How to Email a Press Release
Subject lines, pitch notes and follow-up etiquette for sending a press release by email.
Updated Sep 19, 2026
An email carrying a press release succeeds or fails mostly on the subject line and the first two sentences. State the actual news in the subject, keep the pitch note short, paste the release in the body instead of only attaching it, and follow up once if you hear nothing back.
Subject line: length and order
Keep the subject line short, roughly 6 to 10 words, since many email clients cut it off on a phone screen. Put the newsworthy part first: what happened, not who is announcing it, unless the company name itself carries weight. A recipient scanning an inbox decides whether to open an email in about a second, based on whatever fits before the cutoff.
Avoid an announcement-shaped subject line that says nothing concrete, such as “Exciting news from our company,” and avoid writing the entire headline into the subject line word for word. The subject line’s job is to earn the open; the headline’s job, covered in the headline guide, is to earn the read once the email is open.
What to avoid in a subject line
Skip exclamation points, all capital letters and words like “urgent” or “breaking” unless the news genuinely is breaking. These read as spam signals and as overselling, and they tend to have the opposite of the intended effect. A subject line that plainly states real news is more persuasive than one dressed up to sound important.
Illustrations: weak to strong
These use clearly fictional companies as illustrations only.
- Weak: “Big announcement coming soon!!!” -> Strong: “Northwind Robotics launches $400 warehouse robot for small retailers”
- Weak: “Press Release: Bramblecourt Foods Quarterly Update” -> Strong: “Bramblecourt Foods opens Denver bakery, hiring 40 staff”
- Weak: “URGENT: Media Alert from Cascade Analytics” -> Strong: “Cascade Analytics raises $8 million led by Fernwood Capital”
- Weak: “We’re thrilled to share some exciting news” -> Strong: “Thistle & Vine names Priya Anand as chief executive”
- Weak: “Important update regarding Harborlight Media” -> Strong: “Harborlight Media to close its print edition in March”
- Weak: “Save the date!” -> Strong: “Ridgeport Robotics opens its doors to the public on October 4”
Each rewrite moves from vague or generic toward a specific, concrete fact that tells the reader why to open the email.
The pitch note above the release
Before the release text, add a few short sentences addressed to the recipient: the news in one line, and if you can, one line on why it might matter to their beat or their audience. This is not the boilerplate restated. It is closer to what you would say if you had ten seconds to explain the story out loud. Keep it shorter than the release itself, and do not repeat the same generic note across every recipient if you can tailor it even slightly.
Paste the text, do not only attach it
Put the full press release directly in the body of the email, below the pitch note, formatted as plain readable text. Offer a link or an attachment as a backup for anyone who wants a formatted version, but do not make opening an attachment the only way to read the news. Many people read email on phones where attachments are an extra step, and some mail systems flag attachments from unfamiliar senders.
Sending to a list
If you are emailing more than one or two people, send individually or through a system built for that rather than putting every recipient in the same “To” line, which exposes everyone’s address and reads as a mass blast rather than a pitch. See how to write a press release for the full process before it reaches this step, and where to distribute if you are deciding between direct email outreach and a distribution service.
Follow-up etiquette
If you do not hear back within a few business days, one polite follow-up is reasonable, ideally adding one new detail rather than just repeating the original email. If that also gets no response, treat it as an answer for that release and move on. Sending the same pitch a third or fourth time tends to damage the relationship for future stories, which usually matters more than any single release.
Keep contact details easy to find
Make sure your email signature or the release itself includes a direct way to reach a real person, matching the guidance in the boilerplate guide for the contact block. A reporter with a quick follow-up question who cannot find a contact will often just skip the story rather than hunt for one.
Questions people ask
How long should a press release email subject line be?
Short enough to read fully on a phone, roughly 6 to 10 words. Put the actual news near the start, since a long subject often gets cut off before the interesting part appears.
Should I paste the press release in the email or attach it?
Paste the full text directly in the email body, and offer the attachment or a link as a backup. A reporter reading on a phone or scanning quickly is more likely to open the email itself than a separate file.
Is it okay to follow up if I do not hear back?
One follow-up after a few days is normal and generally fine. Beyond that, repeated follow-ups on the same story usually cost more goodwill than they gain, so treat a second silence as an answer.
Should the subject line include the company name?
Only if the company name itself is the news, such as a well-known brand, or if it fits naturally after the actual news. Leading with an unfamiliar company name and nothing else gives the reader no reason to open the email.
What should the pitch note above the release say?
A few sentences stating the news and why it might matter to that specific recipient or their readers, not a repeat of the boilerplate. It should be shorter than the release itself.
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.