A press release is a short, factual announcement written for journalists. Get the format right and you make an editor’s job easy, which is the single biggest thing standing between your story and a published article.

This guide walks through the whole process, from deciding whether your story is worth pitching to the exact structure editors expect. You don’t need a journalism degree. Follow the steps and you’ll have a professional release ready to send.

Australians tend to say “media release” and Americans say “press release”, but they’re the same document with the same rules. We’ll use both terms here.

Want the shortcut? Download our free press release template and fill in the blanks as you read.

Before you write a word

Stop before you start typing. Two minutes of thinking here saves you from sending something an editor deletes on sight.

Ask yourself three questions:

Is this actually newsworthy? A genuine announcement, milestone, launch or event works. A minor update dressed up as news does not.
What do I want this release to achieve? Coverage, brand awareness, event attendance, links back to your site. Be clear on the goal.
Would a journalist read this, or bin it? If you can’t see why a reporter’s audience would care, rework the angle before writing.

If you don’t have a newsworthy hook yet, don’t force one. A thin story hurts your credibility with the same journalists you’ll want to pitch later.

Write for someone, not everyone

Know who you’re writing for. A release aimed at a tech reporter reads differently to one aimed at a local community paper. A little research on the outlet and the rounds a journalist covers pays off, because you can pitch the angle they already care about.

Press release format: the parts of a release

Every effective press release follows the same structure. Here’s what goes where, top to bottom.

Your logo — top of the page, high resolution.
“Media Release” — clearly labelled so the document type is obvious.
Release timing — “For immediate release”, or an embargo date if the story must hold.
Headline — short, factual, no hype.
Dateline and lead — city, date, then the core of the story in one or two sentences.
Body — supporting detail, quotes, context.
Boilerplate — one or two sentences about your organisation.
Contact details — name, email, phone.
Ends — “Ends” or ### to mark the finish.

A note on formatting

Formatting is the equivalent of brushing your teeth before work. Skip it and it’s the first thing people notice.

Only use an embargo if the story genuinely needs to be held to a set date. Editors don’t love them, because it means filing your release away for later. For most announcements, “For immediate release” is the right call.

Always include the date the release is sent. It timestamps the news.

Write a headline that gets read

The headline is the bait on the hook. Without a good one, nothing else you wrote matters, because no one reaches it.

A strong headline:

Says what the story is about, plainly.
Runs roughly 7 to 12 words.
Uses title case, not all caps. Capitals are hard to read and come across as shouting.
Skips emotionally loaded language. Let the facts carry it.

Take “Puerto Rico Sees Record-Breaking Travel Spike Over Spring Break”. You know the story from the headline alone. “Record-breaking” and “travel spike” do the work without exaggeration.

Headlines take time. Brainstorm several, then cut back to the one that matches your story and would make your target journalist keep reading. It’s often easier to write the headline last, once the release is done.

The lead: your most important paragraph

Once the headline hooks the reader, the lead has to deliver. It carries the most important information and sets the angle.

Cover as many of the five Ws and H as you can, quickly: who, what, when, where, why and how.

Here’s a real example broken down:

Relegen, a Sydney technology company, has been named a finalist in the 2015 Maritime Australia Limited Industry Innovation Awards for its assetDNA intelligence technology.

Who — Relegen
What — named an awards finalist
Where — Sydney, Australia
When — 2015
Why — its assetDNA technology was recognised
How — selected by Maritime Australia Limited

Keep the lead to 30 to 40 words. If it won’t all fit, carry the rest into the second paragraph.

Two quick rules: open with the dateline (city, then date), and write in third person and active voice throughout.

Body copy: the inverted pyramid

The body expands on the lead. Use the inverted pyramid: most important information first, least important last. Journalists are time-poor and often cut from the bottom, so never bury something that matters at the end.

Each paragraph should add something and support your angle. If a paragraph doesn’t earn its place, cut it. A release runs two pages at most, and you still need room for the boilerplate and contact details.

Quotes give your release authority

A quote from someone directly involved lifts a release from a statement to a story. It adds credibility and a human voice, and it signals you’re writing from a position of authority.

When you use quotes:

Always use quotation marks.
Always put the comma inside the quotation marks.
Always attribute the quote to a full name and their role or organisation.
Always get permission before quoting someone.

Introduce each new speaker clearly with their name and title, so it’s obvious who’s talking. Sloppy punctuation gets noticed fast by trained editors, and it undercuts everything else you’ve done well.

How to end a press release

Close the body with “Ends” or ###. This tells the journalist the story is finished and what follows is reference material.

Boilerplate

Add one or two sentences about your organisation. The journalist probably doesn’t know you, and this gives them the background to research further.

Contact details

Include a name, organisation, website, phone number and email. Make it easy to reach you and make sure the details are correct. News doesn’t keep office hours, so be reachable.

You’ve written your release. Now what?

A press release only works if the right journalists actually see it. Writing it is half the job. Getting it in front of Australian newsrooms is the other half.

Get The Word Out sends your press release to relevant journalists across Australia — radio, TV, magazines, newspapers, plus a growing list of online publishers and influencers. It’s a cost-effective way to get your announcement in front of the media without pitching outlets one by one.

See how it works →

Keep going

Download the free press release template — the format above, ready to fill in.
Browse press release examples — 70+ samples by industry and announcement type.
Send your release to Australian journalists — our distribution service.