In my previous blog, I outlined the process for a fundraising announcement. As with any media moment, putting all of the information in one place—whether in a press release or a blog post—is standard practice. Here, I will discuss why, when, and how to write a press release.

Traditionally, companies would use a press release to mark any significant company milestone, from fundraising to key hires, major partnerships, product launches, office openings, events and conferences, or key customer and sales milestones. When I first started in PR almost 15 years ago, writing a release for every media moment and publishing it on PR Newswire (or another release distribution site) was standard practice. The benefit to this approach is that news would often get picked up by online news publications and supported with SEO.

Today, major news is often shared with journalists as exclusives, meaning that for a news publication to cover an announcement, they need to be the only outlet receiving advance information about the story. While the journalist getting the exclusive still needs all of the information in one place, it is becoming more normalized to provide a blog post, fact sheet, white paper, or other forms of documentation in lieu of the press release.

Press Release vs Blog Post

When advising on whether a press release is the right approach for an announcement, I ask the following questions:

  • A press release should feel objective and formal, whereas a blog post can be subjective and more informal. Which feels more aligned with your brand?
  • Who is your target audience for this announcement, and would they expect to receive a traditional press release or a blog? (e.g., corporations and more academic fields versus consumer or more innovative ones)
  • Consistency is key—do you plan to have a media page on your website where you can post releases, or will you use a blog site/LinkedIn for company updates?

If writing a press release feels appropriate, here is my breakdown for a strong and effective one. (I’ll post a separate article on blog posts soon.)

Creating a Compelling Opening

Begin with the headline. This one line should summarize the entire announcement in a way that is intriguing, tangible, and free of fluff. Journalists will use this headline to determine if they should continue reading, so be sure that anyone seeing this knows immediately what is in the announcement. “[Company] raises $X to [do Y]” or “[Company] unveils first [product] to [do Y]” are succinct and let the reader know whether this news is relevant enough for them to continue.

The subheader should then elaborate on this point or provide additional information that adds color and excitement to the announcement. This is where you have a bit more room for flexibility; consider adding an interesting data point, statistic, or unique value proposition that complements your header. If the header describes a raise or new product, perhaps the subheader can point out the impact this will have.

After the date and location of the release, the first paragraph should be a summary of the announcement. Again, keep the language tangible, objective, and direct. Usually, I will keep the first paragraph to 3-4 sentences:

  • The news itself (“Today, [company] announces X”), a reiteration of the headline
  • 1-2 sentences adding any additional details core to the announcement (e.g., for fundraising, who the investors are)
  • Close this paragraph with a statement of impact—what does this announcement mean for the company, their customers, their industry, or the world at large?

Most readers will not get past this first paragraph, so it’s important that if they stop here, they have all the information they need to understand the news you are breaking.

Adding Background and Context

Generally, from here, the way you want to add color to the release is open to interpretation. My methodology is to use the next section to go into the background of what led us here. If this is a lesser-known company, it can be helpful to add some details about who the founders are, why they started this company, and what problem they are trying to solve. 

A question I often hear from journalists is, “Why now?” or “Why has this never been done before?” Preemptively answer these questions by describing any challenges that had to be overcome for this announcement to be possible. This is a good section to add a quote from a founder as well; quotes give you the ability to add more subjective language and make bold claims.

Including Key Details

From here, we get into the meat of the announcement. Break down any important details, key features, unique value propositions, and relevant data points. If this is a product announcement, provide a step-by-step breakdown of how the product is used; for a fundraising announcement, describe what you are building and how the raise will help get you there. Closing this section with additional quotes from relevant stakeholders, perhaps key investors, customers, or influencers, can help provide additional credibility to the news.

Forward-looking Closing

We then close out the release with a forward-looking paragraph. Where do you go from here? If there is a call to action, include that here: “We are actively recruiting,” “You can download our product here,” etc. I always try to embed some thought leadership in my closing, specifically how this announcement leads us closer to realizing our vision statement. While maintaining the objectivity of the release, tangibly describe how this news affects the daily lives of your customers, and how it transforms your industry and/or the world at large. If this announcement is being offered as an exclusive, perhaps gear this toward the readership of that publication.

The end of the release should include any relevant links, your press contact information should someone want to reach out, and a boilerplate statement: a one-paragraph company description that remains more or less unchanged from release to release.

Disseminating Your Release

Once the release is complete and approved by all relevant parties, it is typically added to a media kit. This downloadable folder will usually include company logos, founder headshots and/or team photos, any relevant visuals/product images, brand videos/product demos, and any corresponding documents that help tell your story (e.g., fact sheets, FAQs, white papers). This folder will be shared with journalists during the pitching process.

As discussed in my fundraising announcement blog, the press release is a tool for the journalist to use during their information-gathering process. Once the embargo lifts and your news goes live, what you do with your press release is up to you. If you have the resources to publish your release on the wire (often costing upwards of $1k), there is a chance it will get picked up by online publications and syndicates. It also creates a searchable link that can support SEO efforts. At this point, you can also share your media kit with as many relevant journalists as you desire in the hopes of additional pickup.

Otherwise, consider publishing the release (or a modified version of it) on your own channels. If there is a place on your website to keep releases for download, that can help with future press inquiries as well as to show legitimacy for potential customers, partners, and investors. The release can also be broken down into posts for social media, with the option to link back to the full version if it’s on your website.
Various templates for your press release can be found on Canva, and additional press release content breakdowns can be viewed here.

If you’re an Initialized founder, please feel free to reach out for our custom press release templates and playbook: daniel@initialized.com.

Recent Press Release Examples From Our Portfolio Companies:

Star Catcher

Picogrid