How to Write a Press Release Publishers Actually Pick Up

To write a press release publishers pick up, put the news in the headline, answer who, what, when, where and why in the first paragraph, and support it with one strong quote, a short boilerplate and usable images. Editors skim. If the news is not clear in the first two sentences, the release is usually skipped, however well the rest is written.

Start With the News, Not the Release

Before writing anything, write the news in one sentence. “[Company] has raised $12 million to expand its payments platform into Germany” is news. “[Company] is excited to share an exciting update” is not.

If you cannot write that sentence, the announcement may not be ready for a press release. Some updates are better as a blog post, a social post or an email to customers. Press releases work best for funding, launches, partnerships, market entries, results, senior hires, research findings and regulatory milestones.

Then decide who needs to read it. A release for investors, a release for trade buyers and a release for consumers use different facts and go to different outlets. Our guide to choosing the right distribution package covers that side of the decision.

The Structure That Works

Headline

State the news. Use the company name, the action and the most important detail. Keep it under about 100 characters so it displays in full on most outlets and in search results.

Good: “[Company] raises $12M to launch its payments platform in Germany and Austria”. Weak: “[Company] announces exciting new chapter”.

Subheadline

An optional line that adds the second most important fact, such as who led the round or when the product becomes available.

Dateline and first paragraph

Begin with the city and date, then the news. The first paragraph answers who, what, when, where and why in two or three sentences. Many outlets publish the first paragraph alone in feeds and summaries, so it has to stand on its own.

Supporting paragraphs

Add context in order of importance: numbers, background, how the product works, what changes for customers. Each paragraph should add a new fact. If a paragraph only repeats the first one in different words, cut it.

Quote

Use one quote, two at most, from named people with real titles. A good quote gives a view, a reason or a plan. A weak quote says the company is “thrilled” or “delighted”. Journalists rarely use those.

Boilerplate

A short “About” paragraph: what the company does, where it operates, when it was founded, and any licence or regulatory status that matters in its sector. Keep it to 60 to 100 words and use the same version every time.

Media contact

A named person, an email address and, if possible, a phone number. Editors who cannot reach anyone move on to the next release.

Length and Style

Most effective releases run between 300 and 600 words. Shorter is fine if the news is simple. Longer releases tend to bury the news and are more likely to be cut down by editors in ways you cannot control.

Write in the third person and in plain language. Many newsrooms follow a house style based on guides such as the AP Stylebook, and releases that already read like news copy need less editing. That makes them easier to publish.

Avoid superlatives you cannot prove. “Leading”, “first”, “only” and “best” all invite the question of who says so. If you have independent evidence, cite it. If not, leave the claim out.

Media Assets That Help

Releases with good images get more prominent placement on many outlets, and some outlets will not run a release without one.

• One strong image: a product shot, a headshot of the spokesperson or a high-quality photo connected to the news. Landscape format at least 1200 pixels wide works on most sites.
• Logo: a clean version on a transparent background.
• Video, if relevant: a short product demo or interview clip, hosted somewhere stable.
• Data: if the news includes research, a chart or a short summary table.

Make sure you own or have rights to every image. Editors increasingly check, and an image rights problem can get a release removed after publication.

Common Reasons Releases Get Rejected

Editors and distribution networks reject releases for the same handful of reasons. Checking for them before submission saves time and revisions.

1. No news. A product page rewritten as a release. If nothing has changed, there is nothing to report.
2. Marketing language. “Revolutionary”, “game-changing”, “world-class”. These read as advertising, and many outlets will not publish advertising as news.
3. Keyword-stuffed links. Several links with keyword anchors look like an attempt at link spam, which Google’s spam policies specifically mention for press releases. Link the brand name and the relevant page, no more.
4. Unverifiable claims. Statistics with no source, or superlatives with no evidence.
5. Restricted content without care. Gambling, crypto, health and CBD releases face stricter review. Gambling releases need responsible gambling messaging, crypto releases cannot promise returns, and health releases cannot make medical claims. Our guide to iGaming press release distribution covers one of these categories in detail.
6. Formatting problems. Text pasted as an image, missing contact details or broken links.

Adjusting the Release for Your Sector

The structure stays the same across industries, but the facts editors look for change.

Finance and fintech: regulatory status, the markets you are authorised in, and figures stated precisely with dates. Funding news should name lead investors where they agree to be named.

Crypto and Web3: what the product does, which chains or tokens are supported and who is behind it. Leave out price predictions and any language about returns. Our guide to crypto gaming press releases covers the extra rules when gaming is involved too.

iGaming: where the operator or product is licensed, which markets it targets, and responsible gambling messaging. Trade editors expect all three.

SaaS and B2B technology: the customer problem in plain words, availability, pricing model if public, and a named customer only if they have approved it.

Health and wellness: no medical claims, and sources for any research mentioned. Editors in this space reject anything that sounds like a cure.

A Quick Checklist Before You Send

• Can the news be stated in one sentence, and is that sentence in the headline?
• Does the first paragraph work on its own?
• Is every claim sourced or provable?
• Is there one quote from a named person that says something useful?
• Are links limited to the brand name and the relevant page?
• Is there a usable image you own?
• Is there a named media contact?
• Has someone outside the project read it and understood the news?

After You Publish

Collect the live URLs, check that facts and links survived editing, and share the coverage with partners and customers. Then look for mentions that did not link back, which can be followed up for editorial links. That process is covered in turning unlinked brand mentions into backlinks.

For a realistic view of what a release does for search, read our honest answer on press release links and SEO. For a multi-market example, the Asia-Pacific expansion case study shows a single English release distributed across 14 countries.

Frequently Asked Questions