How to Write Press Releases That Actually Get Published

3) Why press releases still work — key stats (load-bearing facts)

• Media rely on press releases: major industry surveys show ~68% of journalists find official press releases the most useful content from PR pros.

• Press releases distributed online reach hundreds of percent more readers than older offline methods; they still drive discovery and backlinks via syndication.

• Journalist response/pickup is competitive: industry benchmarks suggest single-digit percent response rates to cold outreach — but multimedia + relevance boosts odds significantly. PRLab | B2B Tech PR Agency+1

Use those facts when pitching: editors respect numbers. Link to primary sources in your press kit.

4) The exact press release format (journalist-ready — follow this verbatim)

Headline (10–12 words max — journalist voice, benefit + who):
[Benefit/result] for [who] — [Brand] [action]

Subheadline (1 line): Add a supporting stat or unique detail.

Dateline: MUMBAI, INDIA — October 29, 2025 (use exact date)

Lead (1 strong paragraph, 30–40 words): who, what, when, why it matters now.

Body – Paragraph 2 (details): Expand — product/service + quantified benefit.
Body – Paragraph 3 (evidence/quote): 1 founder quote + 1 client or third-party validation.
Body – Paragraph 4 (context): Market context / trend lines / data points.
Boilerplate (About): 2–3 lines about company with 1 internal link (About page) and contact.
Press contact: Name, email, phone, link to press kit (ZIP with logos, images, docs).

Length target: 300–500 words. Use short sentences and AP style.

5) Headline, SEO & on-page optimization

Healthy Approach = focus on click value + keyword intent. Do both:

1. Keyword research for the headline

   • Find 1 keyword journalists/readers search (e.g., “AI marketing automation 2025”, “startup funding India 2025”).

   • Use Google Keyword Planner / Ahrefs / Semrush to check volume & related queries. (Internal note: place a link to your keyword research doc in the press kit.)

2. Headline formula (Click–friendly):

   • Result + Target + Brand → e.g., AI Tool Cuts Startup Ad Spend by 40% — Ahmed Sohail Launches Growth Suite

3. SEO best practices for the press page:

   • Title tag = Headline (≤60 chars).

   • Meta description = one-sentence benefit + CTA (≤155 chars).

   • Canonical tag to your press page; if syndicating to wire, point canonical to your domain only if you want search credit. Many outlets will set their own canonical; decide if you prefer brand SEO or syndication reach.

   • Add structured data: Article schema with headline, datePublished, author, image (helps Google News).

   • Internal linking: link press page to /about, /case-studies, and a relevant blog post that expands on your data (see internal linking section).

4. On-page content: include a downloadable press kit (ZIP), transcript, and embeddable infographic — makes it easier for outlets to republish without rewriting.

6) The 7-step story-building framework reporters love

Journalists are storytellers — give them a story arc.

1. Lead with a Hook (Why today?) — Tie to a trend or deadline.

2. State the Problem (empathy + scale) — Use a data number.

3. Introduce the Solution — Focus on outcomes, not features.

4. Show Proof (data / customer / study) — even a 3-client mini case study helps.

5. Add Credibility (awards, funding, partners) — one-liners.

6. Humanize with a Quote — short, newsy quote the journalist can drop in.

7. Close with Next Steps & Media Assets — CTA: “For interviews, contact…”

Example micro-structure (for body paragraphs): Problem → Result → Evidence → Quote. Keep each paragraph 1–3 sentences.

7) Multimedia assets & image specs (so editors don’t shrug)

Editors will ignore releases with no usable assets. Provide:

• Hero image (1200×675 px) — JPG or PNG, high resolution (300 dpi). Filename: hero_ahmedsohail_launch_1200x675.jpg. Alt text: Ahmed Sohail team presenting AI marketing dashboard.

• Logo pack: SVG + PNG (transparent). Filenames: logo_ahmedsohail.svg, logo_ahmedsohail_600.png.

• Founder headshot: 2000×2000 px, square. Alt text: Ahmed Sohail founder headshot.

• Product screenshots: 1920×1080, annotated. Filenames: dashboard_conversion_chart_1920x1080.png.

• 1 infographic (800–1200 px width) showing main stat(s) — also provide SVG for resizing.

• 1 short video (30–60s): MP4, 1080p — founder explaining the news (30 seconds). Filename: founder_30s_1080.mp4.

• Data CSV / PDF of any research (so reporters can verify).

Why these specs? Many publications have fixed aspect ratios; providing standard sizes removes friction and increases pickup. Empathy First Media

8) Outreach playbook — exact scripts + timing (DO THIS)

A. Build a targeted media list

• Use Cision / MuckRack / LinkedIn to find reporters who wrote related pieces in last 12 months (search query: “AI marketing”, “startup ad spend”, “digital marketing tools”).

