The press release guide, with straight answers.
Format, headlines, quotes, boilerplate, AP style and sending. Each article is short, and each one ends with the questions people ask most.
The Standard Press Release Format
The standard press release format in order: release line, headline, dateline, lead, body, quote, boilerplate, contact and an end mark.
How to Write a Press Release, Step by Step
A practical walkthrough for writing a press release from a first draft to send, with a checklist at the end.
How to Write a Press Release Headline
How to write a press release headline: length, word order, strong verbs, what to cut, and how to use a subhead.
How to Write a Press Release Boilerplate
What goes in a press release boilerplate, how long it should be, how to keep it current, and a fill-in pattern you can reuse.
How to Write a Press Release Quote
What a press release quote is for, who should be quoted, how to write one that sounds like a person, and common failures to avoid.
AP Style Basics for Press Releases
The AP style rules that matter most in press releases: datelines, dates, numbers, titles, state names, percent and quotation punctuation.
Press Release SEO: Writing to Be Found
How to write a press release that search engines and readers can actually find, without chasing links.
How to Email a Press Release
Subject lines, pitch notes and follow-up etiquette for sending a press release by email.
What Goes in a Press Kit
What a press or media kit contains, how to host it, and how it relates to a single press release.
Adapting a Press Release for Social Media
How to turn a press release into social posts across channels without losing the news.
How Press Release Distribution Works
Direct pitching versus wire services, free versus paid, timing, embargoes and what to check before paying.
Press Release FAQ
Answers to the questions people ask most before writing or sending a press release: what one is, how long, when to send it, and who to send it to.
Written it? Now it has to reach someone.
Three free and five paid distribution services, compared side by side, with what each is good for and what it is not.