Most press releases are never covered, and it is rarely because the news was weak. It is because the release was written for the company that sent it rather than the journalist who had to decide, in about eight seconds, whether to keep reading. If you want to write a press release that actually gets coverage, the whole exercise has to start from that reality: an editor is scanning dozens of releases, looking for a reason to say no, and your job is to remove every one of those reasons and hand them a story they can publish with minimal effort.
This guide walks through exactly how to do that, from judging whether you even have a story to structuring, writing, quoting, formatting and distributing a release that Indian journalists will actually use. It is written for founders, marketers and communications leads who are tired of pressing send and hearing nothing back. Writing the release well is a core part of any serious press release distribution effort, and it is a craft you can genuinely learn.
First, do you actually have news?
Before a single word is written, answer the hardest question honestly: is this newsworthy to anyone outside your own company? This is where most releases fail. An internal milestone that thrills your team, a minor feature update, a new hire two rungs below the C-suite, a routine partnership, none of these are news to a journalist, no matter how the release is dressed up.
Genuine news usually has at least one of these qualities.
- Significance. It affects a meaningful number of people, an industry, or a market. A funding round large enough to signal something about your sector qualifies; a small internal reshuffle does not.
- Novelty. It is genuinely new, a first, or a surprising break from expectation. “First in India to do X” earns attention if it is true and verifiable.
- Timeliness. It connects to something happening now, a regulatory change, a seasonal moment, a trend journalists are already writing about.
- Human interest or impact. It changes something for real people, customers, patients, students, communities, in a way a reader will care about.
- Data. Original research or a proprietary survey gives journalists something they cannot get elsewhere, which is one of the most reliable ways to earn coverage in India’s business press.
If your announcement has none of these, no amount of skilful writing will save it, and you are better off holding the release or finding the real angle. A good media relations partner will tell you this bluntly rather than distribute something that will only burn your credibility with journalists.
The anatomy of a press release
A press release follows a recognised structure precisely because journalists expect it. Meeting that expectation makes their job faster, which makes them more likely to use your story. Every effective release has the same components in the same order.
1. The headline
The headline is the single most important line you will write, because it decides whether anything below it gets read. A strong press release headline is clear, specific and factual, not clever. It states the news in plain language and, ideally, hints at why it matters. Avoid jargon, avoid superlatives no one believes, and resist the temptation to be witty at the cost of clarity. “Bengaluru fintech Acme raises Rs 120 crore to expand rural lending” beats “Acme reimagines the future of finance” every single time, because the first tells a busy editor exactly what the story is.
2. The subheadline (optional)
A short supporting line beneath the headline can add a second layer of context, the amount, the partner, the scale, the timing, without cluttering the headline itself. Keep it factual and brief.
3. The dateline and lead
Open with a dateline (city and date) and then the lead paragraph, the most important part of the body. The lead must answer the core questions, who, what, when, where, why and how, in the first two or three sentences. Assume the journalist reads nothing else. Everything essential should be understandable from the lead alone. This is the inverted-pyramid principle that governs all news writing: most important information first, supporting detail after, background last.
4. The body
The body expands on the lead with the supporting detail, the context, the numbers, the how and the why. Structure it so that a journalist can cut it from the bottom up without losing the essentials, because that is exactly how they will edit it. Give real, verifiable facts. Explain why the news matters to the reader, not just to you. If you have data, present it clearly. If there is a wider trend your news fits into, name it, because you are helping the journalist see the story they can build around your announcement.
5. The quotes
Quotes are where most releases go to die. A quote that says “We are thrilled and excited to announce this landmark milestone” adds nothing and signals amateurism. A good quote sounds like a human being saying something with actual content, an insight, a reason, a forward view. Attribute it to a named, relevant person, usually a founder or senior executive, and make it say something a journalist would genuinely want to reproduce. One strong, substantive quote beats three hollow ones.
