Building relationships with top news reporters can make all the difference in amplifying a message. If you want your story to be heard, you need to know who’s reporting it. The journalists below are among the most influential voices in the industry, shaping public conversations and setting the news agenda.

Here are some of the most prominent reporters today:

• Lester Holt, NBC News
• Anderson Cooper, CNN
• David Muir, ABC
• Shereen Bhan, CNBC-TV18
• Robin Roberts, ABC
• Christiane Amanpour, CNN

Each of these reporters has built a reputation for delivering news with accuracy and depth. Understanding their coverage areas and reporting styles can help you craft the right approach when reaching out."

Let's start from the basics, though:

What is a news journalist?

Before looking at the best news reporters in the industry, it is important to understand exactly what they do.

These journalists are effectively the gateway to keeping the public informed on the latest events. They will gather information and news from multiple sources, including PRs, news briefings, and wire services, as well as undertaking research themselves. 

With this information, the reporter will then assemble it all together into a digestible newspaper article, television report, or radio briefing. Certain news journalists will only cover specific topics, so when approaching them, it is essential that you are reaching out with relevant information that they would be interested in. 

The best news reporters

Lester Holt, NBC News

When it comes to the best news journalists, Lester Holt continues to be one of the most recognized names in the industry. Having been the permanent news anchor on NBC Nightly News since 2015, he regularly covers some of the most hard-hitting stories in the world. 

With an illustrious career spanning several decades, he has covered some of the most iconic moments in global history. 

Anderson Cooper, CNN 

New York Times bestselling author and current anchor of CNN, Anderson Cooper, is one of the most recognizable news reporters in America. Graduating from Yale University in 1989, Anderson began his journalism career covering war-torn regions for Channel One News. 

From there, he steadily progressed through the ranks before joining CNN in 2001. Nowadays, he is the lead anchor on the Anderson Cooper 360° show on CNN while also being a feature correspondent on 60 minutes. 

David Muir, ABC 

Based in New York, David is a popular news journalist and current anchor on ABC World News Tonight. Thanks to the huge popularity of the show, he has become a household name in America and is recognized across the globe. 

Covering a wide range of major news stories, he has won multiple Emmy awards as well as several Edward R. Murrow awards for his international reporting. His career began back in 1994, when he was an anchor and reporter for WTVH-TV, but fast-forward to 2021, and he has just taken over as the lead anchor for breaking news and special events. 

Shereen Bhan, CNBC-TV18

Shereen is one of the most recognized news reporters in India, currently acting as the Series Editor for one of the longest-running shows in the country, Young Turks. Prior to this, she was a reporter and news anchor for many of India’s flagship shows, including India Business Hour and The Nation’s Business. 

She is famed for her friendly approach while on camera, and she has won multiple awards throughout her career. In 2005, she was also named the FICCI Woman of the Year, while 2009 saw her named as one of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders. 

Robin Roberts, ABC

As the face of one of the most popular morning shows in the world, Good Morning America on ABS, Robin Roberts is one of the most trusted reporters in the industry. Starter her career as a local sports anchor for local radio and TV shows in Mississippi, she moved on to ESPN, where she worked throughout the 1990s. 

Joining ABC in 2005, she has covered a wide range of news stories and has also published several books that cover self-help topics and inspiring stories. 

Christiane Amanpour, CNN

As the Chief International Anchor for CNN, alongside being the anchor for the media outlets international news program, Amanpour, Christiane is one of the most recognizable faces in the industry. 

The British-Iranian journalist’s career spans three decades, and she has won multiple awards for her ground-breaking reporting, including nine Emmys. 

Find the best news reporters with Prowly 

While these six reporters might be some of the most influential in the industry, there and thousands of incredible journalists out there that you might want to pitch to.

Tools like Prowly can easily help you find relevant news journalists to cover your story. With a Media Database packed with over one million journalists from across the globe, this gets easier than ever.

Cover photo by Sam McGhee

The post Top News Journalists – The 2025 List appeared first on Prowly.

The traditional approach to public relations is known to focus on press releases and curating perfect media lists. You know, securing coverage hoping for brand awareness and online presence to just organically follow.

However, now digital PR efforts are strong on mixing an SEO strategy focused on link building with actions that yield influence and online visibility.

In-house teams and agencies that stay ahead know mentions are still important (and probably will be forever), but also put a lot of effort into starting movements ignited by quality content that results in target audience loyalty and engagement.

Read this guide to know more about how performance-driven PR can work hand in hand with influence-led approaches to positively affect your brand's online presence.

A digital PR strategy goes beyond vanity metrics

Unlike traditional PR, where the main objective is in an answer to the question, "How many mentions did we get?" an effective digital PR strategy recognizes that the questions should be, "Did we change the conversation?" and "Did we influence our target audience?"

The new goals of digital PR

While your clients might still want to see vanity metrics and concrete data, it's your job to make sure they also understand that success isn't only measured by the number of media mentions, backlinks, and press releases being sent out.

These traditional metrics don't really capture the full impact of an actionable, well-thought out digital PR strategy. You're probably immune to this by now, but hearing "How many mentions did we get?" is sure to make your blood pressure rise a bit higher now and then.

Instead, it's important to shift the mindset a bit and see if your work has changed not only the statistics, but also the conversation.

Has your work and the actions you took in your digital PR strategy influenced the industry in any way?

These questions are much more important than the former.

Backlinks are good, but brand authority is great

Although backlinks still matter, their real value lies in how they build credibility. Don't focus on chasing links just to boost SEO. Rather, focus on securing placements that will increase your online reputation, reinforcing expertise and trust.

Community buzz over media coverage

Traditional media headlines are awesome but, in retrospect, they don't tend to create lasting influence and engagement. Today, digital PR aims to spark conversations where industry experts, thought leaders, and your target audience keep on chatting.

From press releases, to earned, organic attention

Yes, press releases serve a purpose like no other, but they do little in terms of creating the type of storytelling, collaborations, and initiatives that digital public relations can create.

💡 Case study: Duolingo's unhinged TikTok digital PR content

There's not a single chance you haven't heard about their brand image.

Unconventional, yet humorous, they've created viral content that resonated with audiences far beyond traditional PR.

They've leaned into playful, meme-driven storytelling, and in turn the brand generated a massive increase in brand awareness, increased domain authority and a getting boost in search engines.

Performance PR: measuring real business impact

How to track digital PR’s true value

In the way traditional public relations is done, success is usually measured by the number of press hits you get and their reach. However, in digital PR, metrics used to assess whether or not a particular strategy is working go far beyond that.

When measuring your digital PR strategy, consider:

SEO metrics

👉 Organic traffic - monitor how your PR-driven content contributed to website visits from current and new guests.

👉 Backlink profile - track websites that link back to yours and their domain authority, strength and relevance.

👉 Branded search growth - how many people are searching for you on their own? This is important and measures general brand awareness.

Brand metrics

👉 Social mentions - see how many times your brand is talked about on social media platforms, discussion forums and so on.

👉 Share of voice - a metric known to many, it's simply a way to measure and compare your brand's media presence vs. your competitors.

👉 Sentiment analysis - just because your digital PR campaign gained traction, doesn't mean it's all great. Always remember to check sentiment.

Revenue metrics

👉 ICP share - do you know how many of your ideal customers are actually engaging with your digital PR efforts? If not, dive into the topic for insightful analytics ASAP.

👉 Leads - measure how many potential customers or prospects want to buy your product.

👉 Pipeline impact - this one measures how digital PR strategy affects awareness and translates directly into sales opportunities by tracking conversions and attributed revenue.

