Press Release Writing System

When to Use Press Releases

• New business opening or location
• Major hire or leadership change
• Product/service launch
• Award or recognition
• Partnerships or acquisitions
• Community involvement or charity work
• Major milestone (anniversary, X customers, revenue milestone)

Structure: Inverted Pyramid

[MOST IMPORTANT] → [SUPPORTING DETAILS] → [BACKGROUND]

All critical information in the first paragraph. Editors cut from the bottom.

Required Elements

Headline

• Newsworthy and direct
• Under 80 characters
• Use active voice
• Lead with the biggest news

Formulas:

• "[Company] Announces [What]"
• "[Company] Opens [What] in [Location]"
• "[Company] Launches [Product/Service] for [Audience]"

Dateline

CITY, State, Month DD, YYYY —

Lead Paragraph (most important)

Answer: Who, What, When, Where, Why Keep under 35 words. This is what wire services and editors grab.

Body Paragraphs (supporting details)

• Paragraph 2: Elaborate on the lead
• Paragraph 3: Quote from spokesperson or executive
• Paragraph 4: Additional context, data, or impact
• Paragraph 5: Market context or background

Quote Format

"[Quote text that sounds like a real person said it, not corporate speak]," said [Full Name], [Title], [Company Name]. "[Second sentence if needed]"

Boilerplate (About Section)

• 2-3 sentences about the company
• Founded when, what they do, location, contact info
• Keep consistent across all releases

Call to Action + Contact

Media Contact:
[Name]
[Title]
[Phone]
[Email]
[Website]

AP Style Rules

• Numbers one through nine spelled out; 10 and above use numerals
• Dates: Month Day, Year (January 15, 2026) — no commas in date alone
• No Oxford comma
• Use "percent" not "%"
• Spell out "United States" on first reference
• Abbreviate company suffixes: Inc., Corp., LLC
• Quotation marks: outside commas and periods

Local SEO Applications

Press releases build:

• Citations (NAP mentions = Name, Address, Phone)
• Local authority signals
• Backlinks from local news coverage
• Brand entity mentions

Target distribution for local businesses:

1. Local newspaper websites
2. City/regional business journals
3. Industry trade publications
4. PR Newswire or PRWeb for syndication
5. Google News pickup

Writing Rules

1. Write in third person — no "we" or "our"
2. No exclamation points
3. No superlatives without proof ("the best", "first ever")
4. Quotes must sound like something a human actually said
5. One press release per announcement — don't combine unrelated news
6. Include a high-res image when possible (journalists use them)
7. Word count: 400-600 words optimal

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