This is a practical guide to writing great press releases. It includes lots of tips, including pointers on things to avoid, and examples of how to write a well-structured text.

1. Paul Van Cotthem - www.turnleaf.be – 2007-09-25 1
Guide to Writing Press Releases
Keep the following points in mind when writing your press release. When we talk about press
releases, we refer to the news stories you are telling.
Interesting video. Check out this video about press releases:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YB74txAaTc
Is your news "newsworthy?" The purpose of a press release is to inform the world of your news
item. Do not use your press release to try and make a sale. A good press release answers all of
the "W" questions (who, what, where, when and why), providing the media with useful
information about your organization, product, service or event. If your press release reads like
an advertisement, rewrite it.
Start strong. Your headline and first paragraph should tell the story. The rest of your press
release should provide the detail. You have a matter of seconds to grab your readers' attention.
Do not blow it with a weak opening. Try to come up with a headline that looks like a newspaper
article title. Headlines which are formatted as a question also work very well.
Write for the Media. On occasion, media outlets, especially online media, will pick up your press
release and run it in their publications with little or no modification. More commonly, journalists
will use your press release as a springboard for a larger feature story. In either case, try to
develop a story as you would like to have it told. Even if your news is not reprinted verbatim, it
may provide an acceptable amount of exposure.
Not everything is news. Your excitement about something does not necessarily mean that you
have a newsworthy story. Think about your audience. Will someone else find your story
interesting? Let's assume that you have just spent a lot of effort to launch a new online store.
Announcing your company's opening is always an exciting time for any business, but the last
thing the media wants to write about is another online store. This is old news and uninteresting.
Instead, focus on the features of your online shopping experience, unique products and
services. Answer the question, "Why should anyone care?" and make sure your announcement
has some news values such as timeliness, uniqueness or something truly unusual. Avoid clichés
such as "customers save money" or "great customer service." Focus on the aspects of your
news item that truly set you apart from everyone else.
Does your press release illustrate? Use real life examples about how your company or
organization solved a problem. Identify the problem and identify why your solution is the right
solution. Give examples of how your service or product fulfills needs or satisfies desires. What
benefits can be expected? Use real life examples to powerfully communicate the benefits of
using your product or service.
If you are reporting on a corporate milestone, make sure that you attribute your success or
failures to one or more events. If your company has experienced significant growth, tell the
world what you did right. Show the cause and effect.
Stick to the facts. Tell the truth. Avoid fluff, embellishments and exaggerations. If you feel that
your press release contains embellishments, perhaps it would be a good idea to set your press
release aside until you have more exciting news to share. Journalists are naturally skeptical. If
your story sounds too good to be true, you are probably hurting your own credibility. Even if it is
true, you may want to tone it down a bit.
Pick an angle. Try to make your press release timely. Tie your news to current events or social
issues if possible. Make sure that your story has a good news hook.

2. Paul Van Cotthem - www.turnleaf.be – 2007-09-25 2
Use active, not passive, voice. Verbs in the active voice bring your press release to life. Rather
than writing "entered into a partnership" use "partnered" instead. Do not be afraid to use
strong verbs as well. For example, "The committee exhibited severe hostility over the incident."
reads better if changed to "The committee was enraged over the incident." Writing in this
manner, helps guarantee that your press release will be read.
Economics of words. Use only enough words to tell your story. Avoid using unnecessary
adjectives, flowery language, or redundant expressions such as "added bonus" or "first time
ever". If you can tell your story with fewer words, do it. Wordiness distracts from your story.
Keep it concise. Make each word count.
Beware of jargon. While a limited amount of jargon will be required if your goal is to optimize
your news release for online search engines, the best way to communicate your news is to
speak plainly, using ordinary language. Jargon is language specific to certain professions or
groups and is not appropriate for general readership. Avoid such terms as "capacity planning
techniques" "extrapolate" and "prioritized evaluative procedures."
Avoid the hype. The exclamation point (!) is your enemy. There is no better way to destroy your
credibility than to include a bunch of hype. If you must use an exclamation point, use only one.
Get Permission. Companies are very protective about their reputation. Be sure that you have
written permission before including information or quotes from employees or affiliates of other
companies or organizations. Any dispute resolution will favor the other company, meaning that
your press release may get pulled.
About your company. Your press release should end with a short paragraph (company
boilerplate) that describes your company, products, service and a short company history. If you
are filing a joint press release, include a boilerplate for both companies.
Formatting Your News Release
How you present your news is just as important as its content.
Mixed case. NEVER SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE IN ALL UPPER CASE LETTERS. This is very bad
form. Your release will definitely be ignored by journalists. Use mixed case.
Correct grammar usage. Always follow rules of grammar and style. Errors in grammar and style
affect your credibility. Excessive errors will cause your press release to be rejected.
Word processor. Write your press release on a word processor instead of composing online.
Writing online will not achieve best results. Take time to do it right. Write, print, proof read.
Rewrite, edit.
No HTML. Never embed HTML or other markup languages in your press release. Your press
release will be distributed over a wide array of networks. Including such formatting will
negatively impact the readability of your press release.
More than one paragraph. It is nearly impossible to tell your story in a few sentences. If you do
not have more than a few sentences, chances are you do not have a newsworthy item
Summary paragraph. Include a one-paragraph summary. Some distribution points only receive
your headline, summary and a link to your press release. If you fail to include a summary
paragraph, you may reduce the effectiveness of your press release.
Do not include your e-mail address in the body of your release. We have a special place during
the submission process for you to include your e-mail address. If you include your e-mail address
in the body of your press release, you run the risk of receiving spam. This is because your e-mail
address will be available to the public. Spiders routinely scour the Internet harvesting e-mail

