This is a small but easy detail to forget. Place the city and date right before the body begins:

AUSTIN, Texas – August 27, 2026 –

Step 5: Build Out the Body

Open the first paragraph by answering who, what, when, where, and why, so a reader who only gets through one paragraph still walks away with the core facts.

From there, add supporting detail across two to four short paragraphs:

• A quote from someone at the company that adds real perspective, not just enthusiasm.
• Any data or context that backs up why the news matters.
• Enough background that someone unfamiliar with the company can follow along.
• A specific example of the news in action, if one exists. Naming a real use case does more to convince a reader than a general claim about benefits.

Example quote:

“Our customers were spending hours pulling reports manually,” said [Name], VP of Product at Northbeam Analytics. “This dashboard gives them the same information in real time, without the extra work.”

Keep the tone factual rather than promotional throughout. A release stuffed with hype words, exclamation points, or sweeping claims tends to get filtered out by outlets before it ever reaches a reader, since it reads as an ad rather than news.

Step 6: Write the Boilerplate

Below the body, add a short paragraph, generally under 100 words, describing the company. This stays the same across every release, so it’s worth getting right once:

“Northbeam Analytics builds reporting tools for growing SaaS teams, helping them track usage and performance without manual spreadsheet work. Founded in 2021, Northbeam serves customers across North America and Europe.”

Naming the company clearly here matters more than it might seem. Readers trust information more when they know who it’s coming from, and skipping a proper introduction can make an otherwise solid release feel anonymous.

Step 7: Add Contact Information

Close with a name, title, email, and phone number for someone who can respond to media inquiries. Skipping this, or letting it go stale, is one of the easiest ways to lose a follow-up from an interested journalist.

Step 8: Read It Back as a Journalist Would

Before sending anything out, read the release again with a different question in mind: would this survive being published as-is, word for word, on a news site? If any line sounds like it’s selling rather than informing, cut it or rewrite it in plainer language.

A few things worth checking on this pass:

• Length. Most releases land somewhere between 300 and 800 words. Shorter tends to get ignored as too thin, longer tends to lose the reader before the point lands.
• Word choice. Strip out jargon, slang, and any line that only makes sense to someone already inside the company.
• Restraint. If a claim sounds too impressive to be true, tone it down. Outlets are quick to reject anything that reads as exaggerated.
• A next step. Make sure there’s somewhere for an interested reader to go next, whether that’s a link to a product page or a way to get in touch.

Step 9: Choose How to Send It

Once the release is finished, there are two main paths.

Pitching it directly to journalists who cover your space works well if you already have relationships to lean on, and it allows for a more tailored approach.

Using a distribution service gets the release in front of a much wider network of outlets at once, trading some of that personal touch for speed and broader reach.

Many companies use both, saving direct pitches for the announcements that matter most and relying on distribution for everything else.

What a Finished Press Release Example Looks Like

Putting all nine steps together, here’s what the full Northbeam Analytics release looks like assembled:

Northbeam Analytics Launches Real-Time Dashboard to Cut Reporting Time by 40%

Northbeam Analytics today announced the launch of its real-time customer dashboard, giving support and account teams instant visibility into usage data. The feature is available immediately to all Northbeam customers on paid plans.

AUSTIN, Texas – August 27, 2026 – Northbeam Analytics, a reporting platform for growing SaaS teams, has launched a real-time customer dashboard designed to eliminate manual reporting work. The dashboard pulls usage and performance data into a single live view, replacing what previously required exporting and combining data by hand.

“Our customers were spending hours pulling reports manually,” said [Name], VP of Product at Northbeam Analytics. “This dashboard gives them the same information in real time, without the extra work.”

Early adopters in Northbeam’s beta program reported cutting weekly reporting time by an average of 40%, freeing up account teams to spend more time on customer-facing work instead of spreadsheets.

The dashboard is available now to all customers on Northbeam’s paid plans, with no additional setup required.

Northbeam Analytics builds reporting tools for growing SaaS teams, helping them track usage and performance without manual spreadsheet work. Founded in 2021, Northbeam serves customers across North America and Europe.

Media Contact: [Name], Head of Communications [email] [phone number]

Seeing it assembled end to end shows how each section supports the next, rather than functioning as isolated boxes to fill in.

Standard Press Release Format Checklist

Use this as a quick reference before sending any release out:

Headline is one clear line with an active verb, no hype words

Summary is two to three sentences and stands on its own

Dateline includes city and date, placed before the body

Opening paragraph covers who, what, when, where, and why

Body includes at least one meaningful quote

Any data or examples used are accurate and specific

Boilerplate is under 100 words and reused consistently

Contact name, email, and phone number are current

Total length falls roughly between 300 and 800 words

Release has been proofread at least once after a break

Common Questions About Writing a Press Release

How long should a press release be?

Most releases fall between 300 and 800 words. Shorter releases risk feeling too thin to be worth covering, while longer ones tend to lose the reader before reaching the point.

Who do you send a press release to?

Journalists, editors, and bloggers who cover your industry are the primary audience, either through direct outreach or a distribution service that reaches a wider outlet network at once.

What makes a press release newsworthy?

Timeliness, a clear point of difference, and genuine relevance to the reader. A release built around an internal update with no outside relevance rarely gets picked up.

Can I write my own press release without a PR background?

Yes. Following the standard format and keeping the tone factual rather than promotional matters far more than formal PR experience.

Does a press release need an image?

Not always, but a relevant visual can make a release more engaging and easier for outlets to publish as a full story rather than a text listing.

Putting It All Together

Following these steps, the finished release should read like a short, factual news story rather than a marketing pitch, with every section pulling its weight. That’s the difference between a release that gets skipped and one that gets picked up.

Want the writing handled for you instead? Scroll Craft Media can draft and distribute the release from start to finish.