How to Send a Press Release: Steps, Cost and Free Options

You send a press release one of two ways: you email it, pasted into the body of the message, to journalists who cover your topic, or you submit it through a paid newswire. Sending it costs nothing if you do it yourself, and no route can guarantee that a reporter covers it. What you control is whether the news is real, the release is clean, and the people you send it to are the right ones.

How do you send a press release, step by step?

1. Confirm it is news. Purdue University's writing lab says a press release should carry new or useful information, because an editor will likely skip a release that lacks it even if it is well written (Purdue OWL guide). If you cannot state your news in one plain sentence with a date in it, such as opening a second location on October 15, you are not ready to send. If you are unsure, our guide on whether a press release fits your announcement can help.
2. Write and approve the release. Gather your facts, the person quoted and a media contact, then get everyone named to approve the exact final version. Our how-to-write guide and press release template walk through each part.
3. Put it on your own site first. Publish a page that explains the news and lets the right reader act. Check that it loads on a phone. Journalists will click through to confirm facts, and you want that page to be one you control.
4. Build a short media list. Pick reporters, outlets, local calendars, trade groups and partners that actually cover this kind of news. Keep a sheet with outlet, contact, beat, send date, response and published link. Read a few recent stories from each reporter before you email them.
5. Email each person individually. Use a plain subject line that says what happened. Open with one or two sentences on why the news matters to that reporter's audience, then paste the release below your signature rather than attaching it. Amendola Communications, a PR firm, notes that a vague subject like “Exciting News from XYZ Company” is weaker than a direct one that names the company and the news (Amendola Communications). Missinglettr, a social media tool vendor, and eReleases, a distribution vendor, both advise against attachments (Missinglettr, eReleases).
6. Follow up once. Advice varies by source: Amendola suggests about 48 hours, eReleases suggests about three days. Keep the follow-up short and add something new, like a fact or an image. If there is still no reply, move on. Our press release timing checklist covers choosing a send date.
7. Decide whether a newswire adds anything. A wire publishes your release on a distribution service's properties. That is a different job from pitching a reporter. More on that below.
8. Check results against your goal. Look at visits to your own page, replies from reporters and inquiries. Keep publisher-reported views separate from visits and sales.

Should you pitch journalists or use a newswire?

They are different jobs, and you can do either or both on purpose. Our comparison of distribution versus journalist pitching goes deeper.

How should a press release be written?

Put the news in the headline and answer the basics in the first two sentences. Then add two or three short paragraphs of verifiable detail, one approved quote, a short company description and a real media contact. A common length is 400 to 600 words, according to one distribution firm's guide on LinkedIn. Purdue's guide recommends getting your point across in under a page and warns that more than two pages will likely read as a news article.

Purdue's structure is worth following:

• A relevant title that is not an advertisement.
• A note at the top saying whether the release is for immediate release or embargoed.
• Contact details so an outlet can reach the right person, including a media contact address, phone and email.
• The word “Ends” in bold to close the release, followed by contact details.
• A “Notes to editors” section after the contact details for extras, such as the availability of photos.

If the release is going on a newswire, the publisher sets its own rules. The ACCESS Newswire route we manage requires a factual company announcement rather than an advertisement. The headline has to state a real, timely event, the company has to be identified near the top, and there has to be a valid media-contact email. The tone should be objective, with no exclamation marks or all-caps emphasis. Read the provider's current guidelines before you submit, because they can change.

What are the five W's of a good press release?

They are who, what, where, when and why, plus a sixth question, how. Purdue's guide frames each one from two angles: yours as the writer, and your audience's.

Our own fact-sheet step uses the same list: record the who, what, when, where and why, plus a source for every important claim, before you write a word.

What does ### mean in journalism?

You will see ### at the bottom of many releases. It marks the end of the release text, so the editor knows the story stops there and contact details or notes follow. Purdue's guide gives the same job to the word “Ends” in bold. Either works, but if you are submitting to a specific outlet or wire, follow that provider's formatting instructions.

What should you avoid in a press release?

• Sales language. Purdue's example shows a title with “great deals” and “50% off” being flagged as an advertisement rather than an announcement. Cut unsupported superlatives, invented customer reactions and outcome promises.
• Blame and self-serving detail. Purdue says outlets will likely not use a release that contains propaganda or points fingers.
• Extra length. Include only what your audience needs.
• Embargoes without a clear need. Purdue advises against them because outlets generally do not like holding releases.
• Mass emailing. Amendola says a generic release sent to hundreds of contacts is unlikely to work and may harm your reputation.
• Attachments on first contact. Paste the release in the body instead.
• Keyword stuffing. The ACCESS route's rules prohibit it. Google's helpful-content guidance recommends reliable, people-first content, and we treat that as the rule for any release.
• Anything you cannot prove. Leave unverified claims out until they are confirmed.

Can ChatGPT write a press release?

