The Press Release Playbook
Strategies for Writing and Distribution Success: Context Collapse #325
If your job involves public relations in any way, press releases matter. Press releases are one of the key tools brands and organizations have for:
Representing themselves to the public and important partners like vendors, investors and the media.
Maintaining public transparency.
Keeping internal audiences inside the brand aware of important things that they should know of.
In 2025, press releases matter as a keystone of internal messaging consistency and as an important tool for reaching external audiences.
Press releases are one of the easiest ways for publicly traded companies to meet government requirements around material information disclosure, for instance. For smaller companies, anchoring campaign strategies around press releases saves dozens of hours of work time
However, I say this with love as a former journalist and longtime marketing communications consultant: Many organizations can do a much better job with their press release writing and distribution.
Here are a few easy ways any organization can improve their press release process and outcomes:
Writing Better Press Releases
Press Releases = Content Hubs
I typically recommend that my clients think of press releases as a miniature content hub.
By this, I mean that you should easily be able to repurpose your press release into other, non-press release-y formats.
In an ideal world, you should be able to turn a press release into a social media post, company blog posts or landing pages, email newsletter content, or even into short videos.
Creating an organizational or departmental Substack or Medium is an easy way to turn press releases into long-term web traffic via SEO. Interesting press releases can easily be turned into greenscreen TikTok videos, Instagram Reels and YouTube shorts in less than an hour. Organizational thought leaders can retool press releases into individualized LinkedIn posts. The list goes on.
Press Releases Tell A Story
Every press release should have a story. This can be as simple a story as announcing a notable hire or as complicated as the launch of a new product which overhauls a company’s service offerings and pricing.
Regardless of the contents, every press release should include the following elements:
What happened (X).
Why it matters (Y).
How to learn more (Z).
Whenever possible and relevant, I urge my clients to include photos or infographics with their press release. Many audiences are visual-first and images often convey information that words cannot.
Furthermore, writers at many media outlets will just rewrite press releases into articles if they are pressed for time. Having a press release ready increases your chances of media coverage.
I’m a big fan of Meltwater’s list of press release examples with some nice samples from big brands like Apple, Nikon, Amazon, and Virgin Atlantic.
You Don’t Know What Your Audience Knows
Not everyone reading your organization’s press release knows what your organization is. You need to start from the assumption that your audience knows nothing about your organization or their expertise.
Avoid jargon in all press releases and write for an 8th grade audience wherever possible.
This is one area where GenAI tools like Claude and ChatGPT come in handy.
I typically enter the following prompt into my GenAI tool, followed by a draft of the article:
“I am writing a press release. The draft of the press release is included below. Can you please flag 1) any language that is either complicated or confusing 2) any industry-specific terminology or jargon readers may not be familiar with 3) any parts of the press release that repeat themselves.”
I then use ChatGPT or Claude’s recommendations to guide me in edits. However, I do not let GenAI do the rewrite on its own–these AI tools frequently make up facts or incorrect information they include in the updated drafts. For instance, I have seen ChatGPT include links to articles that don’t exist and quotes from experts that they never actually made.
One thing I recommend is using the Thanksgiving Dinner test. If you were explaining the story behind the press release to a relative at Thanksgiving dinner, how would you explain it to them? Use that narrative.
Press Release Templates Are Your Friend
I’m a massive fan of having and using pre-made templates for different kinds of press releases. As a marketing communications consultant, I have a directory of press release templates on our internal Notion and Google Drive.
These templates let me quickly write press releases for clients about common events such as product launches, SaaS updates/new product features, financial updates and funding round announcements, partnerships, and notable hires/promotions.
Here are some easy press release template sources:
Templates are important for upping your press release game because they save time and ensure consistency. They let you plug commonalities (what is being announced, what your expert quote is, what the timing is) into a pre-made format and reduce the risk of reader confusion.
If your team publishes templates on a monthly basis or anything more frequently, I highly recommend building your own set of in-house press release templates. These should include standardized headers, formatting and contact information.
Teamwork Makes The Press Release Dream Work
Press releases shouldn’t be written in a vacuum.
I’ll discuss the importance of having your junior-level employees working on press releases a few paragraphs down, but I just want to emphasize how crucial it is that you don’t work on press releases solo.
Having multiple eyes on your press release is crucial for identifying unclear language, typos, or potential PR complications.
Each press release should be reviewed by at least three people who can identify any potential red flags. Remember: Collaborate for quality.
Remember: Press Releases Are Changing
Press releases aren’t what they used to be. There are far fewer media outlets operating nowadays, for instance. You’re also writing press releases that need to be SEO- and GenAI-friendly.
A good press release captures a brand’s framing of an important announcement and plays that role first and foremost. Press releases also need to be integrated into larger communications and marketing strategies and should not work at cross-purposes.
That’s all for the newsletter version of this how-to. Continue reading for free on Ungerleider Works: