Free Press Release Templates and Simple, Step-by-Step Guide

According to a Muck Rack survey, 48% of journalists receive between 1-5 pitches a day and 13% receive over 20 pitches a day.  Public relations is getting harder. Journalists are overwhelmed with pitches and only the best will make it to the top of the pile.

PR isn’t just about feeding a news cycle. The traditional, drab press release that was written by an intern to score a quick backlink from a highly-rated site won’t cut it anymore. 

You have to share relevant information at the right time, through the right channels, and do it in a way that your audience wants to consume.

Done right, a press release becomes a pivotal part of your public relations strategy. It’s a great way to stay top of mind with your audience, build relationships with journalists, promote your business offerings, and grow your brand authority.

In this article, we’ll show you how to write a press release that gets picked up by journalists as well as best practices to adhere to when you’re making your pitch.

What is a press release?

A press release is an official statement that your organization uses to make an announcement for public release. The news could be an award, an upcoming event, hiring a new CEO, or anything your organization deems newsworthy.

Press releases are a crucial aspect of a public relations strategy. A steady flow of information from your company (especially positive news) helps you stay relevant and attract potential customers.

Your press release must be concise and stick to the facts. While the tone is formal, you can use images, statistics, numbers, and quotes to keep readers engaged.

Benefits of press releases for your organization 

Instant exposure to your target audience

For small businesses and startups, press releases provide immediate brand exposure from an established publication with a large reader base. 

With press releases, you build trust and authority on different fronts. You’re giving potential customers a reason to visit your website and learn more about what you offer.

Affordable and effective

Think of press releases as free advertising. When it’s picked up by a journalist working at a large media outlet, they’re helping you spread the word about your company at no cost. 

Apart from making your products or services more desirable to prospects, they capture the attention of investors who could become future sponsors that fuel your business growth.

Increased web traffic and SEO benefits

Your press release is indexed by Google and other search engines. This means your website will likely show up in search results when users search a keyword related to the topic of the press release. You also get valuable backlinks that help you rank higher for the primary keyword as well as referral traffic back to your website.

The SEO benefit isn’t just search ranking. You enjoy brand recognition, increased visibility, social media engagement, and citations.

Become an industry leader

Press releases aren’t always self-promotional. An excellent PR campaign offers the opportunity to brand as an industry authority. You share unique insight that positions you as a thought leader. With time, your brand can develop credibility as you build awareness and trust with your target audience.

Authority is especially crucial for small and medium-sized businesses since it can help you grow your customer base and build a brand identity.

Proactive reputation management

The best product or customer service won’t stop a few people from saying bad things about your brand. How you deal with negative reviews is what matters.

You can push negative news down in search results with positive news about your brand. It’s even more effective when you use distribution platforms to get more eyes on your content.

When you admit to mistakes such as data breaches, product recalls, or safety concerns beforehand, it allows you to control the narrative instead of letting competitors do it for you. It also shows that you care about the consumer experience with your brand. 

Types of press releases

New product launch press release

Use a new product press release to generate interest ahead of a product launch. More than just features, the press release should highlight the benefits and unique functions that set the product apart from competitors. Distribute the press release a few days ahead to give journalists sufficient time to write a story.

A product launch press release should include: 

• The date of product release
• Key product features and benefits
• Pricing
• A quote from an executive
• Visuals

Product update press release

A product update press release aims to inform your existing audience about new changes to a product. The target audience is your customers, not potential clients. 

The product update press release should include: 

• The major changes that were made
• The reasoning behind the changes
• How the changes benefit the user

Example product update press release

Events press release

A press release is a vital part of your event marketing strategy. The goals are to attract media attention, raise public interest, and sell as many tickets as possible.

Your event press release should include:

• The time and location
• Pricing for admission (if any)
• Interesting details about the event (give people a reason to attend)

Make sure to include all the details at the top of the press release, preferably in the first 1-2 paragraphs.

Mergers and acquisitions press release

When two companies merge, or one acquires another, a press release informs stakeholders and customers about the company’s upcoming changes. 

