Press Release Writer

When to use this skill

User asks to write a press release
User needs a media announcement
User wants news release format
User mentions PR distribution
User needs journalist-ready content

Workflow

Instructions

Step 1: Announcement Type

Press release categories:

Type	Purpose	Key Elements
Product Launch	Announce new product/feature	Features, availability, pricing
Company News	Milestones, awards, leadership	Achievement, impact, quotes
Partnership	Strategic alliances	Both parties, benefits, scope
Funding	Investment rounds	Amount, investors, use of funds
Event	Conferences, webinars	Date, location, speakers, registration
Research	Studies, surveys, reports	Key findings, methodology, data
Acquisition	M&A announcements	Terms, rationale, timeline
Crisis	Issue response	Facts, actions taken, commitment

Step 2: Gather Key Information

The 5 W's + H checklist:

## Press Release Brief

**What:** [The announcement - what happened/is happening]
**Who:** [Company, people, partners involved]
**When:** [Date, time, timeline]
**Where:** [Location, markets, availability]
**Why:** [Significance, reason, benefit]
**How:** [Process, next steps, how to access]

**Newsworthiness:**

- [ ] First/only in industry
- [ ] Significant milestone
- [ ] Notable partnership/person
- [ ] Trend/timing relevance
- [ ] Impact on customers/industry

**Supporting Assets:**

- [ ] Executive quote
- [ ] Partner/customer quote
- [ ] Statistics/data points
- [ ] Images/video available
- [ ] Fact sheet/backgrounder

Step 3: Headline Writing

Headline formula:

[Company] + [Action Verb] + [What] + [Benefit/Impact]

Headline examples by type:

Type	Example
Product	"Acme Launches AI-Powered Analytics Platform to Help SMBs Make Data-Driven Decisions"
Funding	"TechStart Raises $25M Series B to Accelerate Global Expansion"
Partnership	"Acme Partners with Microsoft to Bring Enterprise Solutions to Azure Marketplace"
Award	"Acme Named to Forbes Cloud 100 for Third Consecutive Year"
Research	"New Study Reveals 78% of Marketers Plan to Increase AI Investment in 2026"
Acquisition	"Acme Acquires DataCorp to Strengthen Machine Learning Capabilities"

Headline rules:

Do	Don't
Use active voice	Use passive voice
Include company name	Start with date
State the news clearly	Be vague or teasing
Keep under 80 characters	Use all caps
Use strong action verbs	Use "announces" (weak)

Subheadline (optional):

Add context or secondary benefit:

[Primary Headline]
[Supporting detail, additional context, or key statistic]

Step 4: Press Release Structure

Inverted pyramid format:

# [HEADLINE]

## [Subheadline - optional]

**[CITY, State] – [Month Day, Year]** – [Lead paragraph: Who did what,
when, where, and why it matters. Most important information first.
Should be able to stand alone as the entire story. 25-30 words.]

[Second paragraph: Expand on the lead. Add context, statistics, or
the "how." Support the newsworthiness claim.]

[Quote from company executive: Provide perspective, vision, or
significance. Make it sound human, not corporate.]

[Third/fourth paragraph: Additional details, features, availability,
or technical information. Less critical info here.]

[Quote from partner, customer, or analyst - optional: Third-party
validation adds credibility.]

[Final paragraph: Call to action, availability, where to learn more.]

### About [Company Name]

[Boilerplate: 2-3 sentences describing the company, what it does,
key stats, and website.]

### Media Contact

[Name]
[Title]
[Company]
[Email]
[Phone]

###

Step 5: Lead Paragraph

Lead paragraph template:

**[City, State] – [Month Day, Year]** – [Company Name], [brief descriptor],
today announced [the news], [key benefit or impact]. [Supporting detail
or availability information].

Lead examples:

Product Launch:

SAN FRANCISCO – January 18, 2026 – Acme Software, a leader in business analytics, today launched DataPro 3.0, an AI-powered platform that reduces reporting time by 80%. The new version is available immediately for all enterprise customers.

Funding:

AUSTIN, Texas – January 18, 2026 – TechStart, the leading provider of developer tools, today announced it has raised $25 million in Series B funding led by Sequoia Capital. The investment will accelerate product development and international expansion.

Partnership:

NEW YORK – January 18, 2026 – Acme Corp and GlobalTech today announced a strategic partnership to deliver integrated supply chain solutions to enterprise customers worldwide. The collaboration combines Acme's logistics platform with GlobalTech's AI forecasting technology.

Step 6: Quote Guidelines

Executive quote formula:

"[Statement about significance/vision], [Company Name] + [action/commitment].
[Forward-looking statement or customer benefit]," said [Name], [Title]
at [Company].

Quote examples:

Visionary:

"This launch represents a fundamental shift in how businesses approach data analytics," said Jane Smith, CEO of Acme Software. "We're giving every company the power to make decisions like a Fortune 500."

Customer-focused:

"Our customers asked for faster, more intuitive reporting, and DataPro 3.0 delivers exactly that," said John Doe, VP of Product at Acme. "We're excited to see how teams use these new capabilities."

