An Expert Checklist to Writing the Perfect Press Release
Everyone thinks writing a press release is easy, and anyone can do it. Even a robot.
Sorry AI – nothing personal (ahem!) but it’s actually much harder than you think.
Storytelling is an art, and the best press releases tell a great human story that connects with your audience.
Much more than just a collection of buzz words on a page, the story really matters if you want to reel them in.
Here is an expert guide to the art of writing a press release in 2026.
The Times They are A-Changin’
AI is changing everything in the world of work and the PR profession in particular.
The PR landscape is shifting under our feet. AI has benefits: it can help pull vast amounts of data, spot trends, do basic research, generate ideas and boost productivity by freeing us up to be more creative.
No doubt, it can be a great ally, helping comms teams overcome many challenges. But press release writing ain’t one.
AI spits out random facts, is prone to hallucinations, and the clunky repetitive copy often doesn’t flow and reads like a boring shopping list.
A machine doesn’t get nuance or context. Whether cultural, political, or economic, it can’t provide proper contextual analysis, accountability, or the ability to make real-world distinctions.
And it can’t bring a story to life as we can. Storytelling comes from the human heart.
When it comes to pure writing skill, vigorous fact-checking, scrutiny and maintaining trust, human oversight and experience will always matter.
Newsrooms are rightfully wary of AI, and any AI-slop will be given a wide berth. Journalists want to know it’s a real person writing and sending a press release with verifiable facts, accountability, accurate contact details, and not faceless bots churning out AI-generated content.
Press releases for humans written by humans. Now more than ever.
News Hooks to Reel ’em in
Landing great headlines is not an exact science. Often, you might think your story will clean up and get blanket coverage, only to find *sigh* a senior cabinet minister resigns that day and blows your story out of the water.
Ministerial mishaps or shock resignations aside, media coverage is never guaranteed.
The competition for column inches is red hot. PR is a big industry. At last count, a PRCA census found that over 108,000 people are working in comms roles across the UK.
That many industry pros are bound to generate a massive amount of promotional activity. No wonder some national news desks, like Sky, the BBC, and PA, are bombarded with hundreds of press releases every hour.
I spent my early career working in national TV newsrooms. I know how frantically busy the newsdesk is. Breaking news never stops, and a newsroom never sleeps.
With so many news releases competing for attention, the trick is to stand out from the crowd and tell a compelling story that builds a connection with your target audience.
Press Release Writing Checklist
Since making the career pivot from TV to PR, I’ve written hundreds of press releases over the years on an eclectic range of subjects.
From the very serious, announcing big trade trips abroad for Prime Ministers, animal disease outbreaks, emergency hurricane alerts, to the less serious, new dinosaur exhibits at museums and celebrities skydiving out of planes for charity.
There are some basic rules to follow to maximise your chances of catching a big media fish. Here is a step-by-step checklist for writing attention-grabbing copy.
Get Planning
Many forget this vital stage and just jump straight into the writing bit.
Like novel writing (which I’ve also tried in the past!), press releases are best when they have a plan. I didn’t, and that’s why it took me almost ten years to write said book. Sorry, I digress. Back to press releases.
Before you even start putting pen to paper, think about whether your story is newsworthy. Is it the sort of story you could see leading the news or in your local paper? What makes it newsy? Is it quirky/ different/ impactful/genuinely interesting? Is it regionally focused or does it have a broader national appeal?
Take a moment to ask yourself whether the content might work better in a different format. Perhaps it’s a Letter to the Editor, a newsletter or a social media post rather than a press release.
Do your research, identify the themes that work well in your industry, and determine your news hook. Pick an angle that will resonate most with the media outlet’s audience.
Look at the news agenda and make it topical if you can. Maybe there’s an awareness day or anniversary coming up that you can tag your story to.
Clearly map out your release and work out a strategy. Having two or three key messages will give your writing a sharper focus.
Finally, and this is key, what’s the end-goal and what does success ultimately look like? Who is your target audience? What are your target publications? At every stage of the process, always have your audience in mind.