3 Top tools to measure digital PR performance

Choosing the right tools to measure digital PR and digital marketing is crucial in making sure your strategy is going according to plan. Here are some of the best choices:

1. Semrush: an all-in-one digital marketing tool that helps companies analyze their online presence. In terms of digital PR, Semrush is great for backlink analysis, organic traffic tracking, content marketing, and competitive benchmarking.
2. Google Search Console: use it to track brand-driven search growth, including monitoring branded search queries, measuring impressions and clicks, analyzing trends over time, and assessing page performance.
3. Prowly: an all-in-one PR tool that helps build relationships with journalists while managing your brand's reputation. Track online PR, analyze link building activities, and keep tabs on the digital space with a robust media database, PR CRM, media monitoring, and PR reports.

💡 Case study: Notion's user-driven digital PR strategy

Did you know that Notion's growth wasn't fueled by traditional public relations and press releases?

Rather, it was built by a passionate user base that organically shared their workflows, templates, and use cases. Such tactics led to widespread adoption, generating quality backlinks and organic media coverage that boosted their search rankings.

Reverse Digital PR: Build the buzz before you have the story

Create communities before building campaigns

Traditional PR starts with some kind of a campaign then focuses on generating attention. Is this the right way to go? Not in 2025! Reverse digital PR flips the process around and emphasizes building engaged communities first.

The key thing is, you don't need to start big. Begin with micro-communities, Slack groups, Discord servers, Reddit channels, and Twitter (X) to foster genuine connections with a niche target audience.

Whether you are a digital PR specialist or work in digital PR agencies, you know how important it is to test narratives and refine messaging before you start launching your media outreach at full force.

Host Reddit AMAs. Build Substack newsletters. All these types of ideas serve as pre-audience builders and can help you create a loyal following (or base) before you kick off your digital presence with the formal campaigns that traditional PR focuses on.

💡 Case study: Lenny Rachitsky's Substack strategy

This former Airbnb product lead started sharing insights and knowledge through his Substack newsletter and managed to build a highly engaged audience of product managers and start-up professionals.

Since he established credibility and thought leadership first, he attracted media attention naturally, making him a frequently quoted expert in the industry.

Strategic boldness and controversies

Any successful digital PR campaign needs to have some kind of a stance.

It doesn't matter what the topic is. While you don't need to spark a controversy that will make people's heads turn, you should have a fresh and new angle in mind.

However, you can always engage in planned polarity. Some of the biggest brands do it and they understand that they don't need universal approval from everyone to build influence. By standing firm on their values, they create even deeper connections with their target audience while naturally sparking conversations.

Keep in mind that this involves taking calculated risks.

Being provocative or controversial can improve brand awareness or result in negative sentiment, all depending on how the broader audience receives it.

Tip: Make sure to invest in good media monitoring software (such as Prowly) to prevent potential crises, especially if you plan to incorporate a bit of controversy into your digital strategy. When choosing a media monitoring service, make sure it’s tailored to local media — for example, the UK market.

💡 Case study: Patagonia's "Don't buy this jacket" campaign

In 2011, Patagonia launched a Black Friday campaign with an anti-consumerist message asking people to reconsider unnecessary spending and purchases.

While some thought it may end up hurting sales, their bold stances increased brand awareness, loyalty, and drove positive media coverage.

How to create buzz ethically?

Creating noise around your cause is only right if it's genuine and not just seeking attention. Take a stance on issues that truly matter to you and make sure they also align with your audience's core values.

Authenticity builds trust, while opportunistic controversies can backfire and hurt your brand visibility. Your goal here isn't just to provoke but to spark meaningful conversations that will be picked up by media outlets and online channels.

Human-led vs. AI-led digital public relations

Digital PR has also been transformed by AI (no surprise there). It now offers powerful tools for journalist research, sentiment analysis, and trend prediction. While AI helps automate tasks and speed up workflows, it can't replace the human touch.

Public relations is still fundamentally about media relations and building connections. Where humans win is in emotional intelligence, creative storytelling, and long-term relationship building. PR professionals bring the type of empathy, authenticity, and nuance that AI simply can't replicate.

The key? Balancing AI for efficiency while keeping humans at the core of digital PR efforts.

👉 For example, AI can help you organize notes, draft a pitch, and even generate responses that mirror a personal conversation with a journalist. It can also suggest personalized hooks and engaging subject lines, making outreach more effective.

Wondering how it works in practice? Try Prowly free for seven days - no credit card needed.

Is PR for SEO dead? Where digital PR serves for search experience 

Today, search engines prioritize brand authority, content relevance, and user experience. Link volume isn't as important anymore, as digital PR now plays a broader role in shaping the way users interact with a brand.

The new goal isn't just to boost organic rankings. It's about owning the conversation, building credibility, and ensuring that your efforts sustain brand awareness in the long run.

Don't forget about backlinks, but care for your digital PR strategy more

Backlinks remain a key part of SEO, but relying too heavily on them isn’t enough. Search engines now prioritize brands that demonstrate EEAT (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).

Instead of just chasing links, digital PR should also focus on building brand search demand, where more people are organically searching for your brand. Another key factor is topical authority, which comes from earning brand mentions from highly respected websites.

💡 Case study: Zapier's SEO strategy

This company focuses on more than just getting backlinks. It dominates automation-related searches through authoritative content and strategic partnerships.

By consistently publishing valuable resources and ranking for automation-related searches, Zapier has positioned itself as the go-to solution in its niche.

Digital PR’s secret weapon: First-party data as the new “exclusive”

Why proprietary data is media gold

Journalists are always on the hunt for fresh insights. Brands and teams that produce original reports with exclusive data can become trusted industry sources, increasing their chances of getting attention from digital channels and online publications. Think original surveys, expert opinions, and so on.

How to use (and get) first-party data

Start off by surveying the community, the users, analyzing internal product data (always remember about confidentiality), and turn them into compelling stories. You can use different content formats here, depending on what sticks best with your audience.

💡 Case study: Spotify's Wrapped campaign

It's truly more than just an end-of-the-year recap. It fuels massive organic traction by transforming user data into personalized, shareable content.

This way, millions of people share their results on social media, and in turn, Spotify gains viral engagement and extensive media coverage without relying on traditional PR tactics.

The “invisible PR” strategy: Can you win without press releases?

Why the best digital PR today doesn’t look like traditional PR at all

Traditional PR specialists are taught to write compelling press releases and then use outreach as a promotional tactic. However, the brands that are staying ahead of the curve nowadays aren't just creating engaging content.

Increasing brand awareness starts with building strong communities. While media placements are still important, they are slowly losing the authority that news stories held years ago.

Here's how you can switch the old with the new:

3 brands winning with invisible digital PR

1. Notion - did you know they barely did any advertising? It’s actually their users who became their biggest advocates, creating and sharing templates, workflows, setups, and showing how they customize the tool to their own needs. They didn’t need traditional PR, their users did it for them.
2. Airbnb - unique stays in treehouses or a fabulous breakfast coffee in Tuscany? Airbnb’s strategy was to highlight their users’ experiences by turning the stories of hosts and guests into pieces of content.
3. Figma - first, there was a community and then PR followed. They created a space for designers to collaborate, share feedback, and essentially learn from one another. This invisible PR tactic is actually what made them indispensable in the design world.

How to implement invisible digital PR in your strategy

1️⃣ Turn your customers into storytellers

Create spaces or spark a digital PR campaign where they can share their experiences, their success stories, how they use your software, or anything else that makes sense for your particular case. You can encourage them to do so by highlighting their content on your website or online platforms. Also, remember that things like case studies, testimonials, and organic social media posts carry more importance than traditional PR corporate messaging.

