Boilerplates In Press Releases
Boilerplates in press releases are one of the most important elements of a press release and one of the best things you can do to communicate the key information that needs to be provided in every press release.
What is a Boilerplate in a Press Release
A “boilerplate” is basically an “About” section that details all the important aspects of your company.
Your press release’s boilerplate is a standard section typically found at the end of the release that provides a brief and consistent description of the company, organization, or individual issuing the release.
The boilerplate is usually kept short, concise, and factual, and it remains relatively unchanged across different press releases from the same entity. This consistency helps to build and maintain a coherent brand image and ensures that essential background information is always included with the press release.
Why is it Important To Include a Boilerplate in your Press Releases?
The purpose of the boilerplate is to give readers a quick overview of who is making the announcement and what they do, often including information such as the company’s mission, history, products or services, and contact information.
Why is this important to include? Unless there is some drastic overhaul of the way your business performs, the boilerplate should rarely change.
This means less writing for you, and more time spent editing the press release down to the best it can be. After all the news is written, edited and re-edited, simply cut and paste your boilerplate into your release and you’re done!
Examples Of A Press Release Boilerplate
Here’s a sample of a boilerplate for a fictitious company:
About XYZ Corp:
XYZ Corp is a global leader in innovative technology solutions, providing a wide range of products and services designed to enhance productivity and efficiency for businesses around the world. Founded in 2000, XYZ Corp is committed to driving innovation and excellence in everything we do. Our award-winning team of experts is dedicated to developing cutting-edge solutions that empower our clients to succeed in an ever-evolving digital landscape. For more information, please visit our website at www.xyzcorp.com or contact our media relations team at [email protected].
And here’s the boilerplate that we use at eReleases.com for our press releases:
Here’s the boilerplate used by ConAgra:
About Conagra Brands
Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America’s leading branded food companies. Guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, Conagra Brands combines a rich heritage of making great food with a sharpened focus on innovation. The company’s portfolio is evolving to satisfy people’s changing food preferences. Conagra’s iconic brands, such as Birds Eye®, Duncan Hines®, Healthy Choice®, Marie Callender’s®, Reddi-wip®, and Slim Jim®, as well as emerging brands, including Angie’s® BOOMCHICKAPOP®, Duke’s®, Earth Balance®, Gardein®, and Frontera®, offer choices for every occasion. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.
For all media inquiries, please contact:
Dan Skinner
Conagra Brands
(312) 549 -5636
[email protected]
And here’s a boilerplate from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission:
About the U.S. CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products has contributed to a decline in the rate of injuries associated with consumer products over the past 50 years.
What Should be Included in a Press Release Boilerplate?
But what should you include in the boilerplate? Here’s a brief outline of possible elements to include, then we’ll go into the key elements in more detail below.
- Company Name: Clearly state the full legal name of the company or organization.
- Description of Business: Briefly describe what the company does, including its main products, services, or areas of expertise.
- Founding Date: Include when the company was founded to give a sense of its history and longevity.
- Location: Mention the location of the company’s headquarters and any other significant locations.
- Mission or Vision Statement: If applicable, include the company’s mission or vision statement to convey its core values and purpose.
- Awards and Achievements: Highlight any significant awards, recognitions, or achievements that the company has received.
- Size and Reach: If pertinent, provide information about the size of the company (e.g., number of employees) and its reach (e.g., international presence, number of customers served).
- Notable Clients or Partnerships: Mention any high-profile clients, partnerships, or collaborations that could enhance the company’s credibility.
- Industry Affiliations: If applicable, mention any industry associations or organizations that the company is a member of.
- Commitment to Social Responsibility or Sustainability: If the company is actively involved in corporate social responsibility or sustainability initiatives, briefly highlight these efforts.
- Unique Selling Proposition (USP): If possible, concisely state what sets the company apart from its competitors.
- Contact Information: Provide relevant contact details, such as a media relations email address and phone number, so that interested parties can easily get in touch.
- Website and Social Media Links: Include the URL of the company’s official website and links to its primary social media profiles.
Remember that the boilerplate should be relatively short and to the point, providing essential information in a concise manner. Consistency across different press releases is key to building a coherent brand image.
Note also that you do not have to include everything in that list. The most important ones include:
Header
There are two schools of thought when it comes to boilerplate headers. One school thinks they are totally unnecessary and needlessly breaks the flow of the press release. The other thinks they should be included as it shows the reader where necessary info about your company is on the page.
My thinking? There’s really no harm in it. If you stuck it in the middle of the press release, sure it would mess up the flow. However, if it’s clearly at the end there should be no problem. And I do agree a header helps reporters and other readers know exactly where to go when looking for info on your company.