Now, let’s get writing….
The Logo
First and foremost, your organisation’s logo should feature at the very top of your press release. It’s instant recognition and a clear point of reference for journalists to know where it’s coming from.
The Dateline
Add the date of publication and the location of the announcement (city and state are usually stated in US press notices).
If your story is under embargo, state that here and include the embargo date. If not, it’s good practice to state: ‘FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE’.
The Headline
The first bite. Grab the reader’s attention from the opening line. Make it concise, memorable and punchy. Strong and snappy one-liners work well; don’t overcomplicate. Use puns or alliteration if appropriate. A complex topic may require a smart subheading to give your writing clarity and focus.
The Lead
Dangle the news hook in the first paragraph. What’s the main driver for the story? Angling matters.
Don’t pack too much into the lead. Less is more. A great intro will spark the reader’s interest without overwhelming them with detail.
The Main Body
These paragraphs do the heavy lifting and drive the narrative. They provide journalists with the tools to write up the story.
Think the 5 W’s: What? Who? Why? When? Where? These are the building blocks of good press releases. Keep it focused and to the point. Make every word count.
An effective press release must be fluid and scannable. Fill in the blanks by adding the relevant background, context and any data explainers into these main paragraphs.
Ensure the press release format is clear and avoids long blocks of text. Writing style matters. Use plain language, don’t use jargon and be concise.
Using Complex Data
Publishing new, interesting stats or survey findings can help your press release stand out.
Whatever your topic or research, be ready to back up any facts and figures you include in your press release. It will be scrutinised by fact checkers and numbers crunchers in newsrooms, so it must all stack up and the methodology should be clearly explained.
Spokesperson Quotes
Add interesting quotes from your spokesperson into the main body of the release. Make them compelling, human and relatable. A high-value comment will drive name recognition and brand awareness.
Often, it’s the CEO of an organisation who fronts a big story or campaign. Data from the UN shows that only 26% of quoted media contributors are women. So it’s worth thinking about diversity of voices and putting up a female spokesperson if your organisation’s media appearances are often dominated by men.
Think of their quote as a soundbite – make it pithy. Give it a unique news angle that you haven’t covered elsewhere in the release.
Otherwise, journalists might just run the story without a quote from your organisation, which isn’t ideal. Don’t fall into the trap of doing all the work and getting none of the credit!
Case Studies: A Human Face Tells the Story
Storytelling is all about human stories and connection.
Say you’re a health charity and want to focus on the human aspects of living with a specific condition, or raise awareness; then a good case study helps tell the story.
A quote from a case study can be a paragraph or two and really adds the human element to your story. The stronger the case study, the greater its impact.
Sometimes one person’s story is all it takes.
Take Martha’s Rule as a recent example of how one tragic story can change lives.
Martha’s story knocked me for six. It was a real masterclass in storytelling.
A couple of years after her heartbreaking story was so beautifully and sensitively told in the media, the NHS took on board the lessons learned from her sad, untimely death and adopted Martha’s Rule in all acute hospitals across England, saving hundreds of lives. That’s incredible real-world impact.
Case studies are not appropriate for all press releases, but if you include someone’s personal story, be sensitive in your approach and handle them with great care.
Always be sure they are happy to talk and that you are sticking to the agreed parameters for what they want to share publicly.
Don’t overstep the mark, and always respect their wishes. Ultimately, it’s their story, so it’s your responsibility to make sure it’s sensitively and correctly told.
Consent is all-important. Ensure you have their full permission to use their story in the press and that they’ve signed off on it.
End with a Clear Call to Action
What ultimately are you asking your audience to do? See your press release as the beginning of the customer journey, and your call to action as a signpost to the next steps people can take to support your cause or business.
Maybe it’s signing an online petition, becoming a volunteer or making a donation. This is the glue that builds a lasting bond between brand and audience and deepens the relationship.
Press Contacts
Always wrap up with the