Although the press release is a tried-and-true tactic for brand communications, there’s much more to writing and distributing one than meets the eye.From reaching media and industry influencers to driving search visibility and sales, there are so many things a press release can achieve for today’s PR and marketing pros. However, with all of the focus on storytelling and distribution (both very important things), it can be easy to forget other press release must-dos.Using a press release template or checklist can give your writing process the consistency needed to ensure all essentials are included.Press releases over the years have generally followed a standard format, including the same basic pieces of important information. And despite other changes to best practices, every press release still must include the following:

• Headline
• Dateline City
• Dateline Date
• Boilerplate
• Company Contact

In our, we provide tips on these and other press release nuts and bolts. But, while the basic bones of all releases should remain the same, each press release’s purpose will present key differences in the way it should be formatted.As PR and marketing practices have evolved to meet audiences’ constantly shifting needs, so has the press release. When looking at the press releases distributed across PR Newswire day in and day out, we see an ever-growing variety and no “one-size-fits-all” method to writing them.However, we do see some trends, which can be grouped into three main categories, or press release archetypes:

• The General News Announcement
• Evergreen, or Feature, News
• Content Marketing Releases

To help PR pros and content marketers craft releases that better fit their needs, we’ve designed the following three press release templates for news and content promotion.General News ReleaseThese are the classic, time-honored press releases brands issue for personnel announcements, quarterly earnings, new product launches and other standard company or corporate communications.It’s important with any release to ensure you’re writing for the appropriate audience, and straight news tends to be targeted toward business journalists, news editors, assignment editors and investors, as well as current and potential customers. For this reason, it’s important to focus on presenting your news in a straightforward and easy-to-read manner.

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