A journalist decides whether your press release matters within the first sentence — sometimes the first clause. That's the entire game, and it has almost nothing to do with whether the writing improves by paragraph three. Releases fail because they lead with the brand's perspective on what matters, which is rarely the same as the journalist's perspective on what their readers want to know.
A press release that earns coverage is written from the outside in, not the inside out. It asks "why would a reader of this publication care about this?" before it asks "what do we want to say about this?" That shift in starting point is what separates press releases that generate coverage from the ones that fill inboxes and go nowhere.
This guide covers everything that goes into a press release built to perform: structure, headline writing, lead paragraphs, quotes, and the pitch note that gets it opened in the first place.
What Journalists Actually Need From a Press Release
Journalists receive dozens to hundreds of press releases a day. A busy editor makes the decision to read or delete in two seconds — based on the subject line and the first sentence. Understanding what they need from a press release before writing one is the most important preparation you can do.
What journalists need:
- A real story. Not an announcement that something happened to your company, but a story that means something to their audience. "Company launches new product" is an announcement. "New research reveals that 60% of UK SMEs are losing customers due to slow response times — and one startup's solution is gaining traction" is a story.
- The news immediately. The who, what, why it matters — all in the first paragraph. A press release that takes three paragraphs to get to the actual news is a press release that gets deleted after the first paragraph.
- Everything they need to write the story without calling you. Quotes, data, context, a spokesperson contact. The easier you make it for a journalist to use your press release as source material, the more likely they are to do exactly that.
- Credible, verifiable information. Every claim needs to be true and supportable. Exaggeration or vague superlatives ("the leading provider of...") immediately reduce a journalist's trust in the release.
The Newsworthiness Test
Before writing, run your announcement through the newsworthiness test. A press release without genuine newsworthiness is not a PR problem — it is a product problem. The release is not where you manufacture news; it is where you communicate news that already exists.
Press releases that pass the newsworthiness test typically involve one of the following:
| News Type | Example | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| New data or research | Survey results, industry findings, original analysis | Gives journalists a story angle they can own |
| Significant partnerships or contracts | Enterprise deal, major brand collaboration | Validates the business and signals market traction |
| Product or service launch | Genuinely new, not an incremental update | Gives trade press something to cover for their readers |
| Funding or investment | Seed round, Series A, major grant | Business and finance press actively cover this |
| Leadership changes | CEO appointment, board addition | Relevant to trade and business press in the sector |
| Awards or recognition | Industry award, ranked list inclusion | Low tier but still valid for local and trade press |
| Expert commentary on a trend | Timely reaction to news that affects your sector | Positions spokesperson as source; works for rapid response |
Press Release Structure
The press release format is one of the most standardised in professional writing — which is an advantage, not a constraint. Journalists know where to find the information they need. Deviating from the format because you want to be creative adds friction and reduces the chance of pick-up.
The standard structure:
- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (or embargoed date)
- Headline
- Subheadline (optional but recommended)
- Dateline (City, Date)
- Lead paragraph — the news in full
- Second paragraph — context and significance
- Third paragraph — quote from a relevant spokesperson
- Body paragraphs — supporting detail, data, additional context
- Second quote (optional)
- Boilerplate — "About [Company]"
- Media contact information
- ### (three hash symbols signifying the end)
Total length: 400–600 words for most press releases. Longer is not more authoritative — it is more likely to be abandoned halfway through.
Writing the Headline and Dateline
The press release headline serves two audiences: the journalist deciding whether to read on, and the search engines indexing the release if you distribute it via a wire service. Both reward clarity and specificity over cleverness.
An effective press release headline:
- States the news, not just the topic ("EazyCreatives Launches B2B Content Audit Tool With 400 Early Access Clients" not "EazyCreatives Announces New Product")
- Leads with the most interesting element, not the company name
- Stays under 110 characters so it displays fully in email subject lines
- Uses active voice and present or past tense — not future tense ("launches" not "will launch")
The subheadline, appearing below the main headline in italics, adds one layer of supporting detail. It is the second thing a journalist reads and a good place to include a specific data point that makes the story more compelling: "Survey of 500 UK marketing directors reveals 73% plan to increase content investment in 2026 despite budget cuts elsewhere."
The dateline follows immediately at the start of the first paragraph: LONDON, 16 June 2026 — The rest of the sentence continues after the dash.
Writing the Lead Paragraph
The lead paragraph of a press release answers the five Ws — Who, What, When, Where, Why — in a single paragraph of no more than 60 words. It contains the complete news story. A journalist who reads only the lead paragraph should have enough to decide whether the story is relevant for their publication.
This is the inverted pyramid principle applied to PR: the most important information first, supporting details after. The instinct to build up to the news — providing background and context before the announcement — produces a press release structure that newspapers stopped using a century ago.
