Stop Getting Ignored: How to Write a Press Release That Actually Gets Read

Journalists are professional skeptics with zero time to spare. Their inboxes are graveyards of “groundbreaking” announcements that nobody cares about. If you want your story to survive the “Delete” key, you have to stop writing for Google’s bots and start writing for a human being who is looking for a headline.

Here is the no-nonsense guide to getting your news opened, read, and published.

1. Your Subject Line is Your Only Chance

Think of your subject line like a movie trailer. If it’s boring, nobody is buying a ticket.

• Skip the fluff: Don’t start with “Press Release: [Company Name]…”

• Front-load the value: What’s the biggest “Wow” factor? Put it first.

• The “Bar Test”: If you were telling a friend about this news at a bar, how would you say it? Use that energy.

The “Meh” way: Company X Launches New Sustainable Packaging Initiative. The “Open Me” way: This new bottle dissolves in water (and it could save the oceans).

2. The First Paragraph: Get to the Point

If a journalist has to read past the first three sentences to figure out what you’re pitching, you’ve already lost. Use the “inverted pyramid”—put the big, juicy news at the top and the boring background stuff at the bottom.

Reality Check: Write your lead as if the reader is about to close the tab at any second. Because they are.

3. Quotes Should Sound Like… People

Most press release quotes sound like they were written by a legal team and then put through a blender.

• Bad Quote: “We are pleased to announce the synergistic integration of our proprietary technology.”

• Good Quote: “We got tired of seeing plastic waste on our beaches, so we spent three years building a solution that actually works.”

Give the reporter a quote they can actually use without feeling embarrassed.

4. Don’t Send a PDF (Seriously)

This is a small tip that makes a huge difference: Paste your release into the body of the email. Journalists work on tight deadlines. They don’t want to download a random file, wait for it to open, and copy-paste from a clunky PDF. Make it as easy as possible for them to steal your words and turn them into an article.

5. Subtle SEO (Don’t Overdo It)

You want people to find your news, but “keyword stuffing” makes your writing unreadable.

• Focus on one main phrase: Use it in the headline and the first paragraph.

• Link to a “Media Kit”: Instead of attaching five 10MB images, provide a link to a Google Drive folder or a page on your site with high-res photos and bios.

The “Before You Send” Checklist

• Is it news? (Or is it just an internal milestone?)

• Is it short? (Under 400 words is the sweet spot.)

• Can they contact you? (Put your direct cell number at the bottom. Seriously.)

Need a hand with the heavy lifting?

I can help you bridge the gap between “corporate update” and “actual news story.”