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Free press release template

Fill in the blanks and get a release in the standard format, ready to paste into an email or a document. As you type, each part is checked against the 176,492 press releases measured by the PPN World Research Center.

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Type of announcement
Release line
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Your release appears here as you type.

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Checked against 176,492 press releases

  • ○Headline — the median release's runs 81 characters.
  • ○Lead — the median runs 45 words.
  • ○Body — the median release runs 467 words from the lead to the About section.
  • ○Dateline — add a city and a date. About 76% of distributors' releases open with one (an estimate).
  • iNo quote — 52% of releases carry one.
  • ○About section — 64% of distributors' releases end with one.
  • !No email or phone. About 43% of releases give one (an estimate) — a reporter who can't reach you writes the story without you.
The format, part by part
  1. 01

    Release line (optional)

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, or the time an embargo lifts. Only 3.2% of releases still print the first; an embargo line matters whenever the news has to wait.

  2. 02

    Headline

    The news in one line: who did what, with the number that matters. The median runs 81 characters, and 75% of headlines run past the 60 a search result shows.

  3. 03

    Sub-headline (optional)

    A second fact, for the reader who stops at the top.

  4. 04

    Dateline

    The city in capitals and the date, before the first sentence: where the news comes from and when it was announced. About 76% of distributors' releases open with one, and about 17% on organizations' own websites (estimates).

  5. 05

    Lead

    Who, what, when and where in one or two sentences; the median lead runs 45 words. An editor who reads only this paragraph should have the story.

  6. 06

    Body

    Details in descending order of importance — figures, dates, prices, availability — then background. The median release runs 467 words from the lead to the About section, and 588 in all.

  7. 07

    Quote

    52% of releases carry one. Use it for what only the speaker could say — a decision, a reason, a number — with their full name and title.

  8. 08

    About section

    Two or three sentences on who the organization is, reused on every release. 64% of distributors' releases end with one, against 3% on organizations' own websites, where the site already says who you are.

  9. 09

    Media contact

    A name, an email and a phone number a reporter can use today. Distributors' releases give one about 65% of the time; organizations' own pages, about 14% (estimates).

  10. 10

    End mark (optional)

    ### — or -30- in French-language Canada — tells an editor nothing follows. About 3.2% of releases still use one (an indicative figure).

Copy-paste template

The same structure as plain text. Replace each bracket, delete the optional lines you don't need, and keep the order.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Headline: who did what, with the number that matters]

[Optional sub-headline: the second most important fact]

[CITY], [Month Day, Year] — [Lead: who, what, when and where in one or two sentences.]

[Paragraph 2: the details a reporter needs — figures, dates, prices, availability.]

“[One thing only this person could say: a decision, a number, a reason],” said [Full name], [title, organization].

[Paragraph 3: background, context, what happens next.]

About [Organization]

[Two or three sentences: what the organization does, where it is based, how big it is, its website.]

Media contact
[Name]
[email]
[phone]

###
What real releases look like

Measured on 176,492 English-language press releases published from July 1, 2026 to October 6, 2026 on 877 websites — distributors' and organizations' own. Medians and shares; the dateline and contact figures are estimates.

PartAll releasesDistributors' websitesOrganizations' own websites
Length, in all588 words637 words482 words
Body, lead to About467 words468 words465 words
Lead45 words52 words35 words
Headline81 characters93 characters67 characters
Headline over 60 characters75%86%61%
At least one quote52%59%42%
About section38%64%3%
Dateline (estimate)51%76%17%
Media contact (estimate)43%65%14%
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE3.2%0.3%6.9%

Source: The Anatomy of a Press Release, PPN World Research Center, Paper No. 2.

Questions
What is the standard press release format?+
From the top: an optional release line (FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE or an embargo time), a headline, an optional sub-headline, a dateline with the city and date, a lead paragraph with who, what, when and where, the body in descending order of importance with one or two attributed quotes, an About section and a media contact. In PPN World's study of 176,492 releases, the median release runs 588 words.
How long should a press release be?+
Near the median is a safe target: 588 words in all, 467 of them from the lead to the About section. Companies' own releases run longer (718 words) and national governments' shorter (401). Most announcements fit on one page.
Do I still need to write FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE?+
No. Only 3.2% of releases still carry it, and 77% of those are on a single website, the U.S. Department of Justice's. The line told a newsroom that a release on paper could run at once; on a web page it instructs no one. Use an embargo line instead when the news has to wait.
What does ### mean at the end of a press release?+
It marks the end of the copy, so an editor knows nothing follows; French-language releases in Canada use -30-. About 3.2% of releases still close with one. It is optional.
What goes in a press release boilerplate?+
Two or three sentences: what the organization does, where it is based, how large it is and where to learn more. Write it once and reuse it on every release. 64% of distributors' releases end with one.
Is this press release template free?+
Yes, with no account and no email. Your draft stays in your browser and is never sent to PPN World. Copy it as text, paste it formatted into Word, Google Docs or an email, or download it.
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