72+ Sample Press Release Templates

What Is a Press Release?

Press release, press statement, news release, or whatever you want to call it—we recognize such as a short yet compelling news story that reports on significant matters tied to a business. It can be about a product launch, an upcoming event, an idea, or any topic that piques the curiosity of a targeted audience. It contains information that covers all that is necessary for a journalist or publication to produce their own narrative on it. Many PR professionals work hard to propose story ideas worth telling, but even the most interesting stories don’t get picked up due to poor delivery. Hence, sticking to the facts and giving your audience something to talk about is essential in making an effective press release.

Why Is a Press Release Good for Business?

Not every organization has the resources and connections to boost its brand awareness in a competitive market, even more so with its limited business budget. But this only drives you to be more creative with your approach to marketing.

Fortunately, press releases make it easy for small and medium business owners to spread the word about their company and its offers without draining their wallets. It provides instant exposure with the help of content that people care enough about to discuss out in the open. It even offers you the opportunity to enhance your marketing plan by incorporating modern approaches, especially at a time when getting your message out to audiences on different platforms is more crucial than ever. In return, you increase traffic to your website and generate more sales leads as you continue to reach prospects from various channels.

Six Types of Press Releases to Try

In case you didn’t know, there’s a press release for every kind of business announcement you want to make. Whether you get an outstanding award for your performance or have an impressive new hire you want to boast about, you’ll find a press release that meets your exact marketing needs. To know more about press releases, here’s a quick rundown of each type:

Event Press Release: If your company is hosting, sponsoring, or attending an event, you can tell people about it in a press release. Think of it as an event invitation that will help boost attendance numbers for optimum media coverage. Explaining why the event is the best of its kind should help you persuade more people to participate in the activities you have in store for them. And because readers will want to know the details of the event, it’s best not to bury this information within the story. You’re better off with a press release format that optimizes bullet points or outlines to make it easier to grasp.Employee Press Release: Large corporations typically focus on high-level employees in their press releases. It could be about new recruits, promotions, or retirements of individuals at the executive management. This type of press release features biographical information, particularly of the individual’s professional background, to not only prove what they are capable of but also to give clients and investors an idea of what they can expect from the new setup. It’s best to include a quote, preferably from an executive member of the management, expressing the company’s excitement to have a respectable individual on board to help refine its programs.Award Press Release: Ideally, the topics talked about in a press release have to be “newsworthy” or something of interest to the general audience. But you don’t always have to go by the book. If you want to cover a story on an award you received, you’re free to make an award press release about it. See this as an opportunity for you to discuss how this recognition defines you as an industry leader. You could point everything back to your company’s mission in an attempt to emphasize your dedication to the game.Launch Release: It can be anything from a product or service to a website or initiative. Even mega-companies like Apple continue to introduce new waves of product and service offers to its customers through annual press releases. Letting the world know about your latest launch should build a sense of urgency among consumers, giving them something to be excited about before what you have to offer is available for public use. Timeliness is crucial in this sort of press release, intending to create a buzz to get everyone on every social platform to start talking.Rebranding Press Release: A rebranding press release may not be the most common kind of press release, but it does make the most headlines for many well-established companies that reinvent themselves following a merger, acquisition, or change in product direction. Using a press release to broadcast this news will help you highlight how this change will affect customers and stakeholders, offering your audience with a positive outlook for what’s to come.Charitable Initiative Press Release: Getting involved in charity work is one way to show customers that you care about current issues and hope to be a catalyst for change. Consider it as an opportunity for you to tell people about your plans to work on an initiative and ask for help to support your cause. Doing so gives the public a glimpse into your company culture by featuring ideas and potential outcomes brought by this call for action. And because the media can be a sucker for feel-good stories, or anything that could stimulate human emotions, bragging about it in a press release is one way to get people to rally behind your cause.

How to Write a Press Release that Doesn’t Suck

Refer to the following guidelines when drafting a press release for your business.

1. Make It Newsworthy

Before you begin writing your press release, take the time to look at what people seem to care about in the media. You can research topics and trends, making its way through different media platforms to get a feel of what people might like. Knowing what interests your audience is crucial in drawing people’s attention to what you have to say. While you might be thrilled to have a new marketing director in your team, do you think your readers will share the same sentiments as you? It’s a harsh reality that press release writers have to face when determining what’s worth talking about or not. If you have any hint of doubt about it, you may want to hold it off for a while until you’re confident enough to draft a press release.

2. Find Value in Targetting

Facebook marketing has always been a preferred method for smaller businesses, given that we live in a highly digitalized era. So it’s no wonder why 36% of PR pros said they use Facebook as a promotional network of choice, as discovered by Cision. On another note, among 3,425 adults in the United States, about 34% name the Internet as their primary source of news, as reported by the Pew Research Center.

If your audience thrives in the said network, you might want to look into the kind of stories published and shared there. Apart from Facebook, social media sites like Google and Twitter also open ideas for discussions. A good understanding of your market is vital in creating press releases that people will want to read and write about. It’s no secret that getting a thousand reads and loads of traffic is what every growing business would want.

And when it comes to targeting, research is everything. So be sure you have everything that there is to know under wraps prior to PR distribution.

3. Craft a Classy Elevator Pitch

The truth is, you’re not the only business with news to announce. It’s easy for people to scroll past your press release when there are a dozen other stories that are killing it with their headlines. Getting that much-needed attention require headlines to be intriguing enough to encourage further reading. You need to craft a title that packs a punch, without misleading your audience. Be creative—aim for a catchy, more engaging headline. It’s one way to gain an edge over your competitors when you aren’t getting the recognition you want.

4. Stay Relevant

Press releases are a time-sensitive marketing approach that can mean the difference between good and bad publicity. You’ll want to be the first to report about something before word gets out on its own. You’d be surprised by how easily information can circulate even before the release of an official press statement. And by the time you have the chance to talk about it, it won’t be easy to get people to listen. No one wants to read the same news all over again. It needs to sound like and feel like something that people would read from a newspaper, focusing on the latest details about the matter that readers will want to follow until they get the whole story.

5. Practice Conciseness

A standard press release is about 300 to 400 words in length. It typically consists of a short outline of the story to help readers understand the message you are trying to convey. Adding photos and other related attachments may also be helpful for journalists to visualize the story and produce factual publications. You might also find it convenient to use subheadings and bullet points in summarizing information that is difficult to digest, particularly if statistics, figures, and diagrams are part of the news you want to deliver.

By establishing a formal press release format, you should be able to keep your PRs consistent every time.

6. Collaborate with the Right Partner

Cross-promotion isn’t a new concept in the marketing world. Many businesses like to look for partners to raise brand awareness in different target groups, while simultaneously reducing costs in press release distribution. Exerting twice as much effort to reach out to your desired market should also help enhance your credibility as a professional entity. Thus, don’t be afraid to reach out to existing and potential partners who might want to take part in your next PR campaign.

Now that we’ve covered the basics of press releases, you’re ready to catch your audience’s attention by drafting the perfect PR. Drawing media attention might not be the easiest thing to achieve, but it’s possible with the help of a compelling news story.