2️⃣ Start caring more about your fans

Not just "fans" but brand evangelists, loyal customers, and influencers who have a strong, positive connection to your brand. Provide them with exclusive insights, early access, or recognition on the platforms where you’ve built a community. Give them space to share their experiences and amplify your message organically.

3️⃣ Create content that's PR newsworthy by nature

In digital PR, you really need to get your creative juices flowing and think about what content has the potential to gain traction in your target community. For example, if you're in the health niche, an infographic on what to eat and what to avoid may work better than an article. You have to start thinking about what makes for a compelling story and what content is likely to be shared later on so you can, in turn, earn high quality backlinks from authoritative sites.

Final food for thought

Although digital PR is something you need to implement ASAP if you haven't already, traditional PR isn't going anywhere. However, the benefits of digital PR are hard to ignore if you want to keep up with the industry and maintain brand awareness.

It's time for you to own the conversation and shift your thinking from traditional link building, to setting up foundations for your brand to influence your target audience. When your story is as compelling as it gets, public relation becomes so effortless that you'll own the niche and have journalists come to you (as opposed to you coming to them).

To measure your work in digital PR, consider utilizing a tool like Prowly in your daily workflow. From finding opportunities using the extensive media database, to getting cold-hard data through sentiment analysis and engagement, you'll be able to quantify your work in no time.

The post The New Digital PR Guide: Beyond Backlinks, Toward Influence & Impact appeared first on Prowly.

This guide shows you how to write a press release that grabs attention, gets media coverage, and reaches your target audience to increase brand awareness.

At the end, you'll find some examples of new product launch press releases to help spark ideas.

Looking to create a new product press release?

Use Prowly's AI press release generator or templates that you can use for free to easily create your own in a format that journalists expect to receive.

Prowly also lets you find relevant journalists and send out your press release to them directly from the platform.

How to write a press release for a product

Writing and pitching a press release for a product launch follows the same principles as any effective PR piece. Here are a few key things to remember:

• Keep the standard press release format
• Pitch to relevant journalists & bloggers interested in your topic/industry.
• Establish a human connection with journalists
• Do not send your press release to everybody–personalize your outreach

Here are 5 tips for writing an effective announcement for your product launch

1. Stick to a standard format

Include the following in your press release:

• Headline: An attention-grabbing headline about your product. Make it count!
• Lead: A brief overview of the story, including answers to the questions: Who? What? When? Why? With what effect?
• Dateline: To confirm that you’re providing the most up-to-date information
• Body: An explanation of the information provided earlier in the lead, the first paragraph should include the most newsworthy information about your product and finish with secondary details
• Company details: A short paragraph including your company name, spokespeople, and background information on your company and its products to help journalists understand the nature of the business and make writing about it easier, this is your company's boilerplate
• Media contact information: The author's or company’s/agency’s contact information

👉 Want to make your press releases look better? Check out these articles: “How to Design a Press Release (w/ Tips & Examples)“ and "A New Way to Make Media Briefings More Engaging".

2. Find journalists interested in your new product

To get media attention, it's important to pitch your announcement to the right journalists and bloggers - those who cover your type of product and can help bring it to the spotlight.

An easy way to find relevant media outlets interested in your product is by using a media contacts database, which also include a journalist’s contact details so you can get in touch.

You can refine your search by filtering where a journalist is located, or what topics/industries they cover.

PR tools like Prowly can suggest relevant media contacts based on your launch announcement.

This is far more effective than the "spray and pray" approach used by many distribution services, hoping for random interest.

If you're using a tool like Prowly, the quickest way to identify relevant journalists is by using the keyword search. Simply enter keywords related to your product or industry, and you'll find a list of reporters that wrote about similar products in the past.

Media lists often have an extensive list of topics that journalists are focused on, ranging from beer or cosmetics to cloud computing.

If you have a bit of time, it's worth doing some more in-depth research.

For example, if you’re writing a press release for a new product line of natural beauty products or cosmetics, check which journalists you found are actually interested in natural and organic products, and not just cosmetics in general. It’ll improve the chances of your product press release getting picked up and published.

And don’t forget to follow up.

3. Write a press release headline that grabs attention

The headline of your press release (and also the subject of your media pitch email) is crucial to getting your press release read or even email opened.

I recommend spending a bit more time on it and making sure it’s attention-grabbing and mentions your main points, i.e. your product’s USP (unique selling proposition).

Add exciting features and benefits that'll make people stop what they're doing and read what your product has to offer. Try including numbers in your headline/pitch subject line – they're proven to improve open rates.

Remember – your headline needs something that'll get your audience's news outlets intrigued. Stay away from boring titles such as [Company] Launches "New Product" or [Company] Stakeholders Profit.

If readers are asking themselves "So what?", then you're doing it wrong.

4. Focus on the unique features and benefits of your product

It doesn’t make sense to write a news story about a product that seems just like every other, does it?

Focus on making your product stand out from the rest by emphasizing its unique features and benefits. Depending on your product and target audience, you’ll want to focus more on one or the other.

If you’re targeting a very particular and specific audience, especially in the B2B or small business sector, it can be a better idea to focus on the technical features of your product. Stick to the point and mention the objectively superior qualities of your product.

Otherwise, it’s best to bring attention to your product by showcasing how it’ll benefit your customers and improve their day-to-day lives. Think about how using your product can be easier, simpler, or more enjoyable than what the competition has to offer.

Here’s a list of questions to help you create a winning product press release that’s more beneficial for journalists:

• Why is it worth writing about this particular product?
• What are its unique features?
• How will it contribute to the consumers’ lives?
• What makes it different from other products?
• Can you somehow compare it to the products offered by your competitors?
• Does your product come in different varieties and sizes?
• Is there a formal product launch event?

5. Be visual - use high-quality photos and videos to showcase your product or service

Adding images and videos to your product announcement is essential for getting noticed and gaining media attention. 

Visuals make your product stand out, whether it’s photos, videos, logos, or even animated GIFs.

However, avoid sending attachments. Large files can clutter journalists' inboxes and make your email harder to open.

But what if you want to include high-quality images or videos to make your product stand out more to the press?

Instead, try this approach:

• Create visuals with press release software like Prowly or WordPress.
• Embed your media directly into the release, including product photos, videos, and other rich content.
• Optionally, post it to your brand’s newsroom for easy access.
• Share the press release via a link, allowing you to track opens and clicks.

💡If you're seeking more exposure for your press release, explore these 10 ideas on how to effectively promote a press release.

Create a new product press release with AI

AI-powered tools for PR can help you create high-quality press release drafts, provide advanced editing suggestions, and even recommend who to send your press release to.

While it's worth knowing how to create an effective press release from scratch, using tools can help speed up the process and ensure you've ticked all the boxes regarding the format and content that journalists expect to receive.

Read more: Mastering AI Press Releases: Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Sending + Practical Examples

Here’s how to create (and send) a new product press release using a tool like Prowly’s AI-powered Press Release Generator.

Step 1: Enter basic details about your press release

1. Start the process by entering the type of your press release.
2. Once you select the type, Prowly's AI will ask you to pick your target audience. There are predefined options, such as industry players, customers, or local communities, but you can also add your own.
3. Choose the language of your press release draft.

Step 2: Enter key messages of your new product press release

Here, you'll want to be as specific as possible and ensure that whatever you choose is the most relevant information about your new product announcement.

You can use the list of questions provided in the "How to write" section of this guide to help you get started.

Here are three examples of key messages that you can provide for your new product press release:

• The Problem Solved: Clearly articulate the specific issue or need that your product addresses. Demonstrate how it provides a solution that is superior to existing alternatives.
• The Unique Value Proposition: Highlight the unique features and benefits that differentiate your product from competitors. Explain why customers should choose your product over others.
• The Target Audience and Benefits: Identify the specific group of people who will benefit most from your product. Clearly articulate the advantages and value they will gain by using it.

