Press Release Template
Quick Tip!
Press releases are usually one page, so brevity is important to remember while working through the press release template.
Helpful Staff for this Topic
A press release is a written document that announces information. The Digital Corps occasionally writes press releases related to the Corps or to external on-campus projects. Journalists use the information from press releases to craft a news story.
Press releases use the inverted pyramid to structure their information, so the most important information falls at the beginning. To correctly structure a press release, use the template below and begin writing!
Parts of a Press Release
Header
The header includes information about the organization’s location and contact information.
Headline
The headline should be brief to focus readers. This is the first part they read, so it should also be detailed and specific to catch their attention.
Paragraph #1
The first paragraph should begin with location (i.e. MUNCIE, Ind.). Then, state the announcement’s overarching idea.
Paragraph #2
The second paragraph includes essential information about the announcement. This paragraph should help journalists understand the core of the announcement.
Paragraph #3
The third paragraph should include a pull quote from someone important who is involved with the announcement.
Quick Tip!
Make sure to use proper punctuation when writing quotes.
Paragraph #4
The fourth paragraph dives into the fine details of the announcement, so it should address the who, what, when, where, why, and how. This paragraph includes the announcement’s additional information.
End
The end includes two components: the pound signs and the boilerplate. After the main body of the press release, type three pound signs to signify the end of the announcement. Then, include a boilerplate, which is a synopsis about the organization. Use the Corps boilerplate provided in the press release template to ensure consistency.
Example
Download a copy of an example press release below. This example announces updates to the Corps’ Reference Guides project.
This press release template should help structure information about an announcement, so university media organizations could report about the announcement effectively. Further questions about press releases? Don’t hesitate to ask staff or the Comm Team Lead.
