A press release is a short, factual document sent to journalists and published publicly to announce something a company has done. It is written in the third person, structured so the news is in the first paragraph, and it exists to make a story easy for someone else to report.
That is the whole definition. What follows is when you actually need one, what it looks like, and the things people get wrong about it.
What a press release is not
Clearing this up first saves a lot of wasted effort:
- It is not an advertisement. It reports; it does not sell. No calls to action, no second person, no pricing pitch.
- It is not a blog post. A blog post can be an opinion or a guide. A release announces a specific event on a specific date.
- It is not a guarantee of coverage. Publishing a release creates a record. Whether a journalist writes about it is a separate question.
- It is not a link-building tool. Releases written to carry links get rejected by any service worth publishing on.
The parts of a press release
The format is old and it is rigid on purpose — a journalist scanning fifty releases should be able to find the news in each one in three seconds.
- Headline — one line stating what happened, under about 12 words
- Dateline — city, country and date
- Lead paragraph — who, what, when, where and why, in two or three sentences
- Body — detail in descending order of importance, with numbers
- Quote — one, attributed by full name and title
- Boilerplate — three or four sentences about the company
- Contact — a named person with a monitored email
Total length is 400 to 600 words. Our guide to writing a press release has a copy-paste template and a worked example, and press release examples shows six filled-in releases by announcement type.
When you need one
A release is warranted when something verifiable happened on a date:
- A funding round, acquisition or merger
- A product, service, location or market launch
- A senior appointment or board change
- A named partnership or a significant contract
- An award, certification, licence or regulatory approval
- Original research or data you are publishing
- A milestone with a number attached
It is not warranted for a website redesign, a general opinion about your industry, a seasonal greeting, or the fact that your company exists and is good at what it does.
Who reads press releases
Understanding the audience explains the format. Four groups read them, and only the first is who most people picture:
- Journalists, looking for a story they can verify and write quickly.
- Search engines, indexing a page that associates your company with an event and a date.
- Prospects and partners, who search your company name before a meeting and want to see that other things have happened.
- Investors, building a picture of momentum from a public trail.
Most of a release’s long-term value comes from the last three, not the first. Journalist pickup is the exception; the permanent, indexed record is the reliable part.
Press release vs the alternatives
| Format | Use it when | Written in |
|---|---|---|
| Press release | Something specific happened on a date | Third person, factual |
| Blog post | You are explaining, arguing or teaching | First or second person |
| Media pitch | You want one named journalist to cover it | First person, to one reader |
| Sponsored article | You are paying for placement and say so | Marketing copy, labelled |
What happens after you write it
Two separate steps, and confusing them is why people are disappointed by both.
Distribution publishes the release on a permanent, indexed page. That page is what people find later and what you link to when pitching. Outreach is emailing individual journalists who cover your subject. Distribution without outreach gives you a record and no coverage; outreach without a published release gives journalists nothing to verify against.
We cover the second half in how to get press coverage without a PR agency, and what distribution costs across the market in press release distribution cost.
Frequently asked questions
What is a press release in simple terms?
A short factual announcement that a company sends to journalists and publishes publicly, stating something specific it has done. It is written in the third person, puts the news in the first paragraph, and runs to roughly 400 to 600 words.
What is the difference between a press release and a news article?
A press release is written by the company and states its own announcement. A news article is written by a journalist who has decided the story is worth covering, and may include sources and context the company did not supply. A release is often the raw material for an article, not a substitute for one.
Does a press release have to be sent to journalists?
No. Many releases are published purely to create an indexed, citable record that an event happened, which is useful when customers, partners or investors look your company up. Sending it to journalists is what creates the chance of coverage, but it is a separate activity.
How long should a press release be?
Between 400 and 600 words for most announcements. Under 300 usually means detail is missing; over 800 means the news is being padded. Editors read the headline and the first paragraph first, so those carry most of the weight regardless of total length.
Are press releases still relevant?
Yes, though the reason has shifted. Fewer are picked up by journalists than twenty years ago, but a published release is now a durable, indexed record that search engines and people find when they look your company up. Judge it as a public record rather than as a media placement.
When you have something to announce
Concierge Wire publishes press releases after editorial review, on a permanent indexed URL with backlinks to your site, from $149. See the plans or submit a release.