Step 3: Answer the follow-up questions

Once you’ve entered the basic information about your new product press release, Prowly’s AI will ask you more in-depth questions designed to mirror a natural conversation with the journalists you’re targeting.

You’ll receive ten questions tailored specifically to the content you shared earlier. This will complete your press release draft and reduce the need to answer many follow-up questions from the person you're pitching to.

Step 4: Customize and edit the press release draft

Whether you've generated a press release draft or written it yourself, you can adjust header font styles, fine-tune the content just like you would in a regular text editor, adjust your press release length, and cater it into a format you're happy with.

An AI Assistant trained in PR writing best practices reviews the draft and suggests improvements based on 11 key criteria, indicating exactly where to edit.

Step 5: Get contact recommendations for your press release

Prowly’s AI will start suggesting journalists you can pitch to based on the keywords found in your press release.

As long as you have contact information for the people you want to pitch to, you can always do deeper work and find out about what kind of products they've covered before, or what they're writing about at the moment.

New product press release examples

Below you'll find 4 different types of new product announcements examples to inspire you to create your own.

Each press release was created with Prowly's Creator, which lets you easily create visual pr pieces (great for showing off your product!) with drag & drop elements and add photos, videos, call-to-action buttons, and social media threads to your press release.

Feature launch press release example

New product press release example 

Book launch press release example

Get to know more about why this example of a book launch press release is well-crafted from the dedicated guide "How to Write a Book Press Release (Example and Template)."

New product line press release example

Cosmetics product launch press release example

Food product press release example

New product press release template

If you’re looking for a way to speed up the press release creation process, Prowly has multiple templates that you can use inside the platform, including one for a new product launch.

The templates include all the most important elements to make sure your story gets noticed by journalists and results in media coverage.

Prowly also lets you find relevant journalists for your product launch and send out your press release directly from the platform.

Ready to create a product launch press release?

By now you should know the basics of creating an effective product press release and new product announcement as well as pitching it successfully. To sum up, every product launch press release should contain:

• An attractive headline that features unique benefits & features of your product
• The standard elements of a press release: headline, dateline, lead, body, company info, media contact information
• A specific audience that it’s targeted to and the news articles they read
• Information on why your product is worth talking about and why anyone should be excited about it
• Attractive photos and/or videos of your product added directly to the press release (if possible, avoid attachments!)

The post New Product Press Release Writing Guide (Examples & Template) appeared first on Prowly.

The format of a press release has a huge impact on its efficiency.

Yet, this is a rare topic, as most guides focus on the writing aspect. We're happy to add our two cents and broaden your press release skillset!

Stay with us and we'll share all the secrets about press release formatting we know!

Why should you follow the standard press release format?

The short answer: that's what journalists expect. And by making their job easier, you get a better chance of being published.

Yet, there are more reasons to stick to the standard format.

Press release examples that follow it:

• are widely accepted. When in doubt, go with the standard option. It ensures your press release isn't rejected because of looking unprofessional.
• arrange information. That's helpful for you, too! By following the standard format for press releases, you can be sure you don't miss out on any important detail. And journalists can easily extract what they need.
• open the door for journalists' stories. A good press release gives out all the important pieces and suggestions for a story, but not the story itself. That's where the journalist takes over and puts the story together.

There's one exception to this rule — when your target audience has other needs. We'll cover that in a moment.

How to format a press release?

Let's jump straight into the details. Here's the standard way to format your release — and a sample of a press release format.

Press release structure:

1. Headline
2. Subheader / Lead
3. Dateline
4. Body
5. Quote
6. Company info (boilerplate)
7. Logo
8. Media contact information

Time to look at each element and get a press release sample format. 🔎

Headline

The headline can either convince journalists that your press release is worth their time — or make them skip it. That's why you need to give those few words a lot of thought.

Looking for tips on writing catchy headlines? Check out our guide on writing press release headlines!

From a formatting point of view, your headlines' length must fit how it will be displayed. For example, you can check your online newsroom or link previews on social media. You want to make sure that your audience can see the entire headline.

This way, you won't waste the effort you put in coming up with that perfect headline.😉

💡 Here is an excellent guide on How to Write a Great Press Release Headline.

Lead

The lead shows what's crucial in the press release and why it is worth reading. It works as a confirmation that your headline (aka, the hook) will deliver the value it has promised.

You can opt for a standard paragraph formatting or make it slightly different. Here's an exemplary press release coming from Epignosis:

They highlight their lead by choosing a bigger font size than they use for the body paragraphs. This helps organize the information visually.

Dateline

Press releases are about news — and datelines help journalists assess its relevance. The most important piece of information in this is, naturally, the date. Yet, optionally, you can also provide the city from which you share the information.

Let's talk about various approaches in a press release format example.

Universal Music Canada represents the most traditional approach, adding date and city at the very beginning of their press release text. That's the go-to format you'll find in most PR guides, and it comes from the tradition of newspapers.

As seen in this example coming from Apple, the date and place can be presented apart. The PR team from Apple opted for a blog-like layout, with the date placed above the headline and the city at the beginning of the news release text.

This last case is from Spotify, where the PR team completely skips the city. Their dateline consists only of the date, which is the most important information. As long as your news isn't local, the decision of whether to add or skip the city is up to you.

Body

The body of your press release is where you expand on your story, providing key details and background information. This section should focus on the newsworthy angle of your announcement, making it easy for journalists to pick up and develop.

To keep your press release clear and readable, follow these best practices:

1. Keep paragraphs short — aim for two to four sentences per paragraph, ensuring each one covers a single idea.
2. Use a logical flow — start with the most essential details, then add supporting context, quotes, and relevant data.
3. Highlight key points — use the bold font strategically to emphasize crucial details and make scanning easier.
4. Maintain readability — stick to a standard, non-italicized font with single spacing for a clean, professional layout.

💡 Pro tip: Use AI to streamline press release writing

AI-powered PR software, like Prowly, can help structure your press release by providing:

• AI-generated press release drafts — get a solid starting point in seconds.
• Pre-built templates — ensure all the key details are included effortlessly.
• Smart recommendations — reach the right journalists with AI-driven insights.

How to effectively use AI for press releases

Use Prowly's AI Assistant to quickly draft press releases, get helpful editing suggestions, and find relevant media contacts — making it easier to share your story with the right audience.

We’ve created two step-by-step guides to help you get it right:

📌 How to Use an AI Press Release Generator — learn how to create effective press releases with AI assistance.

📌 Writing & Sending Press Releases with AI — get expert tips on crafting and distributing AI-powered press releases for better media coverage.

Quote

Quotes are gems for journalists, as they show the personality of your story’s heroes. And that's why your press release needs at least one.You could opt for putting them directly into the text, just like Under Armour did with their new CEO press release:

Yet, for increased visibility, you can use a separate section for quotes. For a proper press release format, make sure they are distinct from the body paragraphs.

This opens a few possibilities for different formatting choices.

You can use the LEGO approach, as seen in this sample press release format:

They used bold to highlight the speaker and italic to make the quote stand out.

Or, you can opt for an entire quote section, just like Prowly does:

With a quote marker, larger font size and attribution text, your quote instantly calls attention. This way, your press release layout becomes more interesting.

Easily add quote sections in Prowly's Press Release Creator.

Company info (press boilerplate)

Hopefully, your press release gets so much traction that it attracts people who haven't heard about you yet.

To make sure they learn enough about your company or organization to get the full context, you should include a boilerplate below each press release. Find out more about this content in our article 'How to Write a Press Release Boilerplate'.

