Free Press Release Template
Pick what you are announcing, fill in the blanks, and the release lays itself out in the standard format as you type: release line, headline, dateline, lead, quote, the About paragraph, media contact and ###. Copy it into an email or save it as a PDF. Every word is yours; nothing is written for you.
The parts of a press release
Release line
"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" at the top, or an embargo: the date and time the news may run, with the time zone.
Headline and subheadline
The news in one line an editor could reuse. The subheadline adds the most interesting detail the headline had no room for.
Dateline
Where and when the news comes from, opening the first paragraph. AP style puts the city in capitals: AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 5, 2026.
Lead
One paragraph that answers who, what, when, where and why. If an editor reads nothing else, the lead still tells the story.
Body and quote
Details in order of importance, then a quote from a named person with their title. The quote gives a view or a reason; the facts go in the paragraphs.
Boilerplate, contact, ###
"About <company>": a short paragraph you reuse on every release. Then who a journalist should call or email, and ### to mark the end.
How to write each part
Write it as an inverted pyramid: the most important fact first, the least important last, so the release can be cut from the bottom and still make sense. The lead carries the five Ws; the second paragraph adds the detail a reader needs next, such as price, dates or numbers.
Keep the headline factual and specific. "Acme Launches Route Planner to Cut Field Reps' Drive Time" says who did what and why it matters; "Acme Announces Exciting New Solution" says nothing a journalist can use.
A good quote sounds like a person said it, because a person did. Interview your spokesperson for ten minutes, then use their own words: what changed, why now, what they hope happens next. Leave numbers and features to the paragraphs around it.
Keep the boilerplate to a few sentences: what the company does, for whom, where it is based, and a web address. Write it once and reuse it.
Working from an interview? See how to quote an interview accurately.
On the other side of the release? Read how reporters keep their notes.
AP-style dateline and dates
If the newsrooms you pitch edit to the Associated Press Stylebook, a release that already follows it is less work for them. The template formats the dateline and the dates for you:
- City in capitals
- The dateline starts with the city in all capitals, usually followed by the state: AUSTIN, Texas. The AP lets some large cities stand alone, such as CHICAGO or NEW YORK; leave the state field empty for those.
- Month abbreviations
- With a date, only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. are abbreviated. March, April, May, June and July are always spelled out: March 15, Sept. 1.
- Figures, no ordinals
- Oct. 5, not Oct. 5th.
- Times
- The embargo line writes times the AP way: figures, no :00, and noon or midnight spelled out: 9 a.m., 2:30 p.m., noon.
What each kind of release must answer
Product launch
What it is, who it is for, the problem it solves, price and where to get it, from when. One real result beats three adjectives.
Event
What, for whom, date, time and place, how to register and by when, and whether press can attend.
Partnership
Who, what each side brings, what customers can now do, from when. A quote from each partner.
New hire
Name, title, start date, background in two or three facts, what they will lead and to whom they report.
Award
Which award, who gives it, what it recognized and how winners are chosen. Thank the people who did the work by name.
More for journalists and the people who pitch them: AI for journalists, how to quote an interview, the reporter's notebook.
Sources
The quote is the hard part. Get the real words.
A quote that sounds like a person comes from a conversation, not a draft. Interview your spokesperson, record it in ParrotNotes and lift the exact words from the transcript, with a summary of what was said. Free for 100 minutes of recording a month.
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