PR Wire / How to send a press release
Updated 19 October 2026
A press release is a short news story about your company, written so a journalist or editor can use it. Here is how to write one and get it published.
Ask what is new, useful or surprising to a general reader. A survey result, an appointment, a launch with a point of interest, a deal or a milestone can be news. A description of your services is not.
The headline says what happened, in plain words, without hype. The first paragraph answers who, what, where, when and why, so a reader who stops there still has the story.
Include at least one named person quoted in their own words, with their job title. Give figures a source. State the source in the text or in the notes to editors.
Put background, links and methodology under “Notes to editors”. Attach one good landscape picture with a caption and a credit. Give a named contact with an email address and a phone number.
Headline (what happened) · Subheading (one line of context) · Dateline (City, date) · Opening paragraph (the news) · Second paragraph (detail) · Quote (name and title) · Background · ENDS · Notes to editors · Contact.
Usually 300 to 500 words. Lead with the news, keep paragraphs short and put the detail in notes to editors.
A news headline, a dateline, a strong opening paragraph, a named quote, sourced facts, notes to editors, a picture and a contact for journalists.
Both can work. Emailing the right journalist suits a story with a clear local or specialist angle. A distribution service puts your release on many sites at once and gives you a record of where it appeared.
Early in the week and in the morning suits most business news. If you want it live on our UK network, send it between 9am and 5pm UK time on a working day.
Ready to send a release? One release on 65 UK regional news sites is £395 + VAT, with a coverage report showing every live link. Choose your wire or compare every wire we sell.