6. The boilerplate
At the end, a short “About the company” paragraph, the boilerplate, gives standing facts: what you do, where you are based, when you were founded, your scale. Keep it factual and consistent across every release, because journalists and databases pick it up verbatim. This is also where a clear line about your business positioning belongs.
7. Media contact and notes
Finish with a named media contact, a phone number and an email that a journalist can actually reach on deadline. Add any notes for editors, links to high-resolution images, a spokesperson’s availability for interview, or supporting documents. Making it effortless to follow up is not a nicety; it is often what converts interest into a published story.
How to write it so a journalist keeps reading
Structure gets you in the door. Craft is what keeps the editor reading past the first line. A few practitioner habits make the difference.
- Write in the third person and in a neutral news voice. A release should read like a news report about your company, not a sales letter from it. The moment it sounds like marketing, an editor mentally files it as an advertisement.
- Front-load ruthlessly. Put the most important fact in the headline and the lead. Do not build up to your news across three paragraphs of context; journalists will have left long before the reveal.
- Be specific. Numbers, names, dates and places beat adjectives. “Significant growth” means nothing; “revenue grew 3x to Rs 45 crore in FY25” is a story.
- Cut the hype. Words like revolutionary, world-class, cutting-edge and game-changing are invisible to journalists because every release uses them. Let the facts carry the weight.
- Keep it to a page, ideally. One page, occasionally two if the news is genuinely substantial. A four-page release signals that you cannot tell what matters, which is the opposite of what a journalist needs.
- Proofread as if your credibility depends on it, because it does. A typo in the headline or a wrong figure in the lead undermines every other claim in the release.
Formatting and the practical details
Journalists work fast and on multiple devices, so presentation matters more than founders expect.
- Use a clean, readable layout with a clear headline, standard paragraphs and no design flourishes that break in email.
- Include the date prominently and mark whether the news is for immediate release or embargoed until a specific date and time. If you use an embargo, honour it and expect the journalist to as well.
- Paste the release into the body of the email rather than only attaching a PDF; many journalists will not open attachments from unknown senders.
- Offer supporting assets, logos, product images, founder headshots, data charts, as easily accessible links, ideally high-resolution.
- Keep your media list accurate so the release reaches the right beat reporters rather than a generic inbox.
Distributing the release: reach the right people, not everyone
A perfect release sent to the wrong journalists gets nowhere, and a good release blasted to a thousand irrelevant inboxes gets you marked as spam. Distribution is its own discipline, and doing it well in India means understanding the landscape.
The most effective approach is targeted. Identify the specific journalists and outlets that cover your sector, national business media like The Economic Times and Mint, digital-first publications like YourStory and Inc42, the relevant trade press, and crucially the regional and vernacular outlets that matter for your market. Then reach them with a short, personalised pitch, not just a mass release. We cover the personal approach in depth in our guides on how to pitch journalists and how to get media coverage.
Wire and distribution services have a role for wide, on-the-record dissemination and for the SEO and search visibility a syndicated release can create, and there is a whole practice around press release distribution in India that balances reach against relevance. But distribution should complement targeted outreach, not replace it. The best coverage almost always comes from a journalist who received a story that fit their beat, from a source they recognised, at a moment it was relevant.
Timing matters too. Avoid sending on Friday evenings or into major news days when your story will be buried. Late morning, midweek, tends to work for Indian business media, though the right window depends on your sector and the journalist’s rhythm.
Common mistakes that kill coverage
Even a well-structured release can fail on avoidable errors. The ones that recur most often:
- No real news. The single biggest killer. If it is not genuinely newsworthy, rework the angle or do not send it.
- Burying the story. The actual news hidden in paragraph four while the release opens with generic mission statements.
- Hype over substance. A release stuffed with superlatives and empty of facts.
- Hollow quotes. Excitement instead of insight, contributing nothing a journalist would want to publish.
- Wrong recipients. Sending fintech news to a lifestyle reporter, or blasting one generic release to everyone.
