WHAT IS A PRESS RELEASE AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?
You can spend hours polishing a press announcement, send it to 200 contacts, and still hear nothing back. Why is that?
You may feel you have created something brilliant, which looks professional, covers all of the salient points and messages and it looks and feels ‘ready’ and there are even embedded pictures. What comes back – tumbleweed, diddly squat. Why?
Most of the time, the issue is not your business: it is that your release does not read like news, the structure is wrong, it’s far too long, the format is wrong and it may also land with the wrong person at the wrong time.
The biggest reason is that what is important to you and your brand/company/organisation is not a story for the media. So you’ve wasted your time.
Key Takeaways
· A press release works best when it is timely, specific, and targets the right audience.
· Structure your release clearly with a relevant headline, factual body, meaningful quotes, and a brief boilerplate about your company or organisation (this is a PR term for company or professional description).
· Use facts or data which can be independently verified to build trust and help journalists fact check your story quickly.
· Distribute through a combination of targeted outreach to relevant journalists, perhaps a newswire as a baseline, and also later to your own audiences.
· Pitch journalists with short, respectful emails that highlight why the news matters now, avoiding hype and multiple follow-ups – do not hassle a journalist.
What A Press Release Should Be:
If you have ever thought ‘we’ve got something to share, so the media should care’ you have already met the main risk: a press release is not marketing copy, and journalists do not owe it attention. You are not able to force your important news on to a journalist, you are not paying them – you are in effect asking them to consider your story. That is it.
Your story will be judged alongside all other news that day/week/month. Written and presented in the right way, sometimes you will win and other times you will not and it won’t be clear why. Sometimes even a journalist won’t know. They may have written a story which is then spiked on the day by an editor because other news has taken priority.
A press release should be a short, factual announcement written in a format the media recognises. It’s not poetry and it’s not a work for creative introspection. It’s a tool for a journalist to write to their house style or if under pressure they can use as it is.
It exists to make a news editor’s job easier: a reporter should be able to scan it, confirm facts, and decide fast whether it fits their audience at that time and on that day. That is why the best releases can look a bit plain.
Plain is useful and it’s not intended to be a work of classic literature. It also has the hidden effect of reminding a journalist who you are, what you do, what your expertise is – as another story opportunity may arise in the future and they will see you as a credible voice aligned to that story. A good press release has a hidden impact of building your authority.
A press release works when:
The story is timely – it’s relevant now or this week or this month (depending on the publication) and it’s relevant to that geographical area.
When there is real-world impact – this might be a new service that cuts appointment waits in Swindon from 3 weeks to 3 days is a story.
When the audience match is obvious – alocal paper might care about jobs created in Wiltshire: a trade title might care about a new compliance method: a broadcast producer might care about a local story which is very visual so for those journalists you need to show very clearly WHERE they can film and WHO they can film.
There are times when a press release is the wrong tool: if you need to explain a complex offer from scratch, if the subject is sensitive and needs careful context, or if you are in the middle of a fast-moving issue where statements may change.
In those cases, we often start with a short holding statement and a planned Q&A, then release fuller details once the facts settle and may even call a press conference. This requires a different strategy so the story – often negative news – doesn’t run away from you and you can have some degree of control.
If you need that kind of support, Scott Media’s approach is deliberately journalism-led as we are run by a qualified and experienced journalist with a knowledge of ethical crisis management.
The Structure of a Press Release:
Editors open a release needing the key facts to make a quick judgment, they will not hunt for them.
Here is the structure that gets used because it works, with the practical reason for each part.
One key thing which may PR companies do is put ‘PRESS RELEASE’ at the top – don’t do this. It immediately tells a journalist that you think they are ‘stupid’ and can’t work it out. After all, do you write ‘EMAIL’ at the top of an email to a colleague? This is a huge mistake most PR companies make. Much better to put ‘news’ or similar at the top.
Another mistake is that PR companies put contact details at the top – no – put it at the bottom almost as an ‘any other news’ section once you’ve written the story. Contact details should be a phone number and an email – both of which are monitored for a timely response. If you don’t respond for days and days – then you might as well not bother.
From the top:
Headline – if you are can’t be creative be clear and concise and NEVER SALESY.
If you need to – you may wish to include an embargo – asking a journalist not to use the information until a certain time and date. Most will respect this.
Lead paragraph sets the scene with key information. This should answer the five Ws fast, who, what, when, where, why, in one tight paragraph.
Body paragraphs (context + detail)
Quote from a person relevant to the story – possibly two people if relevant to the story.
End marker ie. ENDS.
Then Editor’s Notes to include contact details and one key thing – A PHOTOGRAPH RELEVANT TO THE STORY WHICH IS LANDSCAPE, JPEG FORMAT AND AT LEAST 1MG WITH A CAPTION WHICH IS ACCURATE AND A PHOTOGRAPH CREDIT IF RELEVANT.
And finally:
A press release earns coverage when it behaves like news: it is timely, specific, and easy to lift into copy.
The honest part is this: PR takes time, budget, and action from your side too.
If you want help coming up with stories, tightening your message, or building a realistic outreach plan, we can guide you to see if you are PR ready. Done properly, a single well-aimed release can do more for visibility than months of noisy posting. Email us at to book a power hour or come to our media summit in November this year – we have ten places left at time of writing – https://scottmedia.uk/product/the-no-bs-media-summit-2026/
Is PR the right approach for every business or individual?
No, PR requires time, budget, and commitment. It suits those ready for honest, strategic media engagement aimed at credible visibility. Some situations—like complex offers or sensitive issues—may need alternative communications first.
Can I learn to do PR myself instead of hiring an agency?
Yes, we offer training services offer flexible options including one-to-one strategy sessions, team training, and DIY courses.
However, effective PR still demands dedication and understanding of journalistic expectations, so self-learning can work if you have the time and willingness to engage professionally.