How to write & distribute a press release

1. What a press release is (and isn't)

A press release is a short, factual news announcement written in the third person, structured so a journalist — or a reader — can grasp the story in the first two sentences. It exists to state news, not to sell.

It is: a launch, a milestone, a funding round, a partnership, an award, a key hire, an event. It is not: an ad, a blog post, a feature list, or "we're excited to share." If the only news is that you want attention, it isn't a press release yet.

2. Is it newsworthy? The 8 valid reasons

Send a release only when at least one of these is genuinely true:

3. The correct format, part by part

Every strong release has the same seven parts, in this order:

1. Headline

One line, under ~12 words, stating the news plainly. Title case. No hype. "Acme Raises $4M to Expand AI Voice Platform" beats "Acme Announces Exciting News!"

2. Dateline

CITY, State — Month Day, Year — then the first sentence. It tells everyone where and when.

3. Lead paragraph (the 5 Ws)

The most important paragraph. In 1–2 sentences answer Who, What, When, Where, Why. Assume the reader stops after this — it must stand alone.

4. Body

Two to four short paragraphs of supporting detail, most important first (inverted pyramid). Include one real quote from a named person — quotes add a human voice and are quotable by journalists.

5. Boilerplate

A short "About [Company]" paragraph — one you reuse on every release. What you do, who you serve, and a link.

6. Contact

Name, email, phone, and site. Make it trivially easy for a journalist to reach a human.

7. End mark

Center three hashes — ### — to signal the end. It's the traditional close and editors expect it.

4. Copy-paste template

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[HEADLINE: The news in under 12 words, title case]

CITY, State — Month Day, Year — [Lead: one or two sentences that
answer who, what, when, where, and why. This must stand on its own.]

[Body paragraph 1: the most important supporting detail.]

"[A real, specific quote that adds insight — not 'we're thrilled',"
said [Full Name], [Title] at [Company]. "[Second sentence of the
quote that says something a person would actually say.]"

[Body paragraph 2: additional context, data, availability, pricing,
or what happens next.]

About [Company]
[One-paragraph boilerplate: what you do, who you serve, and a link.
Reuse this exact text on every release.]

Media Contact:
[Full Name]
[Email]  |  [Phone]
[https://yourdomain.com]

###

5. When to send — timing that gets read

• Best days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Avoid Monday (inbox pile-up) and Friday afternoon (nobody's reading).
• Best time: mid-morning in your audience's main time zone — roughly 8–10am. It lands near the top of the day's inbox.
• Send on the news, not before you're ready: the release should go out the day the news is real and the links work.
• Embargoes: if you want coverage to break at a set time, mark it clearly ("EMBARGOED UNTIL...") and only send to reporters who honor them. Otherwise use "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE."

6. Where to distribute

Distribution is a stack, cheapest and most durable first:

1. Your own newsroom + a directory (like this one) — a permanent, indexable URL you own and can cite forever. This is the foundation; everything else points back to it.
2. Direct to journalists — the highest-value channel. Find 5–15 reporters who actually cover your beat and send a short, personal note with the release below. One relevant reporter beats a thousand-outlet blast.
3. Your own channels — email list, LinkedIn, X, and your blog. Your existing audience is the most likely to act.
4. Paid wire services (PR Newswire, Business Wire, EIN) — broad syndication for SEO and reach. Useful for major news; overkill for routine updates.

7. How often you should post

There is no fixed cadence — news frequency, not calendar frequency, drives it. But as a practical rule:

8. Common mistakes that get you ignored

• Burying the news — if the story isn't in the first sentence, it's gone.
• Adjective soup — "revolutionary, cutting-edge, world-class." Cut every one. Facts persuade; adjectives don't.
• No real quote — "We're excited" says nothing. Say something only a person at your company could say.
• Too long — over one page and it won't get read.
• Broken or missing links — the product page, the app, the contact must all work the moment it goes out.
• Sending to everyone — a generic blast to 1,000 unrelated reporters is spam. Fifteen relevant ones is outreach.
• No newsroom — nowhere permanent for the release to live means nothing to link to later.