removed your company name, would a reader still find the story interesting? If not, it’s an advert.

3. Sending to everyone, personally to no one. Mass-blasting 500 journalists with a generic email gets mass-deleted. Send to 10–20 relevant journalists, people who cover your beat and area, with a one-line personal note explaining why it’s relevant to their readers. “Thought this might interest your small-business readers given your piece on Manchester retail last month” takes a minute and multiplies your hit rate.

4. No follow-up and no assets. Sending the release and hoping is only half the job. Follow up once, briefly, two days later. And always have photos ready, editors choose stories they can illustrate. A release with a strong image attached (or linked) dramatically outperforms a text-only one.

Who Needs to Sign Off

The business owner or senior manager must approve every quote attributed to them and the release as a whole, once it’s published, you can’t take it back. If the release mentions partners, job numbers, or financial figures, have those facts verified by whoever owns them before sign-off. Legal review is wise for anything involving claims, disputes, or regulated industries.

How Often to Review and Update

Each release is written fresh, but review the template elements regularly: update the boilerplate annually or after any major change (new locations, headcount, milestones), and refresh the media contact details whenever someone changes role. After each release, note what worked, which journalists responded, what got published, and build your media list from results, not guesses. Keep a file of past releases; journalists sometimes ask for background, and consistency matters.

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