3. Paul Van Cotthem - www.turnleaf.be – 2007-09-25 3
addresses for spammers. Provide your e-mail address only in a separate document, or use a
public e-mail address, such as news@company.com .
Other companies. Never include information about other companies without their express
written permission.
Common News Release Errors
Below you will find some of the most common errors that we encounter on a regular basis. You
do not get a second chance to correct the negative impressions left by a poorly written release.
All Upper Case Characters - Never submit a press release in all upper case characters. The
headline and body of your press release should be in proper case.
Grammatical Errors - Even the best writers occasionally miss grammatical errors and typos.
Please proof read, edit and reproof your press release. Obvious errors are easier to catch when
composing your release off-line.
Lack of Content -Oddly, authors are particularly guilty of too short press releases. Please make
sure that you answer all of the "W" questions, who, what, where, when, why and how, to
ensure a complete press release.
Press Releases that Scream BUY ME! - Do not write your press release like an advertisement.
Remember that journalists are NOT your marketing partners. Their job is to relay information to
their audience, not to sell. A good press release informs the media. If your press release
screams, BUY ME, then you might want to consider reworking your release.
Hype Flags - This is a close cousin to the BUY ME problem. If your press release contains too
many "hype flags" it will trip spam filters and intercept your press release before it reaches its
destination. A "Hype Flag" is anything that challenges the credibility of your press release.
Examples of "Hype Flags" include an abundance of exclamation points or wild product and
service claims.
Funny Characters - On occasion, strange characters and formatting can creep into your press
release during the submission (copy & paste) process. Make sure that your press release is
formatted as you intended.
Word Wrapping - Do not break each line at 70 characters. Let your sentences wrap naturally.
Please do not place a hard carriage return at the end of each line. Include a carriage return only
at the end of each paragraph.
Incorrect Usage of E-mail - Use a role e-mail address instead of a personal account. A role
address is pr@companyname.com . A personal address would be name@companyname.com .
Using a role address allows you to redirect e-mail to someone who can respond while you are
on vacation. After all, you do not want to miss valuable media contacts. You never want
journalists to receive a message telling them that you are unavailable during the week because
of your vacation or business conference.