The mergers and acquisition press release includes:

• Important details about both organizations
• The reason for the merger or acquisition
• Incumbent changes due to the merger or acquisition
• Quotes from the leaders of both companies
• How the changes could affect customers

Rebranding press release

A rebranding press release eliminates confusion amongst users when you make significant changes to your website, product, logo, or name. 

A rebranding press release should include:

• What the new website or product will look like
• When the changes will go into effect
• Why the changes were made
• Quotes from leadership to alleviate customer doubts or worries

Grand opening press release

A grand opening or celebration typically takes place when a business opens a new office or relocates. 

A grand opening press release should include:

•  Date, time, and location
•  The reason for the move or opening of a new office
•  Any special events during the opening

Awards press release

When your company wins an award, you can distribute a press release to cement your position as an industry leader. Awards and accolades are excellent for gaining publicity and increasing customer trust. 

An award press release should include:

•  What this accolade means for your company
• Why your company won it 
• Quotes from leadership
• Details about any celebratory events or offers

New partnership press release

When two organizations join forces, you can send a press release to explain why the partnership was formed and how it benefits both customer bases. 

A new partnership press release should include:

• A summary of both companies
• Why the partnership was made
• How it benefits both customer bases
• Additional information for current and future stakeholders

New hire press release

A new hire press release informs customers and investors about changes in leadership positions, typically high-level executives. 

A new hire press release should include: 

• The professional achievements of the new hire
• Their mission and vision for the organization
• Quotes from the new hire 
• Quotes from one or two current executives explaining the value of the new hire

Charitable initiatives press release

Charitable initiatives are a great way to show your audience that you care about more than just money. The press release should give customers and the public a glimpse into your company’s culture. Your goal is to share high-level information about the work being done and rally others to contribute to your cause.

A charitable initiative press release should include:

• How your initiatives have helped those in need (without being too promotional)
• Concrete numbers to show the impact
• Quotes from organizations you’re helping

Elements of a press release

Headline

The headline or title is arguably the most crucial part of a press release.  On average, 8 out of 10 people read the headline, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest of the copy. The goal of the headline is to convince readers to read the introduction.

Here are a few tips for writing headlines: 

• Keep it short (typically one line)
• Add statistics to your headline
• Use action verbs to elicit emotion
• Focus on informative titles instead of clickbait
• Identify and use a tone that is suitable for your target audience
• Use title case 
• Avoid exclamation marks and punctuations

Date and location

Write the date, state, and city in the first line of the press release. Your dateline should state the date the press release will be published, not the date you wrote it.

Introduction

The introduction summarizes the main purpose of the press release. It should be direct and compelling since it’s likely the first thing a time-strapped journalist will read.

Lead paragraph (aka “lede”)

Your lead paragraph, or lede, contains the most vital information you want to communicate. It answers the 5 Ws of who, what, when, where, and why. Readers should get all the relevant information in the lead paragraph.

Supporting quotes

Use supporting quotes to humanize your press release. Include a quote from the head of the department where the news is originating from to explain why the news is important. Use quotes from partners and customers to add credibility to your announcement.

Boilerplate

A boilerplate is essentially an “about us” section for the company. It is a brief paragraph (100 words or less) that focuses on the company’s history and what it does. The boilerplate is often separated from the main press release copy using a separate header.

A few tips to guide you when writing the boilerplate include:

• Determine the angle: Your boilerplate could focus on your company’s history, work culture, brand identity, investors, or accomplishments. Decide which of these best suits your press release. 
• Business description: Write one to two sentences about your business. 
• Delve into details: After the intro, include details about what your business does, the industry you are in, any prominent partnerships or investors, recent awards (if any), and market share.

Call to action

A call-to-action (CTA) encourages readers to take action. Here, action could be visiting a landing page on your website.

To understand the power of a good CTA, let’s use Hubspot as an example. They optimized the CTAs of 12 older posts and saw a 99% increase in the number of leads and an 87% increase in conversion rates.

CTAs are equally important for press releases. Your press release may not generate leads or sales without the right CTA. 