Let's talk format. Usually, you add a header "About [company name]" and a body paragraph — just like in this Prowly example:

In the Prowly Press Release Creator, you can automatically add your boilerplate to your press releases. One click, up-to-date info — what's not to like?

Logo

Your press release makes perfect branding material. After all, it can reach people who don't recognize your brand. To help build brand recognition, make sure your materials include your logo.

This is way easier if you use an online newsroom to share and store your press releases. Then, the logo is visible on all your materials, and you don't have to add it manually.

A great example comes from Spotify, where they play with the newsroom's name. A music streaming service that names the newsroom "For the record" — just a perfect example of wordplay.

Media contact information

This section helps interested people find out more about your story — or opens a door to cooperate with you.

Add a simple CTA like "Please direct all the media inquiries to..." to indicate where to ask additional questions.

The format of sharing your contact information depends on you. Here's a shortlist of options:

• a personalized email address (like, johnblack@yourcompany.co)
• a phone number
• email addresses to your PR representatives
• social media handles

Remember that while a lot of professionals use social media, you should always give out at least one email address.

Additional press release elements

These additional elements won't appear in all press releases, yet each of these can seriously upgrade your document.

Think about them in terms of making your press release more useful to journalists. Anything you add that they can use to make their story more attractive increases the chance of it getting published.

Let's start with the most obvious non-obligatory element of a press release: visuals!

Basically, they make your press release more versatile. Most stories that appear online have at least one image — and it's better to have control over that.

Among visuals, you can find:

• photos and images (events, people, products, or anything you mention in your press release)
• videos (also with additional story elements, for example, a CEO commentary)
• infographics (for example, summing up the key points from your report)

In some cases, you can even think about having a separate part of your online newsroom complete with visuals.

If you have simply too many images to share neatly, you can follow in the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team's steps. They share photos from each race event in an easy-to-browse-and-download way.

Make sure you choose your visuals like a pro! Read our tips on images in press releases.

Another interesting element is a quick preview — close to a TL;DR section. For example, LEGO included it in their press release.

Why is it worth it? If your press release is fairly long, this is another way to quickly show why your story is newsworthy. Think of it as support for your headline and lead.

In terms of formatting, bullet points and short phrases are your go-to solutions.

The last element we'll cover here are tables. They are great for visually displaying and comparing important information. As a result, journalists can quickly pick up some data points of interest.Let's take a look at a table from a press release that announced Lewis Hamilton would leave his Mercedes team.

The table is fairly simple — a few categories like starts, wins and podiums, divided into the two teams that the racer was a part of. And that's the key — it's all about readability.

Types of press releases by format

Usually, you divide press releases by the topic or area you cover. In this article, though, we'll take press release layout as the main factor and show you the most important exceptions to a standard format for a press release.

You'll find links to press release templates here as well. As much as they're focused on the press release content, feel free to treat them as a press release format template resource.

When and why should you follow a different format for a press release?

In our approach, it boils down to the audience’s needs. Your press release should make journalists' jobs easier. They'll be very eager to cooperate with you in the future if you're known for quality press release materials.

Standard press release format

Most press releases follow the format we talked about in previous paragraphs. Usually, journalists need a quick way to assess and extract information so that they can work easily on their stories.

Go with the basic press release format for:

• event press releases
• new hire announcements
• new product releases
• rebranding press releases
• crisis press releases
• partnerships press releases
• concert press releases
• restaurant press releases
• CEO resignation press releases
• art exhibition press releases
• nonprofit press releases

In case you have doubts, the best way is to look online for benchmarks and examples.

In need of templates? Check out our 13 press release templates for any occasion — for free!

Particular press release formats

Let's analyze two special press release format examples, where the audience demands particular solutions.

1️⃣ The first one has already appeared in the text — it's the sports press release. Let's analyze the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 press release formatting:

• they put the most important facts in bullet points
• most of their press release is made of of quotes
• they add lots of images from different moments in the race

This way, sports journalists can get into the story they need quickly.

To go deeper into writing a sports press release (and examples), check out our handy guide.

2️⃣A social media press release is a different topic, as there are two main differences: the audience and the way you share it.

Let's start with the latter. A social media press release is shared via social media channels. That's why each channel can come up with its own format requirements, influencing:

• the length of your content
• multimedia elements
• link sharing options

The most important difference is that your social media press release reaches everyone. Including non-journalists, like stakeholders and your audience. It's definitely a topic for a separate article — and we'll cover it soon.

As it requires a special approach, read our guide on social media press release.

FAQ about press release and formatting

Let's quickly answer some more common questions around the press release area!

What are the 7 steps to a press release?

1. Choose an appropriate story angle
2. Set your goal
3. Work on a catchy headline
4. Write your story
5. Remember about the call to action
6. Add a boilerplate
7. Choose the right images

You'll find more details in our guide on writing a press release.

What format should a press release be in?

The short answer is to use an online version and share links.

When you reach out to specific journalists who would be interested in your topic, you increase your chance of getting published and lower the costs of press release distribution. Check out our article on tips for contacting journalists!

Prowly's Media Database helps you identify matching journalists and establish relationships with them.

Yet, if you opt to send your press releases as files, a PDF document is the safest option. You can then be sure that anyone can open and view it exactly as you intend. With other file formats, like .docx, there's a chance your journalist won't be able to open it correctly.

Where can I find free press release templates?

A press release template helps you keep high standards for each piece — without putting in additional hours. You can find quality examples in our free press release template database from Prowly.

How to make it look good?

The best press release format also makes for a great design. For a deep dive into this topic (and examples!), check out our article: How to design a press release.

7 key takeaways on press release format

If you need grounds for a standardized press release layout, you'll find them here:

1. When formatting a press release, take into account the needs of your audience: whether it's about additional elements or opting for a different display.
2. Usually, reinventing the wheel and unconventional approaches to formatting diminish the efficiency of your press release — think twice before you try it.
3. Common press release elements make sense to journalists — make sure you cover them.
4. Additional press release elements widen the range of stories that journalists can prepare — and make your press release more valuable.
5. Look for online examples to get inspired — they make great learning resources (for free!)
6. A press release template is a great way to keep your formatting consistent.
7. And a Press Release Creator makes it even more efficient!

The post Press Release Format and Structure (w/ Tips and Examples) appeared first on Prowly.

A book launch press release follows similar rules to other press releases, with a few caveats. Let us walk you through exactly how to write a good book press release.

Looking to create a book press release?

Use Prowly's AI press release generator or templates that you can use for free to easily create your own in a format that journalists expect to receive.

Prowly also lets you find relevant journalists and send out your press release to them directly from the platform.

Why write a book press release?

Book promotion is an ongoing process, so PR for books is relevant whenever a book is launched, even if it's a new edition of a timeless classic. The key to excellent press releases, though, is to provide much more than a summary of a book. Instead, you'll want to entice potential readers with the benefits of reading the whole piece.

Like most great press release writing, it's all about excellent storytelling.

And if you're looking for insights and book press release examples, you've landed in the right spot. Just keep reading.

What are the 3 main goals of a book press release?

As you write your press release, keep these main goals in mind:

1. Show the journalist why their readers will find the book exciting.
2. Provide the main points of the book while leaving the reader wanting more.
3. Include specific details like the release date and book signing dates.

When to write a book press release?

You can write a book launch announcement whenever a book is newly-published and will be available for purchase within a few weeks. You may even wait until the book is officially available online or in stores, as long as the date of the release is very recent.

Protip: Write a new book press release several weeks before the book launch date, ideally when a pre-order sales channel is set up.

How to write a press release for a book launch?

The best book press releases are concise but exciting. They provide a taste of what the reader can expect without giving away any spoilers.

To hit the sweet spot, try combining storytelling with providing only pertinent information.

