How long should a press release be?

Use the shortest release that contains the full news, evidence, useful quotes, company context and contact details. Many releases fit within roughly one or two pages, but clarity matters more than a universal word count.

Should I send press releases as email body or attachments?

Put the essential pitch and facts in the email so they can be assessed without opening a file. Link to a hosted release and supporting assets where useful, and follow any submission instructions the publication provides.

Do press releases work for SEO?

A release can help journalists discover a genuine announcement, but mass syndication is not a guaranteed backlink or ranking tactic. The stronger outcome is independent editorial coverage. Paid distribution links should be qualified in line with Google's outbound-link guidance.

What's the best day and time to send a press release?

There is no universal best slot. Match the journalist's beat, time zone, deadline and the timing of the news. An embargo can help when a reporter needs time to verify data, but it should be agreed or clearly stated rather than assumed.

How many journalists should I send a single release to?

Send it only to journalists for whom the story is genuinely relevant. A smaller, researched list with a clear reason for each contact is usually more defensible than a generic bulk send; the right number depends on the subject and market.

What's the difference between a press release and a pitch?

A press release is a formatted news document journalists can quote from directly. A pitch is the email selling the story. Both are needed — the pitch goes in the email body, the press release follows the pitch as the formal source document.

How to Write a Press Release | Practical UK Template

The press release is often over-written and under-sourced. The useful version lets a journalist identify the news, inspect the evidence, contact the right person and decide quickly whether the story fits.

This guide gives you a working structure, headline patterns, quote rules and the most common mistakes that make a release difficult to use.

The structure that works

A usable press release usually follows roughly this structure:

Headline — 8–14 words, contains the news (not the brand) in the first six words
Subhead — one line, adds the supporting fact
Dateline — "LONDON, 1 MAY 2026 —"
Lead paragraph — the entire story in one paragraph (50–80 words). Five W's: what, who, when, where, why
Supporting paragraph — context, data, secondary facts
First quote — from the most senior person available, addressing why this matters
Detail paragraph — additional information journalists may use to expand the story
Second quote — from a different stakeholder (customer, partner, expert) for human angle
About the company — 30–50 words boilerplate
Press contact — name, email, phone
### or -ENDS- — formal end-of-release marker

Total: 350–500 words. Most journalists read no further than the lead paragraph before deciding whether to open the body.

The headline formula

Three useful headline patterns are:

Pattern 1: Surprising data point

"73% of UK SMEs Don't Know What [X] Means, Survey Reveals"

Works because: the percentage is the story. Journalists can paste it directly into their headline.

Pattern 2: Notable change / first-of-kind

"UK Fintech Hires First Chief AI Officer Following £40M Raise"

Works because: it answers "why is this news right now?" without the journalist needing to ask.

Pattern 3: Direct contradiction of expectations

"Bristol — Not London — Becomes UK's Fastest-Growing Fintech Hub"

Can work because: a well-supported finding that challenges an assumption gives the journalist a clear angle.

Avoid leading with brand enthusiasm instead of the news. Phrases such as “is excited to announce” use space without helping a reporter understand what changed or why a reader should care.

The lead paragraph rule

Your first 50–80 words must contain the entire story. Assume the journalist will not read past this paragraph. The lead must answer:

What happened?
Who did it (named)?
When did it happen / when does it take effect?
Where (geographic specificity matters for local press)?
Why does this matter to the reader?

If your lead paragraph is more than 100 words, you've buried the news. Cut.

Quote rules

Press release quotes are notoriously bad. Three rules to make yours stand out:

Rule 1: Quotes must contain information, not opinion

Bad: "We're delighted to share this exciting milestone."
Good: "Our pipeline doubled in Q1 because mid-market UK firms are finally treating compliance as a strategic function, not a checkbox."

Rule 2: Two quotes from two people minimum

One quote feels promotional. Two from different stakeholders (CEO + customer, founder + analyst, etc.) feels like a story.

Rule 3: Quotes should be short and quotable

Aim for 25–40 words per quote. Longer quotes get edited down — usually to a single sentence the journalist picks. Make sure your strongest sentence is intact and standalone.

The seven mistakes that bin most releases

The headline starts with the brand name. Journalists' inboxes are sorted by sender, not subject — they don't need to know the brand again in the first three words.
Marketing copy disguised as news. Anything containing "leading", "innovative", "world-class", "best-in-class", or "industry-leading" gets binned. Journalists know these words mean "no real news here".
Buried lead. The actual news appears in paragraph 4 or 5. Move it to paragraph 1.
No data. News needs facts. "We launched" is not news; "we launched and have signed 200 customers in 90 days" is.
Long-form attachment instead of email body. PDF attachments from unknown senders are rarely opened. Put the release in the email body.
Generic mass-send. "Hi journalist" addressing 500 recipients gets caught by spam filters before any human sees it. Personalise the first line minimum.
No story angle. A press release announcing a hire is rarely news. A press release announcing a hire that signals a strategic shift in your market is. Your release should make the journalist's story-angle work obvious.

SEO and source details worth including

A release should make the primary source easy to verify. Links are there to support the reader and journalist, not to manufacture a link pattern:

A relevant source link to the underlying report, announcement or methodology, with descriptive wording.
A company link in the boilerplate where it genuinely helps identify the organisation.
Accessible supporting assets such as images, charts and data files on a stable public URL, with usage and credit information.

Do not stuff the release with commercial anchors. Google's outbound-link guidance says paid links should use the sponsored or nofollow relationship where appropriate.

A working template you can copy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LONDON, 1 MAY 2026

[HEADLINE — 8-14 words, news-led, no brand name first]
[Subhead — one line, supporting fact]

[Lead paragraph — 50-80 words covering what, who, when, where, why.
Treat this as the entire story — most journalists won't read past it.]

[Supporting paragraph — context, data, secondary facts. ~80 words.]

"[First quote — 25-40 words, from the most senior named person.
Must contain information, not opinion]," said [Name], [Title] at [Brand].

[Detail paragraph — additional facts journalists may use to extend the
story. ~80 words.]

"[Second quote — 25-40 words, from a different stakeholder for human
angle]," added [Name], [Title].

About [Brand]
[30-50 word boilerplate. Single branded link to homepage.]

Press contact:
[Name]
[Email]
[Phone]

###

The 30-second summary

Use a news-led headline and a lead paragraph that contains the essential story
Headlines should follow one of three patterns: surprising data, notable change, or contradicted expectation
The lead paragraph should contain the essential story so it can be assessed quickly
Quotes need to contain information, not opinion or marketing language
Send to 10–30 carefully-selected journalists, not 500 generic contacts
Put the essential pitch and facts in the email; link to supporting files where useful

Press releases are a useful supporting tactic, not a guaranteed link product. The stronger outcome comes when a journalist independently follows up on a genuinely newsworthy announcement. If you would rather run an outreach-led campaign, see our digital PR backlinks service.

How to write a press release