Press Release Template: Format, 7 Parts, Example and Mistakes

A press release has a headline, a subhead, a dateline and opening paragraph, a short body, one approved quote, a company boilerplate and a media contact. Fill that structure with one real, verifiable announcement and you have something a publisher or reporter can work with. Below you get the template, a filled example, the mistakes that get releases rejected, and an honest account of what sending one out can and cannot do.

Disclosure: our team sells press release writing and distribution, so we explain those services where they fit. The template and checklists below are free to use however you like.

What is the format of a press release?

Keep it to one announcement and one to two pages, written in the third person with the most important facts first. Government examples show the same skeleton. The FDA's model recall press release opens with FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, a company contact and phone number, the date, and a headline. The facts follow in short paragraphs, and the release ends with an end mark.

A Word document or PDF is the usual file for sending to people. If you submit through a newswire, you normally paste the text into the provider's form, so keep the formatting plain.

What are the seven main parts of a press release?

Lists vary. NewswireJet's seven elements are headline, date, introduction, body, boilerplate, call to action and media contact. The version our team works from is below.

Add an end mark (see the question about '30' below) after the body or boilerplate.

Copy-and-paste press release template

Headline: [Company] announces [specific, verifiable change] in [place or market]

Subhead: [One supporting fact: scope, date, or who it affects]

Opening: [City, Date] — [Company] [did or will do what] on [date]. [Who it affects and why it matters].

Details: [Evidence, scope, timing, and a page where readers can verify more].

Quote: “[What the named spokesperson can genuinely add],” said [name and title].

About [Company]: [One or two factual sentences about the business].

Media contact: [Name, business email, phone or approved contact method]

###

The BrandPush staff change template shows the same pattern for an appointment, and Visme's artist press release template is a designed layout you can edit. A designed layout does not make the news better. What a publisher or reporter reads is the facts.

How do I write a press release, step by step?

1. Name one announcement. Write one sentence with the change and its date: ‘Our company is opening a second location on October 15.' If all you have is a discount or a claim to be the best, use your own marketing channels instead.
2. Pick one reader and one destination. Decide whether the release is for local customers, trade buyers, partners or investors, and choose the page on your site where they can verify the news or act.
3. Build a fact sheet first. Record who, what, when, where, why it matters, the source for each claim, the approved spokesperson, the company description and the contact. Anything you can't prove stays out until you can.
4. Write the news first. Put the event in the headline and answer the 5 W's in the opening two sentences.
5. Strip the sales language. Cut unsupported superlatives, invented customer reactions and outcome promises.
6. Get exact-copy approval. The fact owner and every quoted person should approve the final wording. Our guide on who should approve a quote covers this.
7. Check the publisher's current rules before you submit.

What are the 5 W's in a press release?

Who, what, when, where and why. Some people add how. The first two sentences should carry who, what, when and where. ‘Why it matters' belongs in the second sentence or the first body paragraph. The FDA model release does this well: the company, product, hazard, distribution area and what consumers should do all appear before any background.

Can you give me an example of a press release?

Real government examples are the best models for structure. The CDC's tularemia outbreak release from 2002 has a contact line and date, a plain headline, a named expert quote, practical guidance for readers, a ### end mark and a short organization boilerplate. The FDA's model release includes a filled sample for a fictional snack recall.

Here is a short fictional example for a business announcement:

Riverbend Bakery Opens Second Location in Oak Park on October 15

OAK PARK, Ill., Oct. 1 — Riverbend Bakery will open its second store at 100 Main Street in Oak Park on October 15, adding 12 jobs. The family-owned bakery has operated one location since 2019.

“Oak Park customers have asked for a closer location for years,” said owner Jane Doe. [Opening hours and a page for more details follow.]

About Riverbend Bakery: [One factual sentence.] Media contact: [Name, email, phone]

###

The company, people and details are made up for illustration. For more structured examples, see our press release example guide.

Can ChatGPT write a press release?

It can produce a draft in the right shape, but the facts have to come from you. A release is published under your company's name, so you are responsible for every fact, quote, permission and image. Our service terms say the same of customer-supplied copy. If you use an AI tool, give it your fact sheet, tell it to use only those facts, then check every claim in the draft against your sources. Our guide on reviewing a draft for unsupported claims gives you a review checklist. Never attribute a quote to a person who hasn't approved the exact words.

What not to do in a press release

• Don't write an ad. Wire publishers want a factual company announcement. ACCESS Newswire, for example, sets rules we have to work within: a real, timely news event, an objective tone, a valid media-contact email and original copy.
• Don't use hype. That means first-person or direct-address sales language outside a quote, exclamation marks, all-caps emphasis and inflated claims.
• Don't stuff keywords. Pick a natural phrase only if it truly describes the announcement.
• Don't include anything you can't back up. Every milestone, customer, partnership, certification, statistic and quote should be real, and you should be able to show where it comes from.
• Don't treat links as ranking tools. Google's spam policies say paid links that pass ranking credit can violate them, so keep links relevant and honest. Our piece on product page versus explainer links helps you decide where to point readers.
• Don't send the same story repeatedly. Use the next real announcement instead.
• Don't send it when it isn't news. Check whether a press release is the right format first.

What does 30 mean in a press release?

‘-30-‘ is a traditional end mark that tells the reader there is no more copy. Many modern releases use ### instead, as the CDC example does, and the FDA's model uses ####. Both do the same job, so pick one and put it after the body or boilerplate. Wire services usually don't need it, so check the provider's instructions.

What are the four C's in journalism?

Lists of ‘four C's' differ from one teacher to the next, so don't expect one official version. For a press release, our working checklist is clear, concise, correct and credible. Each fact should be easy to grasp, short, accurate and backed by a source you can show.

What does distribution cost, and what can it do?

Writing a release yourself costs nothing but time. If you want us to handle submission through a newswire, our prices as of October 2, 2026 are below; check the checkout for today's. Each covers one eligible announcement, with no subscription or retainer.

Release writing adds $395 to a package. It includes a 500–700 word release, headline, subhead, boilerplate, one authorized quote and reasonable revisions within a 30-day window. If the publisher declines a release we wrote and we can't get it accepted, you are refunded the full production-and-distribution amount. For customer-supplied copy that is declined, you can resubmit or get the distribution charge back. Once a release is accepted and published, the distribution charge is not refundable. A self-serve plan such as EIN Presswire's $149 Basic can also be a reasonable choice if your news is real and your copy is ready; confirm its current terms.

Here is what distribution can and cannot do:

A newswire is not a pitch to a reporter, and a syndicated copy is not a reporter-written article. Our comparison of distribution versus journalist pitching explains the difference. Before spending money, read how to set a realistic campaign goal, and what a distribution report actually proves.

When you're ready for help

If your release is drafted and approved, you can submit it yourself through a provider's rules. If you'd rather have our team plan the angle, prepare the copy for the right route and manage the submission, see our press release writing and distribution service. We check eligibility before you pay, and some announcements turn out not to be a fit for a wire.

Before you order

• Confirm you have real, timely news a stranger could verify.
• Have the approved copy, quote approval, media rights and contact email ready. Our list of what to gather before ordering shows what we'll ask for.
• Pick your date with timing in mind, since publisher review can add days.
• Ask any provider what happens if the release is declined or removed, and get it in writing.
• If you plan to reuse the release on your own site, see how to reuse it without confusing readers.

By the Marketing By Kevin Team