How To Write a Press Release for Any Occasion (with templates and examples)
Agility PR Solutions’ newsroom.
Types of Press Releases
Now that we’ve covered the basic logistics of a press release, you may be wondering: when should I write and share a press release?
Organizations can use press releases to communicate all kinds of messages, but generally, they’ll fall into one of several categories. Browse through this section to get a feel for some of the most common press releases, along with specific examples to get familiar with the content and style of each. Then, download our Anatomy of a Press Release Guide and Template to create your own[8].
Breaking News
This is anything the organization wants (or needs) to formally announce to the public. Whether it’s news that will boost their brand reputation, provide practical information to stakeholders, or introduce the public to a new initiative, these press releases provide all the basic information needed to help journalists break the story and keep organizations transparent.
Canada legalizes cannabis[9] – Government of Canada, 2018
Lancaster University helps students with albinism in Tanzania[10] – Lancaster University, 2018
Crisis Communications
When a crisis strikes[11], it’s important to be open, honest, and ahead of the story. Organizations can use press releases as part of a crisis management strategy to clarify the facts, apologize, and/or emphasize the actions they have taken in the aftermath. Many organizations will also issue a statement to support these efforts.
A statement is not the same thing as a press release. Statements are reactionary, immediate, and do not follow a particular format. Think of a quick “We know this happened, we are sorry, we are working on it” from a company’s CEO. Many companies will use a two-pronged approach by issuing a statement to apologize and address the situation immediately, followed by a press release to focus entirely on how the company is moving forward. (See the Starbucks example, issued after this incident[12]).
Starbucks closes all stores for racial bias training[13] – Starbucks, 2018