Book press release format

When writing a book launch press release, remember that there's a standard expected format for press releases.

While you might get creative when it comes to the content, the structure you use to present it should follow some basic rules to be properly formatted.

Craft your press release with crystal clear clarity about your target audience and speak directly to them. Tailor your press releases for consumers, bloggers, journalists, and even the Google search algorithm.

To get to know the details of each element, read How to Write a Press Release (With Tips From PR Pros). You will find more than just generic press release tips there.

As a refresher, the common elements of a standard press release are:

• A great headline
• Subheader / Lead
• Dateline
• Body
• Quote
• Company info
• Logo
• Media contact info

Don't forget the importance of including contact details in a press release! They play a vital role in fostering effective communication and making it easier for media inquiries to reach out and follow up.

And if you're looking for more inspiration for product launch press releases, check out 6 more examples in the "Writing a New Product Press Release" article.

The Prowly press release creator can guide you through this process and assist you in covering all the key information on one page.

Other things to include

Find an interesting news angle

Identify your hook and connect the book to current events, viral topics, Google Trends, and popular topics on social media. That way you can grab major media outlets', audiences', and journalists' attention with your news story.

Book title

Include the book title right away. Don’t bury it in your great press pitch!

Book release date

Provide details on when and where the book will be made available for purchase. Give links to pre-order channels if they’re available.

Summary of the book

Provide a brief introduction to the book that focuses on high-level points like genre and themes. Then include the benefits to the reader, whether it’s learning something new or being taken on an escapist reading voyage.

Quote

You have two choices: you can either include a quote from the book or use an endorsement quote. Additionally, this is a great spot to showcase book reviews.

Author bio

There is no need for a separate author press release. Instead, a brief bio is expected in your book release announcement. Give a little background on the author, including their expertise on the topic, especially if it’s a self-help title. 

Publisher

Place the name of the publishing house prominently.

Awards or accolades

If available, list the awards and accolades the author or the book have received (if it’s a new edition release).

Call To Action

What do you want to happen after someone reads your press release? Purchase or pre-order it, of course! Don’t forget to include the preorder and order information.

Protip: Include a visual for the journalist to use in their article. Provide a high-quality photo of the author or the book cover.

How to write a press release for a book signing tour?

Your book signing press release should include all the event details, like the dates and locations, plus any pre-signing readings or interviews. Name all special guests.

Writing press releases for a book tour separately is recommended because each event is a potential local news story and can be pitched to a new list of local journalists. In this article, you can find more about connecting with local media that might help you promote your new book.

Questions to answer in a book press release

Sometimes it’s best to write your press release with some guiding questions. Here are a few to consider:

How is the author qualified to discuss this topic?

This is especially important if the book provides advice. Readers need to know why they should trust the source rather than relying solely on the emotional angle.

What benefits does the book provide to the reader?

Explain what the reader has to gain from the book. Is it laughter, education, or a new outlook on life? This point is where potential readers make their decision to buy the book.

What problems does the book solve?

Again, think from the reader’s perspective, and make it clear how this book will improve their life, whether through knowledge or entertainment.

Protip: If the book is a guide, focus on describing the current problem readers might have or their aspirations. Then explain how the book addresses them.

Create a book press release with AI

AI-powered tools for PR can help you create high-quality press release drafts, provide advanced editing suggestions, and even recommend who to send your press release to.

While it's worth knowing how to create an effective press release from scratch, using tools can help speed up the process and ensure you've ticked all the boxes regarding the format and content that journalists expect to receive.

Read more: Mastering AI Press Releases: Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Sending + Practical Examples

Here’s how to create (and send) a book press release using a tool like Prowly’s AI-powered Press Release Generator.

Step 1: Enter basic details about your press release

1. Start the process by entering the type of your press release.
2. Once you select the type, Prowly's AI will ask you to pick your target audience. There are predefined options, such as industry players, customers, or local communities, but you can also add your own.
3. Choose the language of your press release draft.

Step 2: Enter key messages of your book press release

Here, you'll want to be as specific as possible and ensure that whatever you choose is the most relevant information about your new book announcement.

You can use the list of questions provided in the "How to write" section of this guide to help you get started.

Here are three examples of key messages that you can provide for your new book press release:

• Unique Selling Point: Clearly articulate what makes your book stand out from others, such as a compelling storyline, unique perspective, expert insights, or timely topic.
• Author's Credibility: Highlight the author's qualifications, experience, or relevant expertise that lend authority to the book.
• Target Audience and Appeal: Identify the intended audience and explain why the book will resonate with them, based on genre, themes, or relevance to current events.

Step 3: Answer the follow-up questions

Once you’ve entered the basic information about your book press release, Prowly’s AI will ask you more in-depth questions designed to mirror a natural conversation with the journalists you’re targeting.

You’ll receive ten questions tailored specifically to the content you shared earlier. This will complete your press release draft and reduce the need to answer many follow-up questions from the person you're pitching to.

Step 4: Customize and edit the press release draft

Whether you've generated a press release draft or written it yourself, you can adjust header font styles, fine-tune the content just like you would in a regular text editor, adjust your press release length, and cater it into a format you're happy with.

An AI Assistant trained in PR writing best practices reviews the draft and suggests improvements based on 11 key criteria, indicating exactly where to edit.

Step 5: Get contact recommendations for your press release

Prowly’s AI will start suggesting journalists you can pitch to based on the keywords found in your press release.

As long as you have contact information for the people you want to pitch to, you can always do deeper work and find out about what kind of books they've covered before, or what they're writing about at the moment.

Book press release example

Now that you understand the key elements, let’s take a look at a new book press release example from Simon & Schuster.

There are a number of things we really like about this book launch press release example:

• The storytelling! It begins right in the first paragraph and immediately captures the reader's attention.
• The book is described in a way that goes beyond a plot summary, with short, engaging paragraphs that build up the reader's interest.
• The developed sense of intrigue by explaining the process for writing the book.
• How it ends with a thought-provoking question that leaves readers curious and wanting more.
• Its clear structure, with the author's bio included in a separate paragraph below.

If you want to see more examples of press releases, we've discussed over twenty of them in this article.

Book press release template

Prefer to start with a press release template for book launches?

Prowly's press release creator is exactly what you need. Its templates are tailored to cover various press release types, such as product announcements, new hires, and event announcements, making it convenient for the media outlet to utilize your release.

The best part? The press release creator is only one piece of Prowly’s complete PR software solution. It will take you through the next steps too!

Start your free 7-day trial to access Prowly’s press release templates.

Distributing your book press release

Now, where to send press releases for books? Let’s look at the 3 options that you’re probably considering.

Pitching your press release with a high-quality media database

This is the ideal scenario with the highest likelihood of capturing media coverage. 

Using a PR software tool like Prowly gets you access to over 1 million media contacts that can easily be sorted by beat and location. By meticulously filtering your database contacts, you can distribute press releases to promote your book yourself. This way, you can ensure it reaches the right audience and target niche audiences more effectively, increasing the likelihood of book sales.

In the case of a book release, Prowly's media database currently boasts 1,819 journalist contacts and 1,295 contacts to media and news outlets that cover U.S. book releases. That's a lot of potential news coverage.

Protip To effectively reach your target audience, share the press release of your book with local businesses or nonprofit organizations that align with its mission statement. This will help create meaningful partnerships and expand your reach.

💡If you're seeking more exposure for your press release, explore these 10 ideas on how to effectively promote a press release.

Buying a media contact list

You may be tempted to buy a media list from a company that focuses on creating them for a wide array of topics, but we don't recommend it for one main reason. These one-off media outlets lists are notorious for being outdated, leading to nothing but frustration when half of your emails bounce back.