Here’s how you can write a persuasive press release CTA:

• Start with your goal: Consider the goal of the press release and tailor your CTA accordingly. It could be to generate traffic, increase subscriptions, or boost sales. 
• Use action verbs: Evoke emotion and urgency by using strong action verbs.
• Include a link with the full URL: The URL tells your reader where they’re going. You can use hyperlinks in other sections

Contact details

Many PR experts often forget to include their email addresses when sending a press release pitch. In 2019, only 56% of press releases contained contact information.

Add the contact details of the employee in charge of distributing the press release. Include their name, phone number, and email address. 

This information makes it easier for journalists to clear any queries about your company or the release.

Close

After the CTA, use this sign “—###—” at the bottom of the page to signify the end of the press release.

Embed template: Brand Guidelines and press kit

8 pro tips for writing a press release

1. Use numbers in headlines

There’s a reason most marketers love numbers in their content. Numbers resonate with audiences. They are a great way to add credibility to your claims and build interest. 

A Conductor study published on Moz found that over 36% of readers preferred headlines with numbers.

An in-depth study of the top 700+ articles on Medium in 2020 showed that numbers were the second-most popular additions to headlines.

Numbers are an excellent visualization tool. For example, if your press release is about a charitable achievement, adding the amount donated or the number of people that benefited from the initiative helps readers understand how much you have truly helped the cause.

2. Find a Newsworthy Angle

Apart from writing style and grammar, your headline needs to focus on a newsworthy angle or perspective. Why does your press release deserve to be published ahead of hundreds of others? What makes it interesting or unique?

Some newsworthy perspectives to highlight include:

• Local impact: Showcase community events your organization or employees undertook to improve the local community.
• Progress: Share significant progress in your organization, such as reaching a goal or milestone.

Conflict: The conflict perspective tells another side to an ongoing dispute or disagreement.

3. Include your keyword

Conduct keyword research to find keywords and phrases that are relevant to your press release. 

A few tips for adding keywords to press releases include:

• Use your primary keyword or its variant in the headline, introduction, and 2-4 times in the body copy
• Use secondary keywords (preferable longtail) naturally throughout the body copy
• Add the primary keyword or its variant in the meta description and image alt text

4. Include multimedia

Show don’t tell. This is the number one rule of writing an engaging story. There’s no better way to help your reader visualize the story than with multimedia. 

Press releases with visuals get three times more views than those without. For visual elements to be effective, they must be high-quality and relevant to the content. 

However, it’s important to remember that journalists won’t accept images or videos that you don’t have the rights to.

Examples of multimedia content to include:

PDFs – Link to long-form copy like an eBook or whitepaper.

Images – Use images to support company announcements, product launches, or awards. Images for press releases need to be at least 300 dpi. Small images may appear blurry and stretched. 

Videos – Great for driving audience engagement on social media. Keep it short with a max length of 60 seconds-2 minutes.

Infographics – Turn complicated information into a simple graphic that’s easy to digest

5. Make it engaging

Most press releases are drab and boring. It’s written in a monotonous tone that puts the reader to sleep faster than a lullaby. An engaging press release is fun to read. It takes the reader from the captivating headline through each line of text to the final action in the CTA.

Tips to write an engaging press release include:

• Use simple language that’s easy to understand
• Prioritize search intent 
• Focus on benefits over features
• Use the voice of the customer to address your target audience’s needs
• Infuse copy with a consistent brand voice
• A/B test your press releases to see which one performs better
• Add statistics, images, and quotes to support your statement

6. Put your most important information first

Most press releases follow the Inverted Pyramid format.

At the top, remember the 5Ws:

• What is happening
• When is it happening
• Why is it happening
• Who is in charge of the event
• Where is it happening

In the middle, you can include secondary details like quotes. At the bottom, additional information like the boilerplate copy and whom to contact with more questions.

7. Follow the AP style 

The Associated Press style guidelines, known as the AP style, is the most commonly used style guide for writing press releases. 

