Press releases are a great way to share information about your business with your customers and the media. Press releases are commonly used to announce product launches, upcoming events, new staff members, awards, and mergers and acquisitions.

Press releases, also called news or media releases, are usually a page long and between 400 and 600 words. They should be long enough to be informative to the reader and for news outlets to republish in their own words, but not too long to where they become boring or repetitive.

There is no exact formula to writing a press release but here are a few things you should always include:

1. Headline with subheading

The headline should be where you directly announce the news you’re writing about in a quick and understandable way. You can use the subheading underneath to write a sentence (or about 20 words) that adds any extra information you want included. It's tempting to fill your headline and subheading with buzzwords to draw people into reading your release, but it just makes people more confused about your announcement, so keep it short and sweet.

2. First Paragraph

The first paragraph is where you should try to answer the questions of who, what, when, where, and why about your company's announcement. The very beginning of the paragraph should state where this announcement is coming from. In the below example, it shows that Kohl’s headquarters is based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.

After stating your location, you should expand on the announcement from your headline. In their first paragraph, Kohl’s explains how this new partnership will affect the variety of products they offer and when to expect these new things to happen.

3. Body Paragraph

The body paragraph is the part of the press release that's least likely to be read since most people just read the first and last few paragraphs and then skim the middle. Regardless, you should still try to make it as informative as you can.

It's helpful to include a quote in the body paragraph to make it more interesting and add details without it becoming boring. Quotes should be from key members of the project, executives from the company, or someone relevant to the announcement who can provide context on the situation.

This was an example from a press release by the arts and crafts store Hobby Lobby when they raised their minimum wage in 2020. A quote was added from CEO David Green about how he feels about the pay raise and gives us his perspective on the news.

4. Boilerplate

A boilerplate is the name for the About Us paragraph that you add at the end of a press release. This is where you will add some extra information about your company and give your release more context. Reiterate the “who” and “what” from your first paragraph to ensure your audience understands the main point of your press release.

5. Contact and Information

This is where you will link back to your company's page for information if anyone wants to find out more about your company or the subject of your press release. You can also include contact information for the member of your team who should be contacted for details on your announcement.

Some information for this paragraph will change depending on the context of your press release. For example, if you're announcing an event that your company is hosting, you should include the location and price for people who want to attend. If you're announcing a new executive team member, you should provide background information to establish their credibility.

Overall, press releases are very useful tools when it comes to communicating information with both your customers and the media. While there is no established rule for writing or formatting a release, these 5 attributes are key factors to ensuring an understandable announcement.