A weak press release quote sounds like it was written by a committee. A strong one sounds like a person who understands why the news matters.
That difference matters because most press releases already explain the facts. The quote has a different job. It should add judgment, context, emotion, or perspective. It should help a journalist understand why the announcement is worth paying attention to.
If your quote only says, “We are excited,” cut it. Nobody needs a quote to know a company is pleased about its own announcement.
What a press release quote should do
A good quote should answer one of these questions:
- Why does this matter now?
- What problem does this solve?
- Who benefits from this news?
- What changed inside the company, industry, or community?
- What belief or decision led to this announcement?
You do not need to answer all five. One clear answer is enough.
For a deeper look at why so many quotes fall flat, read eReleases’ guide on the problem with press release quotes. It makes a simple point: quotes should sound human, not padded.
Start with the real point
Before you write the quote, write the plain-English idea behind it.
For example:
“We built this tool because small retailers were wasting hours each week manually updating inventory.”
That is not polished yet, but it has a pulse. Now you can turn it into a usable quote:
“Small retailers should not have to spend Friday nights fixing inventory spreadsheets,” said Jane Smith, founder of ClearCart. “We built this tool to give them a simpler way to keep products, orders, and customer expectations in sync.”
See the difference? The quote gives the news a reason to exist.
Use the worksheet before you draft
The free worksheet below helps you slow down before writing. That is the whole point. Most bad quotes happen because someone starts polishing before they know what they want to say.
Use it to capture:
- The announcement in one sentence
- The spokesperson’s role
- The audience affected by the news
- The human reason behind the announcement
- The quote’s main job
- Words or phrases to avoid
- A rough draft and a final version
Download the free Press Release Quote Worksheet PDF and use it before your next release.
Keep it believable
A press release quote should not sound like ad copy wearing a suit. Avoid phrases like “game-changing,” “world-class,” “revolutionary,” and “we are thrilled.” Those words rarely help a reporter. They often signal that the quote was written to impress the company, not help the reader.
Instead, use concrete language. Name the customer, problem, market shift, mission, or decision behind the announcement.
Also make sure the punctuation is clean. If you need a refresher, Purdue OWL’s guide to quotation mark rules is a useful reference.
A simple test
Read the quote out loud. Then ask:
- Would a real person say this?
- Does it add something the release has not already said?
- Could a journalist use it without rewriting the whole thing?
- Does it explain why the news matters?
If the answer is no, revise it.
Final thought
The best press release quotes do not try to sound important. They make the news clearer.
That is the goal. Give the reporter a useful human voice. Give the reader a reason to care. Leave the marketing fog out of it.
Free download: Use the Press Release Quote Worksheet before you write your next release. It will help you turn a stiff quote into something a journalist might actually use.
Mickie Kennedy founded eReleases.com in 1998 after watching PR firms charge small businesses a $20,000 minimum for a single press release. For 27 years, he’s been closing that gap — distributing 150,000+ releases via Cision PR Newswire, serving 30,000+ clients including Manscaped, Squatty Potty, and 40+ Shark Tank brands, and generating $132M+ in earned media. A sought-after podcast guest and two-time Amazon bestselling author of Beginner’s Guide to Writing Powerful Press Releases and The PR Strategy Manifesto. Mickie holds an MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University. Based in Baltimore, MD. LinkedIn