Press releases are one of the most misunderstood tools in business communications. Every year, millions of them get distributed, and the vast majority are ignored by every journalist who receives them. That does not mean press releases are useless. It means most of them are done wrong.
Here is how to write a press release that actually serves its purpose, and an honest assessment of when a press release is the right tool and when it is not.
Do Press Releases Still Matter?
Let us get this out of the way first. Press releases are not what they used to be. In the era before email and the internet, a press release was the primary way a company communicated news to the media. That is no longer the case. Journalists today are drowning in press releases, and most of them go straight to the trash.
That said, press releases still serve a few important functions. They create a formal record of an announcement that can be referenced and cited. They provide a structured format that journalists can pull quotes and facts from quickly when they are on deadline. And when distributed through the right channels, they can appear in news aggregators and industry databases, which has some SEO and visibility value.
Where press releases fail is when they are used as a substitute for actual media outreach. Distributing a press release is not the same as pitching a journalist. A press release sitting on a wire service is passive. A personalized pitch to a journalist who covers your space is active. The press release supports the pitch, but it does not replace it.
The Structure That Works
A good press release follows a proven structure, and deviating from it rarely helps. Start with a clear, specific headline that communicates the actual news. Not "Company X Announces Exciting New Partnership" but "Company X Partners with Company Y to Bring [Specific Thing] to [Specific Market]." The headline should tell a journalist in one line what happened and why it might matter.
The first paragraph should answer the core questions: who, what, when, where, and why. A journalist who reads only the first paragraph should have enough information to decide whether this story is relevant to their beat. Do not bury the news under three paragraphs of company background. Lead with the news.
The second and third paragraphs provide context and detail. Why does this matter? Who does it affect? What problem does it solve? Include a quote from a company executive or relevant stakeholder that adds perspective rather than just restating what the first paragraph already said. A good quote provides an insight or opinion that the factual paragraphs do not.
Include a brief "About" section at the end with your company's background. Keep it to two or three sentences. And include clear contact information for a real person who can respond to journalist inquiries quickly. Nothing kills a story faster than a journalist who cannot reach anyone for comment.
Common Mistakes
The biggest mistake is writing a press release about something that is not actually newsworthy. Before you write a single word, ask yourself honestly: would a journalist who covers this space care about this announcement? If the answer is no, a press release is not going to change that.
The second biggest mistake is promotional language. A press release should read like a news story, not an advertisement. Words like "revolutionary," "game-changing," "industry-leading," and "best-in-class" are the fastest way to get your press release deleted without being read. Journalists see through marketing language instantly, and it signals that the content is not trustworthy.
Avoid making the press release too long. One page is ideal. Two pages is the maximum. Journalists do not have time to read a five-page document to find the story. If you cannot communicate the news in 400 to 600 words, you need to refine your message.
When to Write One and When Not To
A press release makes sense for genuinely significant business news. Major partnerships, significant funding rounds, product launches that represent a real market shift, executive appointments at large companies, and major milestone announcements are all appropriate. A press release does not make sense for minor updates, routine business activities, or things that are only interesting to your own employees.
If you are debating whether something warrants a press release, it probably does not. Save your press releases for announcements that genuinely matter, and you will build credibility with the journalists and outlets that receive them. If you send a press release every week about minor developments, you train journalists to ignore everything you send.
The more effective approach for ongoing media presence is building direct relationships with journalists through the strategies we outline in our press coverage guide. The press release supports those relationships by giving journalists a formatted source for the facts when you do have real news.
If you need help crafting press releases that actually generate coverage, or if you want to develop a broader media strategy that goes beyond press releases, our press placement service covers the full spectrum. You may also want to read our guides on press release distribution and getting featured in major publications.
Related Resources
- How to get press coverage — Build real media relationships beyond press releases
- Press release distribution — Get your releases to journalists and outlets
- Getting featured in Forbes — Strategies for premium publication placement
- Press placement services — We handle media strategy and outreach