Steps for writing a press release

Write in an unbiased way and stick to the facts.

1. Find a newsworthy angle: Ensure your news is noteworthy and interesting to the target audience.

2. Craft an appealing headline: Write a clear and compelling headline that conveys the value of your news to the press.

3. Summarise your story: Craft a single sentence summarising the press release's content and supporting the heading. Alternatively, summarise one to three bullet points relaying the most important information.

4. Introduce essential information: Start with your company’s city, and the date. 1 Answer the "who," "what," "when," "where," and "why" in the opening paragraph to grab the reporter's interest.

5. Provide supporting information and context: Follow up with testimonials, statistics, research details, and case study excerpts. Explain the relevance of your announcement to the readers. Include quotes from community and/or organisation or company spokespeople.

6. Lead into the reader’s next steps: Summarise the article and include a call to action or details of where to find more information.

7. End with your standard conclusion: Explain what your company or organisation does and why its stakeholders are experts in the relevant area.

8. Include contact information: Don’t forget to give as much contact information as you can. Make it easy to get hold of you.

A standard press release should contain these key elements:

• Title and italicised subheading summarising the news
• Location of the news (usually headquarters)
• Two to three paragraphs of detailed information
• Bulleted facts
• Company or organisation’s description (you can use a standard description whenever you send out a press release)
• Contact information

When sending a press release, include one of these phrases in the upper left corner to indicate when the news should be published:

• “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” if you want the story to go live right away.
• “HOLD FOR RELEASE UNTIL [PUT IN YOUR DATE]” if you don’t want the story made public yet. Remember to include the specific release date.

Key messages to include:

• What is happening: Clearly state the main event or announcement.
• Why it matters: Explain the significance of the event or announcement and how it benefits the audience or the public.
• What's next: Provide a brief overview of future plans or developments related to the event to maintain interest and anticipation.