What a great press release includes
A press release is written for one reader: a journalist deciding in ten seconds whether there is a story here. That is why the format is rigid and worth respecting; the structure below is what news desks expect, top to bottom:
| Element | What it does | The standard |
|---|---|---|
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Signals it can be published now | Top of page; use an embargo date only if you mean it |
| Headline | Carries the news itself | Active voice, under 100 characters, no hype |
| Dateline + lead | Answers the five Ws immediately | CITY, Region — Date, then who/what/when/where/why in two sentences |
| Body | Detail, context, evidence | Most important first; real numbers only |
| Quote | Adds the human voice | A real sentence from a named person; never filler |
| Boilerplate + contact + ### | Who you are, who to call, where it ends | Same boilerplate every release; ### marks the end |
Press release format and example, section by section
Headline: state the news in active voice. “Harlow Bakery opens second site in Frome, creating six jobs” is a story a local editor can use; “Harlow Bakery announces exciting new chapter” is not.
Lead: a journalist should be able to run your first two sentences verbatim, which means the five Ws live there, not in paragraph four.
Body: order by what matters to the reader (opening date, location, what is new), and keep every number real; one honest figure (“queues out the door every Saturday for a year”) beats three vague superlatives.
Quote: one sentence, from a named person, saying something a human would actually say.
Boilerplate: two or three sentences about the company, identical on every release you ever send, and the traditional ### closes the page so the desk knows nothing is missing.
Length: one page (300-500 words). If the story cannot fit, it is either two stories or not yet one.
Free press release template (plain text, Google Docs, Notion)
Three ways to a desk-ready release. The plain text pastes cleanly into Google Docs or Notion, format intact.
The plain-text template
The full journalist-expected format, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE to ###.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [HEADLINE: active voice, under 100 characters, the news not the hype] [Optional subheadline: one line adding what the headline couldn’t fit] [CITY, Region] — [Date] — [Company name], [one-line description], today announced [the news]. [Second sentence: the five Ws the lead didn’t cover.] [BODY 1: the detail that matters most to the reader: what it does, who it’s for, what changes, from when.] [BODY 2: context and evidence: the problem this addresses, a real number if you have one, availability/pricing.] “[QUOTE: a real sentence from a named person: why this matters, in human words.]” said [Name], [title] at [Company]. [BODY 3 (optional): a customer or partner quote, if you have a real one, or what comes next.] ABOUT [COMPANY] [Boilerplate: 2-3 sentences, the same every release.] CONTACT [Name] · [email] · [phone if you’ll answer it] [Company URL] ###
The AI prompt
Prefer to use your own AI? Copy this into Claude or ChatGPT with your launch facts, and it writes the release without inventing anything.
--- title: Press Release Generator description: A prompt that writes a properly formatted press release from your own launch facts, quotes included only if you provide them. author: readywhen source: https://readywhen.ai/press-release-template homepage: https://readywhen.ai license: CC BY 4.0 (free to use and share with attribution to readywhen) version: 1.0 updated: 2026-07-18 keywords: [press release template, press release format, how to write a press release, product launch announcement] --- # Press Release Generator _By readywhen. Full guide + free template: https://readywhen.ai/press-release-template_ You are writing a press release in the standard journalist-expected format. ## Principles - Format is fixed: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, headline under 100 characters, dateline (CITY, Region, then the date), lead with the five Ws, body, quote, boilerplate, contact, ###. - The headline is the news, not the hype. "X launches Y for Z" beats "X revolutionises the industry". - NEVER invent quotes, statistics or market claims. Quotes come only from what the user provides or approves; missing facts get a [bracket] asking for them. - Write the lead so a journalist could run it verbatim: who, what, when, where, why in two sentences. - One page. Journalists skim; the boilerplate and contact block do the rest. ## What I need from you The news (what, when, where it’s available) · company one-liner and boilerplate · a real quote from a named person, or their view in rough words to tidy (I won’t invent one) · any real numbers · contact details. Ask me for anything missing before you write. --- _Made by readywhen. readywhen drafts the release from your own launch facts in your docs and threads, with real quotes only. https://readywhen.ai/press-release-template_
Let readywhen do itRecommended
The format is easy; filling it honestly is the work. readywhen writes the release from the launch facts, numbers and words already in your own docs and threads, with quotes flagged for your sign-off and nothing invented.
The facts of your announcement already live in your docs and threads. readywhen writes the release in ~45 seconds, in the format news desks expect, instead of the blank page that keeps local coverage on the someday list.
Let readywhen draft your press release from your own context
The hard part of a press release is not the format, it is filling it honestly. readywhen works only from your own facts: the dates and details in your launch plan, the numbers you have actually recorded, the words you or your team genuinely wrote about why this matters. Where a quote is needed, it tidies something you really said and flags it for your sign-off; it never invents a quote, a statistic or a market claim. The release comes out desk-ready, and everything in it is yours.
Works with your existing tools
Press release FAQs
How long should a press release be?
One page: 300 to 500 words. Journalists skim, and everything beyond the news, one quote and the boilerplate lowers the chance the actual story gets read. A story that cannot fit one page is really two stories, or not yet a story.
What does “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” mean?
That the outlet may publish as soon as they receive it. The alternative is an embargo line (“EMBARGOED UNTIL [date, time]”) when you need coordinated timing; use one only when you genuinely do, and expect smaller outlets to ignore it.
When should I send a press release?
When something genuinely changed: an opening, a launch, a hire that matters locally, a milestone with a real number. Send it two or three days ahead of the news for local press, mornings early in the week, addressed to a named journalist where you can.
What does ### mean at the end of a press release?
It is the traditional end-of-release marker, telling the news desk nothing follows. It survives from wire-copy days, and desks still expect it: a small signal that you know the format.
Is there a press release template for Google Docs or Word?
Yes. Copy the plain-text template on this page into Google Docs, Word or Notion, or download it as a file. All formats are free.
Can’t I just use ChatGPT or Claude to write my press release?
Yes. Paste your facts and the prompt above, and you get a properly formatted release. readywhen is the version that pulls those facts from your own docs and threads, tidies a quote from words you actually wrote, and flags it for sign-off, so the release is done without anything being made up.
More templates for getting the word out
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Board report
The monthly pack: numbers, narrative and asks, drafted from your tools.
Stop letting good news go unannounced.
Draft your release free with readywhen
About the author and editorial standards
About the author. Sançar Şahin is co-founder and CMO of readywhen. readywhen catches everything you say you’ll do and helps you move it forward: drafted, chased or flagged, ready when you are. He builds readywhen in public on LinkedIn.
Editorial standards. No paid placements. The release format (headline, dateline, five-W lead, boilerplate, ###) follows standard newsroom convention rather than a single authority. How this page was made: Sançar built the multi-agent research and drafting system behind it, checks its work at several phases, and approves the final page himself. To flag an error, email hello@readywhen.ai.
Last updated: 19 July 2026.