Compare:
Weak lead: "EazyCreatives is a strategic content agency working with B2B brands across Europe and the US. We have been operating since 2020 and serve clients in technology, professional services, and financial services. Today, we are pleased to announce the launch of our new content audit tool."
Strong lead: "London-based content agency EazyCreatives today launched a B2B content audit tool that automatically identifies underperforming pages and prioritises them by estimated revenue impact — a process that previously took marketing teams two to three weeks to complete manually."
The strong lead tells the story immediately and gives a journalist something to work with. The weak lead buries the news behind corporate context that adds no value to the reader.
Our team crafts releases and pitch notes designed for the publications that matter to your audience — not just sent to a generic wire service.
Writing the Body
After the lead, the body paragraphs build the story with supporting detail — context, data, additional information that a journalist might want to include in a longer piece. Each paragraph should add something new rather than restating what came before.
A useful structure for the body:
- Paragraph 2: The "why this matters" context — industry trends, market data, the problem this announcement addresses
- Paragraph 3: The first spokesperson quote
- Paragraph 4–5: Supporting detail — how it works, who it serves, specific features or terms of a deal, timeline
- Paragraph 6 (if needed): A second quote, from a partner, client, or external validator
Keep paragraphs short — two to three sentences. The press release will be read on screen, often quickly, and dense text blocks slow the scan.
Quotes That Journalists Actually Use
A quote in a press release should add something a fact cannot — perspective, opinion, human voice. A quote that simply restates the factual content of the release in a slightly different way is a waste of space and will be cut by any journalist who uses the release.
Quotes that get used:
- State a clear opinion or interpretation: "This is not just a tool — it is a signal that content ROI has become a board-level conversation in B2B."
- Include language that adds colour: "We spent three years watching marketing teams build spreadsheets for this work. It was the most expensive thing they were doing with their time."
- Reference the broader significance: "The brands that understand what content is actually generating revenue are going to have a structural advantage over the ones still measuring success in pageviews."
Quotes that do not get used:
- "We are thrilled to announce this exciting new development."
- "This launch represents our commitment to delivering best-in-class solutions."
- Any quote that could have been said by anyone in any industry about any announcement.
Write the quotes yourself, then get approval from the attributed person. Real spoken quotes are rarely press-release ready — they need editing for clarity, length, and quotability. The spokesperson approves the sentiment and wording; you craft the language.
The Boilerplate
The boilerplate is a standardised "About [Company]" paragraph that appears at the end of every press release you send. It covers who you are, what you do, who you serve, and how to find out more — in three to five sentences.
A good boilerplate:
- Is factual and specific — not "a leading provider of" but "a content agency serving B2B technology and professional services brands in the UK and US"
- Includes website URL
- Is written once and updated when the company materially changes, not rewritten for each release
- Does not exceed five sentences — it is reference material, not an introduction
The Accompanying Pitch Note
The press release is the document. The pitch note is what gets it opened. A pitch note is a short, personalised email — three to five sentences — sent to a specific journalist explaining why this story is relevant for their publication and their audience.
A good pitch note includes:
- A specific reference to the journalist's work — a recent piece they wrote, the section they cover, the type of story they typically pursue
- The one-sentence version of why this story fits their readership
- What is available — the full release, a spokesperson for interview, additional data
- A clear offer to follow up, not a request for them to chase you
A generic pitch note sent to 200 journalists simultaneously is the most common PR mistake. Twenty well-researched, personalised pitch notes sent to the right journalists at the right publications almost always outperform it. Relevance beats volume.
Distribution Strategy
Distribution strategy depends on what you are trying to achieve. Wire services (PR Newswire, Business Wire) distribute widely and provide SEO benefits through indexed pickup — but organic journalist interest from wire services is low unless the story is genuinely strong. They are most useful for ensuring wide distribution and creating an official timestamped record.
For most B2B brands, direct journalist outreach produces better results than wire-only distribution:
- Build a targeted media list. Identify twenty to thirty journalists who cover your sector, your geography, or the specific angle of your announcement. Read their recent work. Note what types of stories they write.
- Send the pitch note and release together. Paste the release into the body of the email — never send press releases as PDF attachments. Attachments do not get opened; inline text does.
- Time your send correctly. Tuesday to Thursday mornings tend to perform best for B2B press outreach. Avoid Mondays (heavy inbox), Fridays (low engagement), and the week before major holidays.
- Follow up once, after three working days. A single brief follow-up is acceptable and occasionally surfaces interest that was missed in a busy inbox. More than one follow-up damages the relationship with the journalist.
- Track opens and coverage. Use a tool like Google Alerts for your company name and key announcement terms. Coverage sometimes appears without notification.
For the broader PR and content strategy context, see the guide on PR and SEO strategy — which covers how earned media and organic search work together to build brand authority.