You have a company announcement or a new collaboration or product you are selling. One of the best ways to get that information out there is to send out a press release. But what is a press release?
For those who don’t know, a press release is a document sent out by public relations departments or companies to media outlets.
A press release cannot have a small amount of information with nothing else to go off of piquing someone’s interest. Whenever you are writing a press release, you need to follow a standard press release format.
Read below to see an AP press release example format. This will be an example of a press release format that will show you what types of items you should include when writing a standard press release.
Place News Location
If available, place the location where the news that is being written about is taking place. If there is no specific location or it is nationwide, this part can be omitted.
Write The Release Date
The release date is when you want the press release to be distributed, published, and written about. This part should be placed in the top-left corner of the document and written in all capital letters.
Include the words “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” at the top of your press release if it is ready to be distributed right away. If you want the media to get the release ahead of time and have a specific date and time you want the press release and any related media stories to go live, put “Embargoed for Release”.
No matter when you want to distribute it, knowing whether your press release is being written about now or in the future is necessary for any press release format template.
Craft An Attention-Seeking Headline
Most likely, this will be the most important aspect of your press release that anyone viewing it will see. Therefore, it needs to be captivating to make them want to keep reading what the release has to say. News reporters get dozens, if not hundreds, of releases every day, so you want to take the time and effort for your headline to stand out among the crowd.
A headline is an effective way to gain attention and get your announcement into the realm of public interest.
Strong Lead As The Most Important Info
The first paragraph of any standard press release format is the lead.
This is the most critical area of a standard press release format template since this is the area where you announce the most important information about why you are sending out the press release. Keep your lead down to 35 to 45 words to make it concise and include only the most important information. Stick to the facts and do not try to overhype or oversell any new products or services being offered.
Write A Body Just Like An Essay
Just like when you used to write essays for your school assignments, after writing a headline and your lead there should be two to three paragraphs of body text. Any whos, whats, whys, wheres, and hows of your new launch, update, or development should be described here. After all, the body is where you explain what makes this press release newsworthy.
Good things to add here include quotes from the head of the project, key executives, company stakeholders, or other team members who would be affected by the events in the release. Keep the number of people you are quoting to about two or three at the most.
When applicable, comment on future implications of your announcement and other points that strengthen the corporate narrative you are going for here. The body is the one chance that you need to give clear and concise information, so take advantage of that opportunity.
This section also allows any journalists to get further information about the announcement when they need to cite a press release in their articles.
Add Company Descriptions
Also known as the boilerplate, this is the part where you add information about your company and any other companies involved in the release.
In clear and plain language, describe your company, what it does, and what is the mission and values it stands up for. If there are multiple companies or subsidiaries involved in the release, this is also the best spot to add their information.
You can also add a 200×200-pixel copy of your logo to the bottom of the press release after the description if you do not choose to place the logo at the top of the document.
Press Contact Information
This part is mainly for the media’s sake since they will need to contact the person within your company or press release firm who can answer any questions they have from the release. For this, they go to the press contacts listed to follow up with what has been said.
Standard information should include the designated contact’s name, email, and phone number. This information can be placed on the top or bottom areas of the release. To indicate the release has ended, add a signifier like a “###” to the bottom of the release.
If Successful The First Time, Do It Again
If it has been a while and you want to keep the momentum of buzz around your company’s announcement or product going, write one or two more press releases.
Use This Press Release Example Format When Needed
Overall, a press release example format should give you the tools needed to get the buzz about your company going and meet your marketing goals. With a newsworthy angle, quotes, links, a call to action, and a boilerplate, there’s no reason why your press release should not wow any journalists coming across them.
Follow the press release format template above and get the media coverage your company and products deserve.
When you are ready to get your press release out into the world, contact us to see how we can help you write and distribute it.