A writing tool can produce a draft, but a draft is only a starting point. The parts that decide whether a release works cannot come from a tool: the facts, the date, the person quoted and their approval, and your right to use any logos or images. A quote has to come from a named person who has actually approved it. Our service terms put responsibility for truthfulness, quotations, identities and permissions on the customer, whoever types the first draft. Whatever produces the words, check them against the checklist above, then get final approval from everyone named.

Can you give me an example of a press release?

Here is a fictional one so you can see the shape. The company and details are invented for illustration.

Harbor Street Bakery opens second location on October 15

CHICAGO, October 15 – Harbor Street Bakery will open its second location at 100 Example Avenue on October 15, adding a morning wholesale counter for local cafes. The new site is the bakery's first in the north side neighborhood, where it expects to hire six staff.

The location opens daily at 6 a.m. Local cafes can place standing wholesale orders at the counter or online. [Add one or two verifiable details here, with a page where readers can confirm them.]

“We were already delivering to north side cafes every week, and this gives them a place to pick up fresh,” said Jane Example, owner.

About Harbor Street Bakery: A neighborhood bakery serving Chicago since [year].

Media contact: [Name, email, phone]

###

For more formats and a breakdown of what to avoid, see our press release example guide and our boilerplate guide for the company paragraph.

How do press releases get picked up?

A reporter or editor decides to use your news because it is timely, relevant to their audience and easy to cover. Purdue says editors have limited time and space, so a release has to be new or useful to be considered. Amendola's advice is to tie the news to a trend or timely issue and make the connection obvious, then offer quotes, key facts and visuals so the reporter does not have to chase you. Both emphasize targeting: the right reporter, a short personal note and a release that is ready to use.

Nobody can promise pickup. A newswire can publish your release on its network, but a syndicated copy is not the same as a reporter-written story. If a reporter does cover your news, they will want to reach you quickly, so answer your email and phone.

Does it cost money to send a press release?

Emailing journalists yourself is free apart from your time. A newswire route costs money. These are our prices as of September 23, 2026; check the checkout for today's.

Release writing adds $395 for a general business announcement. It covers a 500 to 700 word release, a headline and subhead, a boilerplate, one authorized quote and reasonable same-scope revisions during a 30-day window. A separate paid, labeled advertorial starts at $1,495 with writing included. All of these are one-time prices with no retainer.

A cheaper self-service plan may be enough if your news is solid and your release is publisher-ready. Our pricing page notes that EIN Presswire's Basic plan was listed at $149 when we checked on September 25, 2026, with distribution, editorial review and a report. Confirm current terms before buying anything.

What happens if the publisher says no? Under our terms, no publication means no distribution charge. If the publisher declines your own copy, you can revise and resubmit or receive a full refund of the distribution charge, but once a release is accepted and published, that charge is not refundable. For releases we write, we make compliant corrections and resubmit at no extra production charge, and if we cannot obtain acceptance on the purchased route, we refund the full production-and-distribution amount. If the primary publisher URL is removed within 12 months, we resubmit once through the same or a comparable route.

Where can you submit a press release for free?

• Your own website or newsroom page. Always do this one.
• Direct email to journalists whose beat matches your news. Many outlets have a submission page or a Contact Us page with their instructions, so read them first, as eReleases advises.
• Local newsrooms, event calendars, trade associations and partners that actually cover your kind of news.
• Industry newsletters and trade publications, where your news fits the topic and their submission rules allow it. Do not spam.
• Your social channels, with a short summary and a link rather than the full text.

Posting the full release on your own site and on a wire can create duplicate content, and eReleases suggests using a synopsis on your site instead. If you pay for a link inside sponsored or advertorial content, note that Google's spam policies say paid links that pass ranking credit can violate them, so qualified links matter there.

What can distribution do, and what can it not do?

A wire gives you a live, shareable publisher URL, a record of what published and when, and access to the provider's network. It does not guarantee downstream pickup, a particular outlet, search rankings, backlinks, traffic, leads, sales or independent journalist coverage. GlobeNewswire's U.S. network lists Yahoo Finance among its destinations, but that does not mean any release appears there. Before you spend, our guide on what a distribution report proves explains how to read the numbers you get back.

Ready for a managed route?

If you would rather hand off the planning, preflight, submission and publisher communication, our team manages that through our press release distribution service. You can check eligibility before paying, and we only recommend a paid route when we think the announcement has a credible path to visibility. We do not promise rankings, a specific outlet's pickup or independent coverage. Gather your facts first with our guide on what to prepare before ordering distribution.

Before you send

• Can you state the news, with a date, in one sentence?
• Has every named person approved the exact final copy and quote?
• Do you have a media contact who will answer quickly?
• Is there a page on your site where a reporter can confirm the facts?
• If using a wire, have you read that provider's current content rules and confirmed what the price includes?
• Do you know how you will measure success, and have you separated publisher views from visits and sales?

By the Marketing By Kevin Team