Looking for a press release template?
This blog artยญicle will walk you through the basics of the clasยญsic press release temยญplate and some of its history.
Here we go:
Ivy Lee and the First Press Release
Ivy Lee and the First Press Release
In 1906, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, a terยญrible train acciยญdent drowned 53 people. 11906 Atlantic City train wreck. (2023, December 24). In Wikipedia. https://โenโ.wikiโpeโdiaโ.org/โwโiโkโiโ/โ1โ9โ0โ6โ_โAโtโlโaโnโtโiโcโ_โCโiโtโyโ_โtโrโaโiโnโ_โwโrโeck
The acciยญdent was a tragedy for everyยญone involved but potenยญtially a disยญaster for the Pennsylvania Railroad. They retained one of the first pubยญlic relaยญtions agenยญcies, Parker & Lee. 2Ivy Lee. (2024, January 1). In Wikipedia. https://โenโ.wikiโpeโdiaโ.org/โwโiโkโiโ/โIโvโyโ_โLee
The agency had been founยญded only a year before the acciยญdent in 1905 as the third PR agency in the US.
One of the founders, the legendary PR proยญfesยญsionยญal Ivy Ledbetter Lee, wanted to help the Pennsylvania Railroad, his first major cliยญent, get the right story out. Hence, Lee creยญated the first-ever press release. 3The First Press Release. (2016, April 10). News Museum. https://โwwwโ.newsโmuโseumโ.pt/โeโnโ/โsโpโiโnโ-โwโaโlโlโ/โfโiโrโsโtโ-โpโrโeโsโsโ-โrโeโlโeโase
Rather than tryยญing to supยญpress the story, which wouldโve been standยญard pracยญtice then, he invited the press to the acciยญdent scene. Despite the unforยญtuยญnate acciยญdent, the Pennsylvania Railroad got good press covยญerยญage for manยญaging the disยญaster well.
Keeping the press, and by extenยญsion, the genยญerยญal pubยญlic, up to date with an offiยญcial stateยญment is still someยญthing the PR industry strives to do. 4Morris, T. (2014, August 25). Ivy Lee and the oriยญgins of the press release. PR Academy; PR Academy. https://โpracademyโ.coโ.uk/โiโnโsโiโgโhโtโsโ/โiโvโyโ-โlโeโeโ-โaโnโdโ-โtโhโeโ-โoโrโiโgโiโnโsโ-โoโfโ-โtโhโeโ-โpโrโeโsโsโ-โrโeโlโeโaโse/
Learn more: Ivy Lee and the First Press Release
The Press Release Template
Download the clasยญsic press release temยญplate (zip file conยญtains pdf, pages, and docx).
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The Press Release Template
So, how do you write a press release?
Release Note and Contact Information
Press releases are often marked โFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEโ to demonยญstrate that this informยญaยญtion is intenยญded for disยญtriยญbuยญtion (this is where it says โDRAFTโ or โDO NOT DISTRIBUTEโ while the press release is being drafยญted). It can also say, โEMBARGOED UNTIL โฆโ. 5Remember that journยญalยญists can disยญregยญard your โembarยญgoedโ press release and pubยญlish the informยญaยญtion immeยญdiยญately. You could get a journยญalยญist to sign an NDA (non-disยญclosยญure agreeยญment), but not all โฆ Continue readยญing.
Date and Location
You should include the date. It someยญtimes makes sense to add the city from which the press release oriยญginยญates for globยญal wire releases. Both the date and the city are often added right before the intro.
Headline and Summary
The headยญline should include the brand name and be descriptยญive rather than witty or intelยญliยญgent. Press release titles can be very long, though. The idea is to give the readยญer the full scope of readยญing the title. The title is often bold and more promยญinยญent, but this wonโt work for plain-text wire releases.
Also, press releases in English often have all importยญant words capยญitยญalยญised, but this is often conยญfusยญing for non-English speakยญers. Writing the headยญline in all caps solves both of these problems.
The intro should sumยญmarยญise the news hook in 1โโโ2 senยญtences. This part is usuยญally the most difยญfiยญcult to write; it should include everything in the headยญline and add more detail and context.
Focus the headยญline and the sumยญmary on the underยญlyยญing conยญflict. Remember the adage, โNews is someยญthing that someone doesยญnโt want to see in print.โ
Content
Their conยญtent conยญsists of descriptยญive paraยญgraphs and quotes. A good rule of thumb is to alternยญate between them. If your first paraยญgraph under the intro is a quote, the next one should be a descriptยญive paraยญgraph, then a quote again, and so on.
Also, if any of your senยญtences are longer than 25 words, conยญsider shortยญenยญing them.
A good way to start is to answer five basic questions:
Regarding formatยญting, you could turn your press release into an interยญactยญive microsยญite with mouse-over effects and pop-up toolยญtips. But your press release must work in plain, unformatยญted text for the most critยญicยญal use cases (news aggregยญatยญors, plain-text email send-outs, wire serยญvices like PRNewswire or PRweb, etc.).
Quotes
Writing quotes often takes some getยญting used to. Here are a few good rules:
Boilerplate and Website Link
Your boilยญerยญplate shouldยญnโt be cute or cool, just informยญatยญive. Most organยญisaยญtions have standยญardยญised boilยญerยญplates, but if I can, I will add one that works well with the press release content.
โOnly two things will surยญvive globยญal warmยญing: cockยญroaches and boilยญerยญplates.โ
โ Ann Wylie
The Hashes
Signal the end of the news item by adding three conยญsecยญutยญive hash signs, โ###โ. Your press release should ideally fit on one page but nevยญer be longer than two pages (unformatยญted)โโโincludยญing all the parts described above.
Learn more: The Press Release Template
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PR Resource: Notable PR Contributors
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Annotations
1 | 1906 Atlantic City train wreck. (2023, December 24). In Wikipedia. https://โenโ.wikiโpeโdiaโ.org/โwโiโkโiโ/โ1โ9โ0โ6โ_โAโtโlโaโnโtโiโcโ_โCโiโtโyโ_โtโrโaโiโnโ_โwโrโeck |
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2 | Ivy Lee. (2024, January 1). In Wikipedia. https://โenโ.wikiโpeโdiaโ.org/โwโiโkโiโ/โIโvโyโ_โLee |
3 | The First Press Release. (2016, April 10). News Museum. https://โwwwโ.newsโmuโseumโ.pt/โeโnโ/โsโpโiโnโ-โwโaโlโlโ/โfโiโrโsโtโ-โpโrโeโsโsโ-โrโeโlโeโase |
4 | Morris, T. (2014, August 25). Ivy Lee and the oriยญgins of the press release. PR Academy; PR Academy. https://โpracademyโ.coโ.uk/โiโnโsโiโgโhโtโsโ/โiโvโyโ-โlโeโeโ-โaโnโdโ-โtโhโeโ-โoโrโiโgโiโnโsโ-โoโfโ-โtโhโeโ-โpโrโeโsโsโ-โrโeโlโeโaโse/ |
5 | Remember that journยญalยญists can disยญregยญard your โembarยญgoedโ press release and pubยญlish the informยญaยญtion immeยญdiยญately. You could get a journยญalยญist to sign an NDA (non-disยญclosยญure agreeยญment), but not all journยญalยญists accept embarยญgoes. Conversely, the journยญalยญist can nevยญer be 100% sure when a PR proยญfesยญsionยญal promยญises exclusยญivยญity. A traยญdiยญtionยญal honยญour sysยญtem charยญacยญterยญises the relationship. |