A press release follows a standardized format that includes a headline, dateline, lead paragraph, body text, boilerplate, end mark, and contact information. This structure has remained largely consistent for decades because journalists and editors expect it. Whether you’re announcing a product launch, a hire, or a company milestone, sticking to this format gives your news the best chance of being read and picked up.
The Standard Structure, Top to Bottom
Every press release uses the same basic skeleton. Here’s what each piece does and where it goes.
Headline: This sits at the top in bold and summarizes your news in one line. Keep it factual and specific rather than clever or vague. Major distribution services like Business Wire cap headlines at 250 characters including spaces, so you need to be concise. A good headline reads like something a journalist could drop straight into a story: “Acme Corp. Opens Second Distribution Center in the Midwest” tells a reader exactly what happened.
Subheadline (optional): A second line beneath the headline that adds one more layer of detail. Use it when the headline alone can’t convey the significance of the news: “New facility expected to cut shipping times by 40% for central U.S. customers.”
Dateline: This appears at the very beginning of the first paragraph and includes the city where the news originates and the date of the release. It looks like this: “CHICAGO, June 12, 2025.” Distribution services recommend limiting this to one city, though up to three are technically allowed. The dateline tells editors where the story is happening and confirms when it was issued.
Lead paragraph: The first paragraph answers the core questions: who, what, when, where, and why. Think of it as the entire story compressed into three or four sentences. If a journalist reads nothing else, this paragraph should give them enough to work with.
Body paragraphs: These expand on the lead with supporting details, quotes from company leadership or stakeholders, and relevant data. Keep the entire release under one page if possible. Anything beyond two pages will likely be treated as a news article rather than a press release, and many editors won’t finish reading it.
Boilerplate: A short “About” paragraph at the bottom that describes your company in two to four sentences. This stays mostly the same across all your releases and gives journalists background they can paste into their coverage.
End mark: Signal the end of the release with a clear marker. The most common convention is three hash symbols centered on their own line: ###. Some organizations use the word “Ends” in bold instead. Either way, this tells the reader there’s no more news content below.
Contact information: Below the end mark, list who the media should reach out to for follow-up. At minimum, include an email address or phone number. You can use a specific person’s name and title, or a general media relations email. This section often begins with the phrase “For further information, please contact.”
Notes to editors (optional): If you have supplementary details that don’t belong in the body, such as a note that high-resolution photos are available or background statistics, place them after the contact information under a “Notes to Editors” label. This keeps the main release clean while still offering resources journalists might need.
How to Write the Lead Paragraph
The lead does the heaviest lifting in the entire release. It should state the news plainly in the very first sentence. Don’t build up to it, don’t provide context first, and don’t start with a quote. A strong lead names the organization, describes the action, and explains why it matters.
For example: “DENVER, June 12, 2025 — Summit Health today announced a $30 million expansion of its telehealth platform, adding mental health services to its existing primary care offerings.” That single sentence covers who (Summit Health), what (expansion of telehealth), how much ($30 million), and what’s new (mental health services). The sentences that follow can add the timeline, the reason behind the decision, and who benefits.
Formatting With AP Style
Press releases follow Associated Press style, the same formatting rules used by most newsrooms. You don’t need to memorize the entire AP Stylebook, but a few rules come up constantly.
For dates, use figures and don’t add “st,” “nd,” “rd,” or “th” after the number. Write “June 12” not “June 12th.” When a date includes the month, day, and year, set the year off with commas: “June 12, 2025, marks the beginning of the program.” Abbreviate only these months when paired with a specific date: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. Spell out March, April, May, June, and July in all cases.
For addresses, abbreviate Ave., Blvd., and St. when they appear with a numbered address (123 Main St.), but spell them out when used alone (the company is located on Main Street). Spell out state names in body text rather than using postal abbreviations.
AP style also skips the Oxford comma in simple lists. You’d write “red, yellow and blue” not “red, yellow, and blue.” But when items in the list contain their own conjunctions, add the final comma for clarity. Use a single space after periods, and always place commas and periods inside quotation marks.
Adding Multimedia and Links
A modern press release distributed digitally can include more than just text. Images, video, and hyperlinks make the release more useful to journalists and more visible in search results.
When including images, add descriptive alt text of four to seven words that includes a relevant keyword. For search visibility, images should be at least 1,200 pixels wide to appear in platforms like Google Discover, though the bare minimum for Google News eligibility is 60 by 90 pixels. Use standard file formats like JPEG, PNG, or WebP, and name the file descriptively (summit-health-telehealth-launch.jpg) rather than generically (IMG_4032.jpg).
Video files should be short. Aim for 90 to 120 seconds, and keep file sizes under 100MB if you’re distributing through a wire service. A brief product demo or executive statement works well. Anything longer belongs on your website with a link from the release.
Include one or two hyperlinks to relevant pages on your website, pointing to specific landing pages rather than your homepage. You can also link to your social media profiles to encourage sharing. These links give journalists quick access to additional resources and help drive traffic back to your site.
Putting It All Together
Here’s what a properly formatted press release looks like in outline form:
- Headline (bold, under 250 characters)
- Subheadline (optional, one line of supporting detail)
- Dateline + lead paragraph (city, date, then the core news)
- Body paragraphs (supporting facts, a quote or two, relevant data)
- Boilerplate (“About [Company Name]” section)
- End mark (### or “Ends” in bold)
- Contact information (name, title, email, phone)
- Notes to editors (optional, for supplementary material)
The entire document should fit on one page when possible. Use short paragraphs, avoid jargon your audience wouldn’t know, and write in third person throughout (referring to the company as “it” or by name, never “we”). Keep the tone factual. A press release that reads like an advertisement will get ignored. One that reads like a news story gives journalists a reason to cover it.