- No easy follow-up. A missing contact, an unreachable phone, or a spokesperson unavailable when the journalist calls.
- Ignoring disclosure and compliance. In India, any paid or sponsored element must respect ASCI norms, and a release that blurs earned and paid without disclosure is a reputational and regulatory risk.
Avoiding these is often the difference between a release that gets picked up and one that vanishes.
A quick worked example
Imagine an edtech startup in Lucknow launching a vernacular learning app. A weak release headline would read “Company launches innovative new app to transform education.” A strong one reads “Lucknow edtech startup launches Hindi-first learning app for 10 lakh Tier-2 students.” The strong version names the place, the sector, the language angle, the specific audience and the scale, giving a journalist an immediate, tangible story with a clear regional hook. The lead then answers who launched what, when, for whom and why it matters, in three sentences. A substantive quote from the founder explains the gap in the market rather than expressing excitement. The body backs it with the number of schools, the pricing and the funding behind it. That is a release an education and edtech reporter can publish with almost no extra work, which is precisely the goal.
When to bring in professional help
Writing a strong release is a learnable skill, but knowing what is newsworthy, who to send it to, and how to convert a release into sustained coverage is where experience compounds. A capable PR partner does not just write the release; they judge the angle, target the right journalists, manage timing and follow-up, and connect the announcement to a wider narrative and your broader content marketing and SEO efforts so a single release keeps working long after the news cycle moves on. If you are weighing that decision, our guide on how to choose a PR agency is a useful starting point.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a press release be?
Aim for one page, around 300 to 500 words, and go to a second page only if the news is genuinely substantial. Journalists scan quickly and edit from the bottom up, so length beyond what the story needs works against you. The discipline of keeping it tight also forces you to lead with what actually matters rather than burying the news in context.
What makes a press release headline effective?
A strong headline is clear, specific and factual rather than clever. It states the news in plain language and, ideally, signals why it matters, using concrete details like place, sector, amount or scale. Avoid jargon, superlatives and wordplay that obscure the story. If an editor cannot tell what the news is from the headline alone, they will move on before reading the lead.
Do press releases still work in the age of digital PR?
Yes, when they carry genuine news and are targeted well. The format has evolved rather than died: releases now also drive search visibility, feed digital-first outlets and support digital PR and link-earning. What has changed is that mass, newsless distribution no longer works. A well-crafted, well-targeted release remains one of the most reliable tools in the PR kit.
Should I use a paid distribution service or pitch journalists directly?
Both have a place, and the best programmes combine them. Direct, personalised pitching to relevant journalists produces the highest-quality coverage, while paid wire distribution offers broad, on-the-record reach and search visibility. Lead with targeted outreach for the stories that matter most, and use distribution services to complement it, not as a substitute for knowing your journalists.
How do I write a good quote for a press release?
Write a quote that says something with actual content, an insight, a reason, or a forward-looking view, in the natural voice of a named senior person. Avoid empty enthusiasm like “we are thrilled to announce.” A journalist reproduces a quote because it adds meaning to the story, so give them a line worth reproducing rather than a line that only flatters the company.
When is the best time to send a press release in India?
Midweek, late morning, generally works well for Indian business media, avoiding Friday evenings, weekends and major news days when your story will be crowded out. The precise window depends on your sector and the individual journalist’s rhythm, which is another reason building real relationships beats blind mass distribution.
Turn your next announcement into coverage that counts
A press release is not a formality you file and forget. Done properly, it is a precision instrument for handing a journalist a story they want to tell. The craft, judging the news, structuring it for the reader, writing with substance over hype, targeting the right people and following up, is learnable, but the difference between a release that vanishes and one that earns real coverage often comes down to experience and relationships you cannot build overnight.
If you want your next announcement to actually land, our public relations team writes, targets and places releases that Indian journalists use, and connects each one to a wider reputation-building strategy. Contact us to make your news impossible to ignore.