The Ultimate Guide to Press Release Writing

A press release is a written, official statement which is made for promotional and marketing purposes. This is delivered to the members of the press. It is also known as media- for providing information or making a newsworthy announcement about a particular event, to make it public, thus expanding its reach, and giving the event media coverage. The main purpose of this release is to make the public aware of an event. It is often used to announce something new.

Some of the most common cases for creating and sharing a press release through media outlets are as follows: 

• New product launch
• New company launch
• Partnership creation
• Event announcement
• New book launch
• Product updates
• Rebranding
• Executive promotions/ hiring
• Awards
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Events
• Grand openings

A press release consists of nine structural elements, such as a headline, dateline, introduction, main body, and other components. They are electronically delivered to news media, ready to use, and often subject to news embargo-“do not use before” time.

How to write a press release?

• Decide what to write about

A press release can be about a new technology, product, upcoming event, merger, or trade show. What a press release is at its most basic form, is a communication tool to help you tell us what is going on in your business and why we need to pay attention. It is a way to report on what is going on in the manufacturing industry. Sometimes these press releases can become larger stories. 

• Be concise

Press releases should be about 400 words or less, and they should also follow the inverted pyramid style of writing. 

• Pick a single topic

It might be tempting to do a round-up of news or product items, but it is not the most effective way to get your information out. Our readers are technical Junkies. They need to know the specific details, as to what is happening with a particular piece of equipment. If you include more details, the better it is.  

• Be technical

If you are writing a product release, make sure to include the feeds and speeds. Make sure to include the X, Y and Z axis travels. Make sure to include how heavy of a workpiece can be accommodated by a certain piece of equipment. 

• Check your Checklist

Include specific technical information in your press release. It should have high-resolution images that show what your press release is about. Your press release should have a media contact, hyperlinks and the company name. Make sure to submit the press release in Word doc, as it is so much easier to work with than PDFs. Send in your product release by the deadline. 

• Send in your press release

Before you do that, make sure to do your homework. Cater your press release to what your magazine writes about. 

Format

• Company Logo (Top and centre of the page)

• Contact Information (Can be at the last as well) (Contact name, Phone No, Email address, Website)

• Release Date (Informs about the date when your press release goes public (For immediate release OR for release on (Date) at (Time) ———-)

• Headline (Summary of the news story)

• Sub-Headline (Optional) [Placed right under the headline (In case there’s a need for further explanation of the headline, then the sub-headline, also called dek is the place to do it.

• Date Line (Place and Date) (Jaipur, Rajasthan, 21st July 2022)

• Content (inverted pyramid)

When, where, why, who, what

1st paragraph (Introduction about the headline)

Brief and journalistic style so that it can be used as it is. After having completed the initial steps of a press release and making sure that you’ve included all necessary information in terms of contact information, release date, and headline, you can then move on to the introduction. This first paragraph should answer the main questions that the readers have when they read the press release. Your introduction needs to answer the when, where, what, who, and why questions. 

2nd paragraph/Body (Main information)

One of the most significant elements of a press release is the body. 

Further explanation in regards to the headline and other content, background information, data hyperlinks, media links and other details that are relevant to the news story. 

3rd paragraph (Boilerplate)

Usually, it is placed right under the introduction and main paragraphs. In simple terms, we could say that the boilerplate is the “about” section of the document that informs readers about the company that’s sending the press release. It also says about the company and what it does. 

Close

To show that the press release has ended, traditional press releases used three “###” symbols. These symbols, which are very popular among PR professionals, show that there’s no more press release copy to follow and that it has been completed.