Using a wire service

You could use a wire service to distribute your press release, but the fact is that this is too broad of a pitch. You're much more likely to get results by curating your media list to the best media outlets fits for your story, then reaching out to them individually with a pitch tailored just to them.

Protip: When using a PR software tool, don’t forget to add new press releases to your online newsroom.

Recap

Writing a good press release yourself is a solid start to getting the word out about your client's latest work. With a book announcement needing a highly-targeted media audience, it's also a great opportunity to test out an automated PR software solution like Prowly.

You'll benefit from press release templates, targeted media databases, and media pitching tools that track your open rates and allow for team pitching. Did we mention it includes media monitoring and custom reporting too?

The post How to Write a Book Press Release (Example and Template) appeared first on Prowly.

Almost always, a media pitch is done by email, but it’s also possible to do it via social platforms, telephone, or traditional mail.

Although pitching journalists is similar to sending a press release, the key difference is that a media pitch does not have to include one. A simple email is a faster way to reach out; time is always of the essence, especially in reactive and digital PR.

In this post, you'll learn how to write an effective media pitch and find 7 practical examples from PR professionals.

If you're looking to send a PR pitch, you can try Prowly's free 7-day trial. Find relevant journalists, gain access to useful templates, and send personalized pitches at scale—all from one tool.

Before you write a media pitch

Before you begin: Journalists and editors are flooded with press releases, media pitches, and various other demands on their time and attention.

Based on research from Fractl, 46.5% of journalists receive at least 11 media pitches per day, while 28.64% receive over 26 pitches per day.

Knowing what to include in your media pitch—and what to leave out—will greatly improve your chances of getting a reply. Keep in mind, even a single typo in a cold pitch is enough to turn possibility into disaster.

How to write a media pitch

If you've written any type of email pitch before, you'll quickly realize that writing a media pitch is similar. There are, however, a few key differences that you have to keep in mind.

We've broken down writing a PR pitch into 7, easy-to-follow steps:

1. Make sure your story is newsworthy

It’s all in the subject line. If you want to get someone to cover your story, it’s worth asking yourself these two questions before you even think about pitching the media outlet:

• Is my news actually newsworthy?
• Is my news presented in an exciting way that will get people interested?

The best pitch emails answer these questions with a resounding, “yes!” If not, it might be worth waiting until you have something that is actually newsworthy.

Also, when crafting a press release that you might send in a pitch, it is vital to take into account your target audience and the preferences of journalists from the outset.

For example, outstanding book press releases give readers an enticing glimpse of what lies ahead, avoiding spoilers, while sports journalists need short, "twittable" quotes and a set of statements from athletes.

Otherwise, you could make a bad first impression with the media contacts you send your press release to.

What makes a newsworthy story? According to socialmediasydney.net.au, you should consider the following:

• Is the story new and current?
• Does it feature an element of prominence?
• Does it evoke an emotional response?
• Will your story affect or have an impact on certain people?
• Is your story relevant to the area/publication you are pitching it to?

Amber Mac, entrepreneur, and bestselling author sums this up perfectly:

The fact that your company exists or your CEO will be in town does not make a story.

2. Make sure you're pitching relevant media contacts

Before writing your media pitch, you should first find relevant media contacts to prepare a media list, which is a list of people who could be interested in covering your story. In addition to journalists, this could include social media personalities on Linkedin, influencers, bloggers, podcast hosts, and even other PR Professionals.

In the media, individual journalists have their own specializations (referred to as a "beat"). Instead of sending your pitch to the general email address of a news outlet, it is best to address it to the person most relevant to the subject you’re writing about. In other words: make sure you're knocking on the right doors before you start knocking.

If you're using a tool like Prowly, you can identify relevant journalists by searching through the media database and using filters such as keywords in recent articles, industry, or location.

Prowly enhances contact searches with unique features:
👉🏼 Partnership with Semrush provides exclusive data on audience and traffic.
👉🏼 AI keyword suggestions expand search possibilities, opening new coverage opportunities and targeting niche topics.

Now you can also go to the keyword search tab to discover new keywords that could be interesting for journalists thanks to AI suggesting:

• Go to the “Keyword search” tab and follow AI suggestions - start with your main keyword (product category): “smartwatch” and then follow AI suggestions for related keywords and choose those that fit to your story angle (fitness or health) or be inspired with keyword ideas to give a twist to your pitch.
• Narrow down your search - check articles or tweets, or both; only from last week or last month, only from online media outlets from the USA or only those posted on blogs.
• Check the publishing frequency - how many times a particular journalist published an article containing your keyword.

It’s like having a brainstorming buddy, coming up with pitching angles and journalists who might be interested in this topic.

👉🏼 Result? A short list of contacts to journalists to have been recently writing about a very particular topic, with easily accessible recent articles in the results to quickly scan them.

Make it easier to find journalists and build relationships with highly targeted contacts — learn everything about using Audience Analytics and AI Keyword research from this article.

Example: If you're a small business or startup that's launching a new product and you're reaching out to a magazine like WIRED, Forbes, or the New York Times, you'll find out that every reporter there has their own specialization, such as drones, cell phones, or cloud computing. In this case, the right thing to do would be to reach out to the person that writes about products like yours, instead of pitching to someone that generally covers technology.

3. Write your subject line

When writing a media pitch subject line you want to keep in mind that this is your big first impression, this is the first thing your selected journalists will see and you want it to make a mark and get your email opened.

So remember these simple rules: 

Keep things clear

Simply put, be sure to say it is a pitch. You don’t want to hide your email behind flowery language and get your pitch lost in a journalist’s already overflowing inbox. So put the name right on the label to keep your intent clear and your pitch easy to find.

Keep things short

You might be tempted to dress up the subject line with extra buzzwords and enhancing language. I mean what’s even better than a new product? An exciting new product, of course! But the subject line is simply not the place for it. A good guideline to keep in mind is you want to keep your subject line under 49 characters, total. Doing so is proven to boost your open rates and more.

Here are a few quick media pitch subject line examples:

• Pitch: Interview: Therapist and Entrepreneur on How to Manage Everyday Stress
• Pitch: 83% of cold pitches are irrelevant and ignored, journalists say
• Pitch: Why You Need To Stop Wearing Your Cell Phone In Your Pocket

👉🏼 For a more detailed guide, here’s everything you need to know about writing an exceptional pitch subject line.

💡 Tip: Let AI suggest you a few email subject lines

Instead of waiting for the perfect idea to come to you, try using AI to get past writer's block. With Prowly's AI Assistant, you can explore a few suggested email topics and shape them further until they feel just right.

4. Grab their attention early on

Let’s start at the very beginning, the address line.

You want to address your pitch as precisely as you can, ideally with your journalist’s name and professional titles. If you’re using a media contact database this information should be in easy reach. “To whom it may concern,” may have floated you once or twice, but it’s a poor beginning to establishing meaningful relationships with your chosen journalists. That personal touch can work wonders.

This is also a good moment to double-check your chosen journalist's beat, or their field of expertise, to be absolutely sure you’re pitching to the right person. Once you have that checked off the list, what next?

Get straight to the point

Your journalist is going to want to know the big W’s: Who, What, When, Where, and Why?

So it’s best to put these right up front. These should make up the content of your opening paragraph so the journalist can be sure that your news covers their and your audiences’ interests. This is best encapsulated in a compelling lead that includes your trending topic and your timeframe. Remember, there’s no news like fresh news.

Offer an appealing angle

By providing journalists with different options for how to cover a story, you increase the chances that they will find an angle that fits their publication's style and target audience, and thus you’ll be more likely to gain press coverage.

