Free Press Release Template for Freelance Writers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Your Subject Line (Think “catchy,” not “cutesy.” You’re sharing news, not over-hyped clickbait.)

This is a summary sharing the essence of your news. Not all distribution sites use this, and you can leave
it out for manually distributed releases. Make it 2-4 sentences at most, though 1-2 are fine in most cases.

CITY, State – Date – This intro paragraph, or lede, of your press release begins the “inverted pyramid”
structure used in press release writing. Try to briefly answer “who, what, when, where, and why?”

The inverted pyramid simply means you start with the most important information first, then you move
on to other important supporting details or quotes. Finally, you’ll add less important background info
that’s nice to have, but not as essential. Think of it this way: If someone needed to trim your story to fit
print space, they should be able to safely cut content starting at the end, with the news remaining clear.

“Include a quote from your client or a rep from their company,” said Jane Doe, founder of XYZ Inc.
“Continue the quote here if it’s more than one sentence, which most will be. Quotes should be relevant
to the news. They should not be self-promotional or testimonials. This is a press release, not an ad.”

It’s not uncommon for press releases to fall within the 300-500 word range, so by this point you should
be filling in any of those “nice to have, but not necessary” details. It’s a good place to add a link’s URL
where the reporter can learn more about the product, event, or other news (not just the homepage).

About [Client’s Company]

Here you’ll add what’s known as a boilerplate. A few sentences are plenty. This background information
on the company will often stay the same from one news release to the next until details change.

For more information about [the news angle], please visit [client’s website] or contact [contact person]
at [phone number and/or email address].  This line is fairly standard. Don’t try to “pretty it up” with
every release. If there will be addenda (like attached photos), you can mention that toward the end too.

Contact Information

Contact Name for Client’s Company

Company Name
Phone:
Email:
Website:

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(This symbol lets the reader know they’ve reached the end of your press release and there isn’t another
page to follow. If you do have another page, use – More – at the end of your first page.)

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