How to Write a Press Release That Gets Published
A practical, step-by-step guide to writing press releases that journalists actually open. Covers structure, headlines, quotes, boilerplate, and the most common mistakes that kill coverage.
By PressRelease.in Editorial
Most press releases fail before a journalist reads past the first line. Not because the news is bad — because the writing is. A well-structured press release follows a predictable format that journalists trust. Learn it once and every announcement you write becomes publishable.
The inverted pyramid: why structure matters
Journalists are trained to read the most important information first. Lead with the who, what, where, when, and why — then add supporting detail. Never bury the news in paragraph three. If a sub-editor cuts your release from the bottom, the core story should still be intact.
Writing the headline
Your headline is not an ad. It is a factual summary of the news in one line. Use active voice, present tense, and avoid superlatives like "leading", "premier", or "revolutionary". Good example: Mumbai Startup Raises ₹12 Crore Series A to Expand Cold-Chain Logistics. Bad example: "Revolutionary Startup Announces Game-Changing Funding Round".
The dateline and lead paragraph
Every press release starts with a dateline: the city and date of release. Your first paragraph (the lead) must answer the five Ws in two to three sentences. A journalist who stops reading after the lead should still understand the complete story.
Quotes: the one rule
Quotes should sound like a real person speaking, not a marketing brochure. "We are excited about this milestone" tells a journalist nothing. A good quote adds context or perspective that cannot be expressed as plain fact: "We chose Tier-2 cities specifically because distribution infrastructure there is still underbuilt — that's where the margin is."
The boilerplate
The boilerplate is the last paragraph of every press release, always preceded by "About [Company Name]". It is a short, factual description of your company — founding year, what the company does, and where it operates. Keep it under 60 words. Reuse it on every release.
Common mistakes that kill coverage
- Writing in first person ("We are proud to announce..."). Use third person.
- Including hype words: "cutting-edge", "world-class", "disruptive".
- Sending a release without a contact name and direct phone number.
- Attaching Word documents instead of writing in the email body or distribution platform.
- Forgetting to add "### END ###" or "— ends —" at the bottom of the release.