Some tips for writing in AP style include: 

• Use a person’s first and last name when you mention them for the first time. After the first occurrence, you can refer to them using their last name
• Expand on every abbreviation and acronym the first time it is used
• Spell out all titles except Dr., Mr., and Mrs. when used in direct quotes
• Use numbers when writing dates and years
• Spell out all the names of the month when not referring to a specific date

8. Remove fluff and keep it under 500 words

Reporters don’t have time to sift through fluffy background information to find the facts. Keep your press release short and sweet. Typically, your press release should be around 250 words but no longer than 500 words.

A few tips to keep your press release concise:

• Remove personal opinions, viewpoints, and commentary
• Stick to the facts
• Use a formal, direct tone
• Avoid conversational footnotes or casual tones
• Avoid unnecessarily long sentences and find the quickest way to communicate your message
• Use an active voice over passive voice
• Eliminate adverbs and meaningless words like “just,” “simply,” “completely,” “kind of,” and “actually,”.
  

Best practices for press releases

Pitch directly to editors

Don’t send a mass email to every journalist and editor. Instead, contact specific editors within your industry and send them personalized messages. It’s also a great idea to give editors an exclusive scoop to increase your chances of getting published.

You can use knowledge management software like Guru to keep track of press release templates and pitches.

Use cross promotion to gain credibility

Your PR campaign starts with finding ways to co-promote in order to amplify your reach. If you have a potential partner that could benefit from free advertising, consider cross-promotion as a way to improve your reach and credibility. You might look to those with whom you already partner, or start building partnerships with brands that add value for yours without competition. 

Optimize for SEO

Many people assume that because links on a press release are no-follow, there’s no SEO value. For such people, link juice is the only metric to capture. 

It couldn’t be further from the truth. When you consider the goals that a press release achieves such as media coverage, referral traffic, building a reputation, and controlling a crisis, you can clearly see the importance of SEO.

Here are a few tips to optimize your press release for SEO

• Conduct keyword research
• Include the right keywords
• Use a value-driven headline
• Avoid jargon in the copy
• Make sure your copy is engaging
• Add visuals and use alt-image text to describe the visuals
• Offer solutions to a problem
• Include  boilerplate copy
• End with a persuasive CTA that links to a relevant page
• Share your press release with the right journalist

Basically, do everything we’ve advised in this guide and you’ll be optimizing your copy for SEO without even knowing it.

Use a wire service

In 2019, 60.74% of 37,748 analyzed press releases were sent using a wire service. A wire service ensures that every major outlet shares your news. Most wire services can share your news with over 30,000-100,000 journalists and bloggers in hundreds of countries. 

You can send your press release through a distribution or wire service such as Newswire or Cision. The best results often come with a high initial price tag. Consider, for example, Berkshire Hathaway’s Business Wire, which costs $400+ for each release with a 400-word limit (more if you want to add word count, images, video, or social media signals). Yet, these tried and true distribution services can help you land coverage in major publications like the Wall Street Journal.

Time your release perfectly

Timing has an impact on the success of your press release. According to Shift, the best time to send out a press release is early on a Tuesday so it reaches publications before they assign stories to reporters.

Since most press releases are published at the top of the hour, avoid sending yours at that time. Send your press release a few minutes after the hour. For instance, instead of sending your press release in at 9 am, you’d send it in at 9:10 am

Distribute and share your media coverage

Apart from using a wire service for distribution, you can have a dedicated media section on your website to share news and other press releases. Sharing press releases on your website makes it easy for your readers to stay updated on the latest events in your organization.

Also, use social media to leverage media coverage. Share published stories on your social media platforms, and encourage users to engage with your content through comments, likes, and shares. For example, you might boost your social post on Facebook with the headline, “San Francisco Chronicle Covers New Software Release for Service Teams.”

Manage your press release templates in Guru

Writing your first press release might seem like a daunting task if you don’t know where to start. Write in the way your audience speaks. Make sure your content doesn’t exceed 250-500 words. Use a distribution service to get the most publicity for your press release.

Streamline your press release templates with a knowledge base platform like Guru. It’s easy to organize your pitches by type of press release, those ready for publication, and pitches that didn’t get accepted. A central platform like Guru ensures your messaging is at every public-facing teammate’s fingertips so that every call, email, and conversation is on-point without wasting time in video calls.