What a press release actually is
A press release is a piece of writing with an unusual goal: it is written to be rewritten. Its purpose is not to be published as-is but to hand a journalist a ready-made story — the facts, the angle, the quotes, the context — in a form so close to a finished article that turning it into coverage takes minimal effort. Everything about its conventions, from the inverted pyramid to the boilerplate, exists to make a busy journalist’s job easier, because the easier you make it, the more likely your news gets covered.
That framing explains why a press release reads the way it does. It is written in the third person and in plain, factual, journalistic style — not in the first-person marketing voice a company uses on its own website. It states the news in the headline rather than teasing it. It front-loads the essential facts in the first paragraph and tapers off into detail, so that an editor who cuts the last two paragraphs loses nothing important. And it ends with a standard “About us” paragraph and a named contact, so a journalist who has never heard of your organisation has everything they need without chasing you.
The structure has barely changed in decades, and the end marks (”###” or “ENDS”) are a small fossil of its origins in the fax-and-post era, when a journalist needed to know the last page had arrived. But the underlying logic — give the media a clean, factual, easy-to-use story — is exactly as relevant for a small business emailing its local paper as it is for a listed company issuing results. The release is the raw material of coverage; this template gives it the right shape.
When you need one
Announcing genuine news. A launch, a funding round, a major hire, a new location, an award, a partnership, an event, a significant milestone. The test is whether a journalist’s readers would find it interesting — not whether you find it interesting.
Reaching the media. When you want coverage in newspapers, trade press, broadcast, or online outlets, the press release is the standard format journalists expect to receive.
Publishing on your own press page. Even without media pickup, releases live on a company’s newsroom or press page, where they document the organisation’s news, support SEO, and give customers and partners a record of developments.
Coordinating a timed announcement. An embargoed release lets you brief journalists in advance and have coverage break at a coordinated moment — useful for product launches and results.
Small-business and local news. A new café opening, a charity initiative, a local award — local and trade outlets are often receptive to well-targeted releases from small organisations, so the format is not just for big companies.
What it must include
A complete press release contains, in order:
- A release line. “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” or an embargo line.
- A headline. Stating the actual news in plain language; an optional subheadline can add a second key fact.
- A dateline. The originating city (in capitals) and the date.
- A lead paragraph. Answering who, what, when, where, and why in two or three sentences.
- Supporting paragraphs. Two to four, adding context, figures, and detail in descending order of importance.
- At least one quote. Attributed to a named, titled spokesperson, adding perspective the facts alone do not.
- Boilerplate. A short “About [Company]” paragraph, reused on every release.
- Media contact. A named person with phone and email.
- An end mark. ”###” or “ENDS”.
Variants
Standard news release. The default — a single announcement (launch, hire, funding, partnership) in the inverted-pyramid format. Most releases are this.
Product launch release. Focuses on a new product or service, with the lead built around what it is, who it is for, availability, and price. Often paired with images and an embargo timed to the launch.
Financial / results release. Used by companies announcing financial results or funding. For listed companies in the UK, results are released through the Regulatory News Service (RNS) under strict format and timing rules; the template here is for unlisted SMEs, where the structure is the same but the regulatory constraints do not apply.
Event release. Announces an event, with the practical details — date, time, venue, how to attend or register — prominent, because the reader needs to be able to act on them.
Government / public-body press notice. UK government departments and public bodies often call the same document a “press notice.” The structure is identical; the term differs.
Personnel / hire release. Announces a senior appointment, with the lead built around who is joining, into what role, and why it matters, plus a quote from the new hire or the person who appointed them.
Step-by-step
Step 1 — Lead with the news in the headline. State what happened in plain, specific language. If a journalist reads only the headline, they should know the story. Avoid teasers, puns, and marketing superlatives.
Step 2 — Write the dateline and lead paragraph. City (in capitals) and date, then a lead that answers who, what, when, where, and why in two or three sentences. This paragraph must stand alone as the story in miniature.
Step 3 — Add supporting detail in descending importance. Context, figures, background — each paragraph less essential than the one before, so the release can be cut from the bottom without losing the core.
