Press Release Template
Headline, dateline, quote and boilerplate in the shape editors expect.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[CITY], October 14, 2026 — [opening paragraph: who, what, where, when, why it matters]
###
About [company]
[one paragraph about the company]
Media contact
[name, email, phone]
What is a Press Release?
A press release is a formal statement written in the shape newsrooms expect: headline, dateline, a lead that carries the whole story, supporting detail, a usable quote, boilerplate and a contact. The format exists so an editor can establish in seconds what happened, who says so and whether it is worth space. A release that hides the news in paragraph four is not badly written so much as unusable, and it is discarded rather than fixed.
Companies of every size, charities, councils, universities, hospitals, sports clubs and police forces issue releases, usually through a communications officer or an agency. The typical occasions are a launch, results, a funding round, an appointment, an award, a partnership, a public statement on an incident, and a correction. The release does double duty: it is sent to journalists, and it is published on the organisation's own newsroom page where customers, investors and future employees will find it long after the news cycle has moved on.
Listed companies cannot treat a release as a purely editorial document. Disclosure of price-sensitive information is governed by the Market Abuse Regulation and the FCA's rules in the UK, Regulation FD and the Form 8-K requirements in the United States, the SEBI listing regulations in India, and ASX continuous disclosure rules in Australia. American safe-harbour conventions for forward-looking statements do not transfer automatically elsewhere. Regulated sectors add another layer — medicines, medical devices, food and financial promotions each have a body whose rules apply to public claims. Check both before issuing.
A release is not published as written. Editors cut, rewrite headlines, drop quotes and add context you did not supply, and none of that is negotiable. It is not a legal notice: statutory announcements, regulatory filings and court-ordered publications have their own prescribed routes and a press release does not satisfy them. It is also the wrong first channel for news that affects staff or customers directly — people should not learn that their site is closing from a reporter's phone call.
What to put in a Press Release
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Business name | For example: Barton Supply Co. |
| Your address | For example: Unit 7, Barton Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
| Headline | For example: Barton Supplies opens second warehouse in Columbus |
| Dateline city | For example: MANCHESTER |
| Opening paragraph | For example: Barton Supply Co. today opened a second distribution centre in Columbus, doubling its… |
| Body | For example: The 40,000 sq ft facility on Barton Road will serve trade customers across the region and… |
| Quote optional | Format: Quote text | Name, title |
| About the company | For example: Barton Supply Co. is a trade supplier of timber and fixings founded in 2019, serving… |
| Media contact | For example: Linda Alvarez |
How to write a Press Release
Write the headline as the news
State what happened in plain words, active voice, under about twelve words. ‘Council approves 240-home development on former gasworks site’ is a headline. ‘A new chapter for our community’ is a slogan, and an editor reading it still does not know whether to keep reading. Add a subheading only if it carries a second fact rather than repeating the first in different words.
Put place, date and the lead first
Open with the dateline — city and date — then a first paragraph that answers who, what, when, where and why in one or two sentences. Assume the reader stops there, because many will. Everything after the lead should add detail in descending order of importance, so an editor can cut from the bottom without removing anything the story needs to stand up.
Use a quote that says something
A quote should add an opinion, an explanation or a commitment that the factual paragraphs cannot carry. ‘This will cut the wait for a first appointment from six weeks to two, and we will publish the figures quarterly’ is worth printing. ‘We are delighted to announce this exciting milestone’ is not, and it is the line most often cut. Attribute it to a named person with their exact job title.
Add the facts a reporter must verify
Include the checkable material: figures with their source and period, correct spellings of names and places, job titles, dates, locations, and links to anything underlying the claim. Add a notes to editors section for background, image availability and interview offers. Making verification easy is the practical difference between a story a busy reporter can file today and one they park indefinitely.
Close with boilerplate and a real contact
End with a short standing paragraph about the organisation — what it does, where, since when, and any registration number — followed by a named contact with a direct phone number and email, available at the times the release is live. A generic enquiries address that nobody monitors after five o'clock is where otherwise willing coverage quietly dies.
Common mistakes
- Writing a headline that is a slogan rather than the news, so an editor scanning a list of releases has no reason to open it.
- Opening with a phrase such as ‘we are excited to announce’, which delays the actual news and marks the release as unedited marketing copy.
- Giving a general enquiries address instead of a named contact who answers the phone, which strands any reporter who wanted a second question answered.
- Placing an embargo on information already published elsewhere, which annoys the recipients and is ignored anyway.
- Filling the text with unsupported adjectives such as leading, world-class or revolutionary, all of which are cut and none of which help the story get taken seriously.
Frequently asked questions
What is the correct press release format?
A release line or embargo, a plain headline, an optional subheading, a dateline giving city and date, a lead paragraph carrying the whole story, supporting paragraphs in descending importance, one or two quotes from named people, a notes to editors section, a short boilerplate about the organisation, and a named media contact with a direct number. Aim for one page.
How long should a press release be?
One page, around 300 to 500 words, is standard. Extra material — full results tables, biographies, technical specifications, image credits — belongs in notes to editors or as a linked attachment. A long release does not increase coverage; it increases the chance the reporter stops before reaching the part that would have persuaded them, or misses the fact that matters.
Do you still put ends at the bottom of a press release?
The convention of marking the end of the body text, with the word ends or three hash symbols, is still widely used and costs nothing. It matters most where a release is pasted into an email and the boilerplate and contact details follow, because it tells the reader where the quotable material stops. Anything after that marker is background, not part of the story.
What is a dateline in a press release?
The dateline is the short line at the start of the first paragraph giving the place and date of issue, for example LEEDS, 14 March. It tells an editor where the news originates, which matters to local and regional desks deciding whether the story is theirs, and it timestamps the statement for the archive on your own newsroom page.
Do I need to pay to distribute a press release?
No. A well-targeted email to the specific reporters who cover your subject usually works better than paid distribution, which mainly produces syndicated copies on low-traffic sites. Paid wires have a role for regulatory disclosure where a listed company must reach the market through a recognised channel — that requirement comes from the listing rules, not from editorial practice.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.