4. Paul Van Cotthem - www.turnleaf.be – 2007-09-25 4
News Release Template
Make sure your press release looks like a press release. The following can be used as a template.
Headline Announces News, Ideally Under 80 Characters
The summary paragraph is a little longer synopsis of the news, elaborating on the
news in the headline in one to four sentences. The summary uses sentence case,
with standard capitalization and punctuation.
City, Country -- Month 1, 2006 -- The lead sentence contains the most important
information in 25 words or less. Grab your reader’s attention here by simply
stating the news you have to announce. Do not assume that your reader has
read your headline or summary paragraph; this lead should stand on its own.
A news release, like a news story, keeps sentences and paragraphs short, about
three or four lines per paragraph. The first couple of paragraphs should answer
the who, what, when, where, why and how questions. The news media may
take information from a news release to craft a news or feature article or may
use information in the release word-for-word, but a news release is not, itself,
an article or a reprint.
The standard press release is 300 to 800 words and written in a word processing
program that checks spelling and grammar before submission.
The ideal headline is 80 characters long. We recommend writing your headline
and summary last, to be sure you include the most important news elements in
the body of the release. Use title case in the headline only. When you write in
English, capitalize every word except for prepositions and articles of three
characters or less.
The rest of the news release expounds on the information provided in the lead
paragraph. It includes quotes from key staff, customers or subject matter
experts. It contains more details about the news you have to tell, which can be
about something unique or controversial or about a prominent person, place or
thing.
Typical topics for a news release include announcements of new products or of
a strategic partnership, the receipt of an award, the publishing of a book, the
release of new software or the launch of a new Web site. The tone is neutral and
objective, not full of hype or text that is typically found in an advertisement.
Avoid directly addressing the consumer or your target audience. The use of "I,"
"we" and "you" outside of a direct quotation is a flag that your copy is an
advertisement rather than a news release.
Do not include an e-mail address in the body of the release. If you do, it will be
protected from spam bots with a notice to that effect, which will overwrite your
e-mail address.
"The final paragraph of a traditional news release contains the least
newsworthy material," said Firstname Name, public relations director for
Company. "But for an online release, it’s typical to restate and summarize the
key points with a paragraph like the next one."
For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release (or for
a sample, copy or demo), contact Firstname Name or visit www.company.com.

5. Paul Van Cotthem - www.turnleaf.be – 2007-09-25 5
You can also include details on product availability, trademark acknowledgment,
etc. here.
About Company:
Include a short corporate backgrounder, or "boilerplate," about the company or
the person who is newsworthy before you list the contact person’s name and
phone number.
Contact:
Firstname Name, director of public relations
Company
+32 2 123 45 67
http://www.company.com
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6. Paul Van Cotthem - www.turnleaf.be – 2007-09-25 6
Example of a good news release
Here’s an example of a news release which was written according to the tips above.
Are You Jeopardizing Your Child’s Health Every Time You Use a Skin Care Product?
Inspired by the growing concerns of parents, Mom Entrepreneur Elizabeth Ashe recently
launched Bath and Body Organics (www.bathandbodyorganics.com) to provide a
healthier solution to children’s skin care needs.
Orlando, FL -- September 24, 2007 -- Sadly, there are vast number of children’s products
available on the market that contain harmful chemicals and toxins. Inspired by the
growing concerns of parents, Mom Entrepreneur Elizabeth Ashe recently launched Bath
and Body Organics to provide a healthier solution to children’s skin care needs.
Elizabeth says, “As parents, we want to keep our precious children safe and the more
knowledgeable we become about the products we buy; we realize that it’s time to start
searching for other options. We are proud of our all natural children’s product line that
is available to meet the growing demands for a safe alternative to those chemical laden
products.”
The breastcancerfund.org website gives parents a reason to be worried, “A hidden
cancer-causing petrochemical has been found in dozens of children’s bath products and
adults’ personal care products, in some cases at levels that are more than twice the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration’s lenient recommended maximum. Laboratory tests
released revealed the presence of 1,4-Dioxane in products such as Hello Kitty Bubble
Bath, Huggies Baby Wash, Johnson’s Baby Wash, Scooby-Doo Bubble Bath and Sesame
Street Bubble Bath.”
As society becomes more aware of the potentially fatal side effects of products made
from chemicals and toxins, Elizabeth started Bath and Body Organics as a way to give
others the healthier alternative that they're looking for. She encourages parents to
begin the process of eliminating the toxins from their children’s skin care regimen, so
that they can bring forth a safer and healthier body and environment.
About Bath and Body Organics:
Elizabeth Ashe, http://www.bathandbodyorganics.com , became aware of all natural
products when she began her search for a way to alleviate her son’s allergies. As she rid
her household of all the heavy pesticides, she realized that the biggest change to be
made was through the products that were being used on the skin. Since changing to all
natural, organic products she has seen vast improvements, not just for her allergic son,
but within the lives of her entire family.
Contact: Elizabeth Ashe, Owner
Address: 6303 Yellowstone ST., Orlando FL 32807
Phone: 407-926-9466
e-mail: pr@bathandbodyorganics.com
Website: http://www.bathandbodyorganics.com
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