How to Write a Press Release (With a Template) and Distribute It Without Link Spam

Reporters want news: something new, specific and relevant to their readers. Examples include a product launch with a real difference, original research, a significant hire, a funding round or a partnership. A routine blog post is not news.

Ask what changes for whom, and why anyone outside your company would care this week. If you cannot answer, a briefing note or a thought leadership piece may serve better.

Use an inverted pyramid. A headline stating the news, a short subhead, a dateline and a first paragraph with who, what, when and why it matters. Follow with supporting detail, a quote, background and a boilerplate. Add contact information and links to assets.

Keep to one page where possible. Use plain language, verifiable facts and no hype words that you cannot support.

Build a list of reporters who cover the topic and send each a short personal pitch with the release below. Post the release on your own newsroom page. Wire services can add reach and archive value, but they are not a guarantee of coverage.

Google's spam policies cover link schemes, and their examples include paid advertorials and links with optimized anchor text in guest posts or press releases distributed on other sites. Google's link guidance says to mark paid placements with rel="sponsored" (nofollow is also acceptable). Do not stuff releases with keyword anchor links to chase rankings.

Count quality coverage, referral traffic, branded search lift and relevant enquiries, not impressions alone. Record which reporters responded and why.

Learn from releases that earned nothing. Often the issue is news value, timing or targeting, not word choice.