You’ve spent three hours crafting what you think is a brilliant press release. You hit send to your media list. And then… nothing. No replies. No coverage. Just the sound of crickets and one autoreply saying the journalist is on holiday.
As an award-winning B2B PR agency, we’ve written thousands of press releases – and more importantly, we’ve secured coverage in outlets from the FT and BBC to specialist trade publications across healthcare, fintech and professional services. We know what works, because we’ve seen what lands.
Quick guide: How to write a press release (in 8 steps)
- Identify a genuinely newsworthy angle – ask: will a journalist care?
- Write a clear, punchy headline –focus on the most surprising or impactful element.
- Open with the key facts – your first sentence should summarise the who/what/where/when/why.
- Structure using the inverted pyramid – most important info first, details later.
- Add meaningful quotes – they should add insight and context
- Keep it concise – no more than one page and avoid repetition
- Include supporting detail – data, background or context in lower paragraphs.
- Finish with contacts and notes to editors – make it easy for journalists to follow up.
For our full guide to writing an effective press release, read on!
Contents:
- What is a press release?
- What makes a good press release?
- What makes a bad press release?
- How to write a press release that journalists want to read
- The best press release structure
What is a press release?
A press release is a formatted announcement you send to journalists in the hope they’ll turn it into a story. Simple in theory. In practice? Most get deleted within seconds because they’re boring, irrelevant, or both.
Organisations hoping to attract news coverage can write their own press releases or work with a PR agency to write one. Even in the modern era, press releases still play a vital role in many digital PR campaigns. Learn more about some of the other key elements in our blog – what is digital PR?
What makes a good press release?
A press release must be used for news – essentially, interesting information that people may want to read. Common complaints from journalists include: “That’s not very interesting”; “That is not new”. As the expression goes, people aren’t interested in ‘dog bites man’, but ‘man bites dog’ is worth reading about. If in doubt, look at existing news coverage for a deeper understanding of the types of stories that are of interest to the media.
Quantifying ‘newsworthiness’ seems like an impossible challenge, but in 2017, Tony Harcup and Deirdre O’Neill published a paper in Journalism Studies entitled ‘What is News?’. This excellent, easy-to-read academic article provides 15 criteria to help identify stories that are likely to succeed. Here are four that matter most for B2B press releases:
- Exclusivity: you’re breaking the story first, or sharing unique data/insight
- Bad news: problems, failures, or challenges (journos love a crisis or controversy)
- Entertainment: The unexpected, unusual, or human-interest angle that makes people want to share
- The power elite: Senior appointments, major contracts, or decisions affecting loads of people
What makes a bad press release?
Bad press releases waste journalists’ time with non-news. We asked a few of our contacts about what makes a press release bad:
Award wins and recognition
Ryan Morrison former journalist at Daily Mail Online said: “I don’t think I’ve ever run a story on a company winning an award, rarely write a story on a company winning a new contract or about the promotion or appointment of a new executive.
“I rarely even open emails about an award or new contract unless it is a very high-profile company, and even then, it would need to be particularly interesting or unusual.”
Starting with embargo details
Geoffrey Carr, science and technology editor at The Economist, also chipped in with the following: “The thing I hate most is a content field that starts with stuff like, “Embargoed until DATE/TIME”. I don’t care about that. I want a quick summary of the story. If it is embargoed, I’ll probably be able to work that out.”
The cost of bad press releases
As a digital PR agency, we’ve pitched a lot of press releases, or rather, we’ve pitched a lot of news stories encapsulated in press release format. In the early days, we got shouted at – properly shouted at – by our fair share of journalists for pitching them boring ‘news’ stories and wasting their time. We stopped doing that. As such, whenever a company asks us to pitch a non-newsworthy story we make the following points:
- If we do that, it’ll damage the media’s opinion of said company
- Do it too often and said company runs the risk of the media ignoring anything interesting they have to say in future
- If we pitch rubbish, then it impacts our other clients who want to secure coverage from the same journalists. We would be doing them a disservice by doing that.
How to write a press release that journalists want to read
At Definition, we’re all about personalised, high-quality media relations. We’ve written in the past about how to pitch journalists and how to handle media interviews, but for this blog on what makes a good press release, we think its best that you hear from the journalists themselves.
