Better Press Release Writing & Distribution
Mastering the Art of Press Releases: Writing, Distribution & Strategy for 2025
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.
Distributing Better Press Releases
Better Press Release Distribution
I’m a big fan of using established services like PR Newswire and Business Wire for reaching journalists and media outlets. While these services aren’t perfect, they offer substantial reach and access to industry-specific audiences.
There are also emerging platforms like EZ Newswire which I highly recommend. They are highly effective for targeting specific industries in a cost-effective manner with clear metrics.
Multimedia Press Release Collateral
I highly, highly recommend bundling your press release with high-quality images, infographics, and a short video. This helps for multiple reasons:
- It makes your story easier to digest and increases engagement.
- Including visual assets makes it much easier for overworked journalists to rework your press release into their own story or video.
Making these changes significantly increases the odds of your press release becoming earned media.
Format Your Press Release for SEO
Make sure that your press release is SEO-friendly before releasing it into the wild by publishing it on the company website. This does not necessarily mean SEO optimizing your press release, but it does mean making sure your press release is easily analyzed by a SEO crawler.
I typically recommend to clients that they use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to identify relevant keywords for a press release that will live on the web. I then suggest that they integrate these keywords naturally into a SEO’s headline, subheadings and body text. The main word here is naturally – do not force keywords in if they do not fit. If a keyword seems awkward in the press release, do not include it.
Utilize metadata, alt text for images, and internal linking as methods of boosting search engine visibility.
Promote Press Releases On Social Media
Amplifying press releases on social media is an easy way of increasing their reach.
Try creating a Twitter/X thread or a LinkedIn post summarizing the announcement which rewrites the most important parts in your own words. Include in the replies a call-to-action which links back to the press release or landing page.
I also like turning links to the press release into original Instagram Stories as well.
Making Your Team Better At Press Releases
I highly recommend having team members and contractors working on press releases. Press releases are some of the most important tasks junior employees can work on and press releases only improve with multiple people in the workflow.
Developing Employee Skills
Make sure that employees, especially early-stage employees, contribute in brainstorming and drafting press releases. This helps your team members develop important brand communication skills and also ensures company-wide messaging alignment.
Focus On Newsworthy Announcements
Say it with me: Not everything needs to be a press release. You don’t need a press release for every single hire or product update. Brands that push out too many press releases dilute their impact and reduce their chances of media coverage.
I typically recommend clients push out press releases on the following:
Business milestones like funding rounds, product launches and acquisitions
Industry leadership milestones such as significant new hires and partnerships
Events and conferences where the brand made noteworthy announcements
Experiment With New Formats
One of the best things brands can do is experiment with different press release methods. It’s easy to try different story periods or visual-first formats that lead with images. User-generated content in the form of positive reviews from Google Maps or Yelp as well as feedback from threads on Reddit, Hacker News, X/Twitter, Bluesky, TikTok, and YouTube are always useful.
Press Releases Matter
Press releases are one of the most essential tools for storytelling and story distribution in the marketing/PR arsenal.
They offer brands a structured way of sharing important announcements, fostering transparency, and engaging audiences both inside and outside of organizations.
As the media landscape shifts even more, keep aligning your press release strategies with current trends and digital best practices. This includes SEO considerations, utilizing emerging platforms, and amplifying reach through social media channels. Companies which do this maximize the impact of their press releases and adapt to the changing ways audiences consume information.
Now is the perfect time to rethink your press release process.
Evaluate your current strategies, adopt the approaches outlined here, and make press releases a cornerstone of your communications efforts. Remember: YOU CAN DO THIS.
If your brand is looking for help with your press releases or marketing communications, Ungerleider Works can help.