• Prioritize writers at Forbes, Yahoo Finance, HT, The Ken, YourStory, TechCrunch, Economic Times.

• For each reporter, collect: beat, recent article title & URL, Twitter handle, email.

B. When to send

• Best windows: Thursday, 10:00–14:00 local timefor the reporter. If sending globally, segment by timezone. (Multiple sources converge on mid-morning / early afternoon).Source – prowly.com

C. Cold pitch email — subject lines that get opens

Use short subject lines (3 options):

• Quick: New data shows 40% drop in ad spend for startups

• Story idea: How AI cut ad spend by 40% (exclusive data)

• [Exclusive] Ahmed Sohail: AI tool doubles conversions for 3 startups

D. Email body — two variants (exclusive & broad)

Exclusive pitch (1–2 reporters — gives them exclusivity for 24–48 hrs)

Broad pitch (for wire or multiple reporters)

Follow-up cadence:

• Follow-up #1 at 48 hours (short, single line).

• Final follow-up at 5 business days (offer exclusivity or new angle).

Pitch tips: personalize first line referencing a recent story, keep body ≤4 sentences, and include press kit link. Editors receive hundreds of messages — personalization + relevance wins. Empathy First Media

9) Distribution & amplification — wires vs. direct pitch vs. owned

Wire distribution (PR Newswire, BusinessWire, EIN): good for scale and SEO if you syndicate, but doesn’t replace targeted outreach to top outlets. Use wires for broad reach and to seed discovery.

Direct outreach is essential for top-tier picks (Forbes, TechCrunch). Wires alone rarely earn top-tier interviews — that requires relationship + exclusivity.

Owned amplification:

• Publish on your press page with Article Schema and press kit.

• Repurpose into LinkedIn long-form with a unique angle + data pull-quotes.

• Email your newsletter with “exclusive peek” to subscribers the same day as the release.

Social proof loop: Once one decent outlet publishes, use that URL in pitches to other outlets with the line: “Featured in [Outlet] — for background/interview…”.

10) Follow-up & convert coverage into long-term authority

1. Collect URLs & screenshots of coverage.

2. Ask for corrections/links if they used a wire and didn’t link your domain — often you can get a follow-up with a backlink.

3. Add a “Featured In” logos bar on your homepage (with links) — this converts traffic to trust.

4. Use earned coverage as a basis for thought pieces: pitch op-eds or data stories to other outlets. Cision

11) Full example press release (copy / paste ready)

Headline: Ahmed Sohail Launches AI Growth Suite That Cuts Startup Ad Spend by 40%

Subheadline: Mumbai-based agency releases data from three pilot customers showing 2x conversion improvement in 90 days.

MUMBAI, INDIA — October 29, 2025 — Ahmed Sohail, a Mumbai-based digital marketing & IT staff augmentation agency, today announced the launch of GrowthSuite AI, a marketing automation platform that helped three early-stage startups reduce ad spend by an average of 40% while doubling conversion rates in just 90 days.

“We built GrowthSuite to give bootstrapped startups enterprise-level optimization without the enterprise price,” said Ahmed Sohail, Founder. “Our pilot customers saw CPC fall by 40% and conversions climb 2x — results backed by our internal CSV dataset available in the press kit.”

The platform combines automated creative testing, conversion-trained bidding, and SEO-driven content suggestions. In a head-to-head pilot, GrowthSuite outperformed legacy campaign setups on both CTR and ROAS. Full pilot methodology and raw data are included in the press kit.

About Ahmed Sohail: Ahmed Sohail is a digital marketing and IT staff augmentation agency based in Mumbai, offering SEO, SMM, PPC, and developer hiring solutions worldwide. For the full press kit (images, quotes, CSV),

visit: https://ahmedsohail.com/
Press contact: [Name] — press@ahmedsohail.com — +91 9XXXXXXXX

(Use the Multimedia & SEO specs from above for the press kit.)

12) Press release checklist & KPIs to track

Checklist before hitting send

• Single clear news hook?

• ≤500 words, AP style?

• Founder + customer quotes (short)?

• Press kit with images, video, CSV?

• Schema/SEO + canonical decided?

• Media list built & personalization drafted?

• Timing scheduled for target timezones?

KPIs (first 30 days)

• Number of placements (goal: 5+ regional outlets, 1 top-tier national)

• Organic traffic uplift to press page (target: +30–200% depending on baseline)

• Backlinks from publications (counted & quality via domain authority)

• Direct media inquiries (number & quality)

• Social shares & newsletter signups attributed to PR

Industry benchmarks: single-digit percent pickup rate for cold pitches — aim to beat that with exclusives + multimedia. PRLab | B2B Tech PR Agency+1