Start with the story
The journalists all agreed that the most important sentence in the entire release is the first one. Will Smale of the BBC said: “What is the story about? Tell me in the first sentence.” Jane Warren of the Daily Express colourfully described the first line as, “an arresting standfirst that distils the essence of the release with flair!”
Make it easy to use
Tara Evans of The Sun said that a good release should include “all the information, pics (in high res), and relevant contact info.” She says it should “never be attached as a PDF, always in the body of the email.”
Cut the jargon and filler
Susie Bearne, a freelance media consultant who has written for the BBC and The Guardian, among others, advocated for a temperate tone. She said: “Use your quotes to add extra insight. So many quotes are just tagged on, with words such as ’I’m delighted that…’. Stop right there. Of course you’re delighted, we can see your press release. We’ll only end up cutting that jargon and nonsense out. Also, stop using capital letters for job titles.”
Think about the audience, not yourself
Finally, the journalists also called for organisations to consider who they’re actually sending releases to, in Rachel Hall of The Guardian’s words, “think about why the editor’s specific readership would care about a story and articulate that clearly at the top.” Sean Coughlan of the BBC agreed: “Remember who it’s being sent to rather than who it’s being sent from. A problem with many press releases is that they’re of more interest and relevance to the organisation sending them than to the recipient or the reader.”
The best press release structure
Writing a press release isn’t a creative task; it’s a formula. Adhering to the standard form of a press release makes it easy to parse for time-pressed journalists – straying from the path when writing a press release will almost certainly get your story tossed out.
Throughout, the news should be written in the present tense and framed in terms of its larger consequences – who it helps, why it matters, what about it is newsworthy – not its relationship to the company. Never repeat a detail and keep jargon to a minimum. Journalists tend to prefer releases in the body of an email rather than as an attachment, and they shouldn’t be longer than a page.
Before we break down the inverted pyramid structure, it’s useful to understand what a strong press release headline looks like. A good header is short, factual and focused on the most newsworthy element of the story, not marketing language or internal achievements.
The best press release format is a so-called ‘inverted pyramid’, much like a newspaper article, which offers the story in increasing levels of detail as the reader progresses through it.
Press release structure: what to include
| Section | What it should include |
| Headline | Short and punchy and focused on the most surprising, newsworthy element of the story
|
| Opening paragraph | Provide a sentence or two of detail, if necessary |
| Second paragraph | Provide the supporting details that expand on the opening paragraph |
| Quote one | A meaningful quote that adds colour, insight or context |
| Closing paragraph | Add any remaining useful information not included earlier. Up to five sentences are acceptable. End the release with –ENDS– on a separate line. |
| Contact details | Provide clear contact information so journalists can request more details or clarification |
| Notes to editors | Background, data or any supplementary information that supports the story but doesn’t fit in the main body of the release
|
Don’t forget…
Press releases are designed for news. If you don’t have any (and we appreciate knowing what is newsworthy and what isn’t, can be a challenge if it’s not something you do day to day) then they’re often not an appropriate format for your PR efforts. Don’t spam journalists with irrelevant material – you’ll damage your reputation with them and make it more likely any genuine news you send over will be ignored.
Have a story? We can help you with your press release.
Updated by Nafatiti Nimako-Boatey, Comms Assistant at Definition on 05/01/2026
Talk to our specialistsFAQs: Writing a press release
1. How long should a press release be?
Ideally, a press release should be under 500 words. Attention spans are dwindling so it’s important to get the most important information on one page.
2. Should I send a press release as a PDF or in the email body?
It’s generally best practice to send a press release in the body of an email rather than as an attachment because it’s much easier for a journalist to scan the story and see if it’s a good fit.
3. What’s the difference between a press release and a pitch?
A press release is designed to share major announcements and/or newsworthy stories like acquisitions, role appointments, product launches, etc, to a wider audience. Pitches are more tailored briefs that PR professionals send to journalists and editors for a particular story idea
4. When should I not send a press release?
You shouldn’t send a press release if your news isn’t relevant to your audience or the media outlet. It’s also best to avoid sending one just for the sake of publicity. If your press release doesn’t have a clear angle, it’s better to hold off until you have stronger news to share.