Partnership:

"Combining our technologies creates something neither company could build alone," said Sarah Johnson, CEO of GlobalTech. "Together, we're setting a new standard for supply chain intelligence."

Quote rules:

Do	Don't
Sound like a human speaking	Use corporate jargon
Add perspective not in text	Repeat the headline
Include forward-looking vision	Be generic or bland
Keep to 2-3 sentences	Write paragraph-length quotes

Step 7: Body Paragraphs

Information to include (in order of importance):

Expansion of lead - More detail on the announcement
Features/benefits - What's included, what it does
Availability - When, where, pricing
Context - Market need, problem solved
Proof points - Stats, customer results, analyst quotes
Technical details - Specs, requirements (if relevant)
Future plans - Roadmap, next steps (brief)

Feature presentation:

Key features of [Product] include:

- **[Feature Name]:** [One-sentence benefit description]
- **[Feature Name]:** [One-sentence benefit description]
- **[Feature Name]:** [One-sentence benefit description]

Step 8: Boilerplate

Boilerplate template:

### About [Company Name]

[Company Name] is [what it is/does] that helps [target audience]
[achieve outcome]. [Founded in YEAR / Headquartered in CITY], the
company [key achievement or scale metric]. [Customer stat or notable
clients - optional]. For more information, visit [website].

Boilerplate examples:

B2B SaaS:

About Acme Software

Acme Software is the leading business analytics platform that helps growing companies make smarter decisions faster. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in San Francisco, the company serves over 5,000 customers across 40 countries. For more information, visit acme.com.

E-commerce:

About ShopBrand

ShopBrand is a sustainable fashion retailer committed to ethical manufacturing and timeless design. Since 2015, the company has prevented over 2 million garments from reaching landfills through its recycling program. Shop the collection at shopbrand.com.

Step 9: Media Contact

Contact block format:

### Media Contact

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Title]
[Company Name]
[Email]
[Phone with country code]

Multiple contacts (if needed):

### Media Contacts

**Company PR:**
Jane Smith
Director of Communications
Acme Software
jane@acme.com
+1 (555) 123-4567

**Agency Contact:**
John Doe
Account Director
PR Agency Name
john@agency.com
+1 (555) 987-6543

Step 10: Distribution Optimization

Wire service formatting:

Element	Requirement
Length	400-600 words ideal
Paragraphs	2-3 sentences each
Headline	Under 80 characters
Links	2-3 maximum
Multimedia	Note if images/video available

SEO for online distribution:

Include target keywords in headline and lead
Use company name in first 100 words
Add relevant industry terms naturally
Include location for local SEO
Link to landing page or newsroom

Multimedia note format:

**Multimedia:**

- High-resolution product images available at [link]
- Executive headshots available upon request
- Video demo: [link]

Step 11: Embargo and Timing

Embargo format (if applicable):

**EMBARGOED UNTIL [Time] [Timezone], [Date]**

[Press release content]

Timing considerations:

Day	Best For
Tuesday	General announcements
Wednesday	Product launches
Thursday	Financial news
Avoid	Friday afternoon, weekends, holidays

Time	Notes
6:00 AM ET	Catches morning news cycle
8:00 AM ET	Standard business hours
Market close	Financial news

Output Format

# [HEADLINE IN TITLE CASE]

## [Subheadline if applicable]

**[CITY, State] – [Month Day, Year]** – [Lead paragraph with the
complete story in 25-30 words.]

[Second paragraph expanding on the news with context and significance.]

"[Executive quote providing vision and perspective]," said [Name],
[Title] at [Company].

[Body paragraph with features, benefits, or additional details.]

[Body paragraph with availability, pricing, or access information.]

"[Optional third-party quote for validation]," said [Name], [Title]
at [Organization].

[Closing paragraph with call to action and where to learn more.]

### About [Company Name]

[2-3 sentence boilerplate]

### Media Contact

[Name]
[Title]
[Company]
[Email]
[Phone]

###

---

**Word count:** [XXX words]
**Multimedia:** [Available/Not available]
**Embargo:** [None/Date and time]

Validation

Before completing:

Headline is clear, active, under 80 chars
Lead paragraph answers who, what, when, where, why
Inverted pyramid structure (most important first)
At least one executive quote included
Quotes sound human, not corporate
Boilerplate is current and accurate
Media contact information complete
Length is 400-600 words
No jargon or unexplained acronyms

Error Handling

Unclear announcement: Ask for the single most important thing to communicate.
No quote provided: Draft a quote template and ask for approval/modification.
Missing company info: Request boilerplate or key company facts.
Too much information: Prioritize by newsworthiness; move details to fact sheet.
No clear news angle: Help identify what makes this announcement newsworthy now.

Resources

AP Stylebook - Industry standard style guide
PR Newswire Guidelines - Wire distribution best practices
Business Wire - Press release distribution
HARO - Journalist connection platform

writing-press-releases