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, either; “About [Your Company]” should do the trick.
Description
Now for the company’s description. First, try and keep it to a paragraph – no more than three to four sentences. This keeps it from looking like you just want to talk about yourself instead of the issue you’re raising with the press release. It will also help when you want to keep the document to one page.
Depending on how you want your company perceived, there are a number of important things you could try to squeeze in to the boilerplate when it comes to company info. For instance, when were you founded? Where is your company’s headquarters? Have you received any awards or accolades? Are you publicly or privately held?
At the core of all this, though, is the true meat of your company. What does your company represent? How are you changing the world? What are you most proud of? These are the kinds of things you should include – but don’t fluff it up. Journalists are about facts not marketing, and they will use your boilerplate to find out about your reality, not your marketing message.
I know this sounds like a lot (and possibly contradictory info) but if you can get the wording just right you’re golden. Not only will you have a great bio you can use on every press release (among other things!), you’ll never have to do one again, excusing major changes within your company.
Including Multiple Company Boilerplates in a Press Release
It’s also possible that you may need to include more than one boilerplate in your press release for situations like:
- A joint announcement with another organization, in which case you will include boilerplates for both organizations in that press release.
- Here’s an example of a partnership boilerplate from Toyota and the NFL:
- About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 33 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.
Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed $110 million to create innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s 14 U.S. operating sites.
- About the NFL:
The National Football League is America’s most popular sports league, comprised of 32 franchises that compete each year to win the Super Bowl, the world’s biggest annual sporting event. Founded in 1920, the NFL developed the model for the successful modern sports league, including national and international distribution, extensive revenue sharing, competitive excellence, and strong franchises across the country.
Media Contacts:
Toyota Motor North America
Sam Mahoney
[email protected]
National Football League
Greta Rosenblum
[email protected]
- And here’s an example of a boilerplate that contains three companies:
- About Idahoan Foods, LLC.
Combining a full-service network of professionals from field to fork, Idahoan® is a leading manufacturer of value-added potato products. Its potato processing plants and nationally recognized retail, foodservice and warehouse club brands of products along with its close relationship with its growers, allow Idahoan Foods to deliver superior quality while providing consumers Real Potatoes, Real Easy™. For more information visit www.idahoan.com. - About Hidden Valley® Ranch
Hidden Valley® Ranch is the nation’s original ranch dressing brand and was founded in 1954 by Steve Henson. Hidden Valley Ranch has unleashed America’s favorite ranch* across all mealtime and snacking occasions, offering the bottled Hidden Valley Original Ranch in many varieties and in more forms for fans to enjoy the ranch flavor they love. The Hidden Valley Original Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing Mix Shaker is perfect for bringing ranch flavor to weeknight dinners, Hidden Valley Ranch Secret Sauce serves up restaurant inspired flavors at home and ranch alternatives like dairy free Hidden Valley Plant Powered Ranch, all with the great taste you expect. Hidden Valley Ranch products can be found in grocery retailers across the country. - About The Clorox Company
The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) champions people to be well and thrive every single day. Its trusted brands, which include Brita®, Burt’s Bees®, Clorox®, Fresh Step®, Glad®, Hidden Valley®, Kingsford®, Liquid-Plumr®, Pine-Sol® and Rainbow Light®, can be found in about nine of 10 U.S. homes and internationally with brands such as Ajudin®, Clorinda®, Chux® and Poett®. Headquartered in Oakland, California, since 1913, Clorox was one of the first U.S. companies to integrate ESG into its business reporting, with commitments in three areas: Healthy Lives, Clean World and Thriving Communities. Visit thecloroxcompany.com to learn more.
- About Toyota
- An announcement of an event, such as a conference, where you may want to include a boilerplate for the event, and a separate boilerplate for your company.
Here’s an example of an event boilerplate from the Alzheimer’s association:
- About the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® (AAIC®)
The Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) is the world’s largest gathering of researchers from around the world focused on Alzheimer’s and other dementias. As a part of the Alzheimer’s Association’s research program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a vital, collegial research community.
AAIC 2023 home page: www.alz.org/aaic/
AAIC 2023 newsroom: www.alz.org/aaic/pressroom.asp
AAIC 2023 hashtag: #AAIC23Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. Visit alz.org or call the 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900.
- About the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® (AAIC®)
Want to Write an Amazing Boilerplate for your Organization?
Here’s an even more detailed, step-by-step guide to writing a boilerplate for your press releases.
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download a free copy of the PR Checklist – a 24 point list of Press Release Dos and Don’ts here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/pr-checklist/