Step 4 — Include a real quote. From a named, titled person, saying something specific and human. Journalists lift quotes verbatim, so make it worth quoting and avoid corporate filler.
Step 5 — Add the boilerplate. A two-or-three-sentence “About [Company]” paragraph describing what you do and where. Write it once; reuse it everywhere.
Step 6 — Add contact and end mark. A named media contact with phone and email, and ”###” or “ENDS” to show the release is complete. Then send it in the body of the email, with the headline as the subject line.
Common mistakes
Mistake 1: Burying the news. Putting the actual story in paragraph three or four, behind throat-clearing background, breaks the inverted pyramid and loses the journalist before they reach it. Lead with the news.
Mistake 2: A teaser headline. “Exciting news from [Company]!” tells a journalist nothing and gets deleted. The headline must state the news.
Mistake 3: Marketing voice instead of journalistic voice. First-person superlatives (“our revolutionary, game-changing platform”) signal an advertisement, not a story, and journalists discount them. Write in plain, factual third person.
Mistake 4: No real quote. A release with no quote, or a quote full of corporate filler, gives the journalist nothing to lift. Include a specific, human quote from a named person.
Mistake 5: Too long. A multi-page release with the news scattered through it will not be read. Keep it to one page, around 300–500 words, with supporting material linked rather than crammed in.
Mistake 6: Sending it to the wrong people, or everyone. Blasting a generic release to a huge undifferentiated list mostly fails. Target journalists who actually cover your beat, and tailor the framing to their audience.
Worked example
Bright Signal Ltd, a Bristol marketing agency, has won a regional business award and wants local coverage.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bristol marketing agency Bright Signal named South West Agency of the Year
BRISTOL, 6 June 2026 — Bright Signal Ltd, an independent SEO and content agency based in Bristol, has been named South West Agency of the Year at the 2026 Regional Business Awards, beating eleven shortlisted firms from across the region.
The award recognises the agency’s growth over the past year, during which it doubled its client base and expanded its team from four to nine people. Judges cited Bright Signal’s measurable results for small and medium-sized clients and its commitment to transparent reporting.
“We started Bright Signal three years ago in a single rented room, so being named the region’s agency of the year means a great deal,” said Hannah Cole, co-founder of Bright Signal. “It belongs to our whole team and to the clients who trusted a small agency to deliver.”
The awards, judged by a panel of regional business leaders, drew entries from across the South West of England.
About Bright Signal Bright Signal Ltd is an independent SEO and content marketing agency based in Bristol, founded in 2023. It works with small and medium-sized businesses across the UK to grow their organic search visibility.
Media contact: Daniel Okoye, [email protected], 0117 000 0000
ENDS
This release works because it does the basics right: the headline states the actual news, the dateline locates and dates it, the lead answers who/what/when/where, the supporting paragraph adds context and the judges’ reasoning, and the quote is specific and human rather than corporate filler. The boilerplate gives a journalist who has never heard of Bright Signal the context to write about them, and the named contact and “ENDS” mark complete the document. A local business reporter could turn this into a short story in minutes — which is exactly the point.
Primary sources
- Associated Press Stylebook — apstylebook.com — the style reference most US (and many UK) newsrooms follow; writing a release in AP style makes it easier for journalists to use.
- GOV.UK writing guidance — gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk — the UK Government Communication Service’s principles for clear, plain-English public communication, which underpin how government press notices are written.
- PR Newswire — resources — prnewswire.com/resources/articles — practical best-practice guidance from a major distribution wire on structure, headlines, and distribution.
For UK listed companies, results and price-sensitive announcements are governed by the Financial Conduct Authority’s disclosure rules and released through the Regulatory News Service — a layer that does not apply to the unlisted-SME releases this template is built for.
Related categories
A press release announces business news; the operational documents behind that news live across this hub — a new supplier deal recorded in a purchase order, a contract that began as an estimate, spending tracked in an expense report, and decisions logged in meeting minutes. When the news is a major hire, the offer letter template in the legal hub is the document behind the announcement, and the invoice template handles billing for any PR or launch work.