Aleksandra Kubicka, PR consultant at Prowly, recommends:

5. Write an email that connects

You want to write content that the journalist can see will resonate with their readers. You want to make sure that you and the journalist are on the same page, and that the journalist has ready angles that they can use to frame your story to their readers.

Trust us when we say that journalists love it when PRs do some of their work for them.

But there are a few things that you can do to make sure your news really stands out amongst media pitches:

Give them expert sources

What did we say about doing the journalist's work for them? Your chosen journalist may well have their own expert sources in mind, but the more the merrier! You may even find a few that are truly unique to your article, such as academic experts or a CEO, that can grant your story extra strength.

Send them relevant links

Generally speaking, you don’t want to bog down your pitch with excessive graphs and data, but you can still include these with carefully chosen external links related to your news. This can increase reader engagement and enhance your credibility, both with your journalist and their audience.

Tell them what you’re offering

You’ve already gone through the trouble of hand-picking what journalist and news outlet to pitch, so why not share why you chose them? Mentioning your criteria and why you chose to pitch them exclusively can help personalize your pitch and reinforce your relationship.

💡 Tip: get AI suggestions to enhance the message of your email...

Prowly’s AI-powered inline editor can assist you in refining your emails by suggesting edits and improvements to your sentences, helping you craft more compelling and polished messages.

...or let AI draft an email for you, then refine it with your personal touch

With Prowly AI, you can create email drafts in a matter of seconds that you can personalize, edit and make sure that they reflect your story.

However, every draft generated by AI requires improvements and editing. Make sure to double check the core messages, and add a human touch.

6. Make your call to action

A carefully crafted call to action is an absolute must. Ideally, you want to express why this story matters, how it is relevant to your journalist’s readers, and reinforce your timing. This is your moment to keep things focused on your audience, your journalist, and their readers.

7. Conclude your media pitch

Your conclusion should be a boiled-down summary of your pitch but presented in reverse. You can begin by restating your call to action in a fresh and unique way, adding any last relevant data or links that the journalist might find useful, and finally thanking your media contact for their valuable time. Remember to use a unique and polite sign-off and, finally…

End on your boilerplate

You know what this is. In the end, you want an easy and accessible summary of all your essentials. Your contact details, your background, why you’re the perfect person to pitch this news, and any professional achievements relevant to your pitch and your news.

8. Double-check and refine

When preparing your email campaign, Prowly gives you an extra layer of support at every step, helping you avoid mistakes that could result in missed coverage opportunities. Our review flow covers 18 key criteria—many of which you might already be familiar with from Prowly, but now organized in a way that’s more intuitive and easier to follow.

While most of these checks are straightforward, we’ve added a touch of AI magic to assist you where it matters most:

• If your subject line is a bit too long, we’ll help you shorten it with a quick AI-generated suggestion. ✨
• If you’re missing a preview line, we’ve got you covered with an AI-powered prompt to create one for you. ✨

These little nudges ensure your email is polished and ready for prime time, maximizing your chances of getting the attention your message deserves.

7 media pitch examples from PR experts

Below you will find the best PR pitch examples shared by actual PR experts demonstrating just how to write a pitch to a journalist. Some information has been blanked out for privacy reasons surrounding previous works.

The following media pitch letter examples were re-created in Prowly, where you can find relevant media contacts and effectively send email pitches with personalization and analytics to help promote your PR strategy.

Media pitch example #1

Rudi Davis, Chief Operating Officer @ NetPositiveAgency

The first media pitch example is from Rudi, COO of NetPositiveAgency.

Rudi leverages the expertise of his client and offers expert insights on the topic that the reporter covers.

Instead of proposing just one topic, Rudi gives the pitch recipient to choose from three in-depth topics, increasing the chance of success.

Email pitch example #2

Mary Brynn Millburn, Senior Public Relations Coordinator @ Idea Grove

This news story pitch example from Mary Brynn Millburn shows the importance of a good value proposition. Take note of how the reporter is offered expert commentary and fresh information from the CEO of the company hoping to get coverage.

PR pitch example #3

Sarah Jenne, PR Specialist @ Idea Grove

In Sarah's PR pitch email example, she takes advantage of the fact that she's previously connected with this specific reporter, reminding him/her of their already established relationship.

Media pitch example #4

Ana Casic, responsible for media relations and PR @ TalentLMS

Ana Casic from TalentLMS send us this press release pitch email example on remote work. She started the conversation by mentioning already published articles on the same topic, and offered new & original research (offering value!) that could be used for a new post.

PR pitch example #5

Matthew Zajechowski, Outreach Team Lead and Content Marketing Promotions Specialist @ Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing

Similar to the previous example, Matthew's media pitching is another example of giving value by offering an original report on a topic that was newsworthy at the time.

The results? Over 250+ unique placements all who’ve linked back to this page for this campaign using this specific pitch.

Email pitch example #6

Corinne McCarthy, SEO & Online PR Specialist @ Web Talent Marketing

Here is a media pitch letter example that earned a placement on CNBC’s website (cnbc.com) for a client of Web Talent Marketing.

The writer we pitched ended up connecting us with a reporter at CNBC. The reporter interviewed our client’s Content Manager. A few weeks later, CNBC published a feature article about the career path we pitched and quoted our client throughout the article.

Corinne added that the key elements of this pitch are:

• Addresses the writer by name twice so he/she knows this is not an automated email.
• Mentions a recent article that relates to the topic you’re pitching.
• Includes a brief description of the angle you’re pitching and why it’s relevant to the publication.

Media pitch example #7

Rachel Nelson, Public Relations & Events Manager at Margaux Agency

The last media pitch example from Rachel Nelson offers value by offering valuable content that could be useful for a new article that's not only original but also exclusive.

You can gain access to Prowly’s own media pitch templates for more guidance and inspiration from story pitch examples for journalism down to email subject lines.

How to follow up on your media pitch effectively

Even if you did everything correctly, there's a chance you won't get a reply. It makes you start wondering:

• Did the journalist get my email?
• Did it get opened or was it lost in the sea of other media pitches?
• Was my pitch so bad that it got posted online for everyone to laugh at?

Just kidding. Journalists are busy people; it could be that they were simply busy and didn't get to check their inbox yet.

Whatever the reason, it doesn't mean you should move on just yet.

As a general rule, you shouldn't email someone more than three times in a row without success. If you subtract the first email, that leaves you with two follow-up attempts for your pitch. Give at least a few days between each email. The same applies to calls, so if you have your journalist’s phone number, it’s important to keep them within this rule of three.

Take advantage of PR outreach tool

If you're using a PR outreach tool like Prowly to pitch media contacts, you can view which recipients received, opened, and clicked on your email. This lets you easily segment your follow-up message in to groups and tailor your message based on if they've opened your email—or not.

Prowly also allows you to see how much time journalists spend viewing your emails, which can offer valuable clues about their level of interest. If they only spent a brief moment on your email, it might be worth following up with a more targeted message to reinforce your original pitch.

When you do follow up, keep in mind the following:

• Be polite. Respect the fact that a journalist may not be interested in your story
• Be concise and to the point. Keeping the above point in mind, politely re-ask if they're interested or if you can provide any extra details
• Be prepared. If you do get a positive reply make sure you have any extra information they might need or a flexible schedule if they'd like to interview you for more details

Read more: Following up on Your Media Pitch – How to Do It Right

Conclusion

A media pitch can be crafted in many different ways, with PR experts often having their own preferred method. Nonetheless, the fundamentals of writing a successful pitch remain the same, whether it be how to write a pitch letter for an event or product launch.

Follow the tips and examples in this post and tailor them to your news. With a bit of time and experimentation, you'll find what works and what doesn't. Refining your pitching strategy is the first step to getting publications, which lead to backlinks and enhances your overall media coverage.

The post How to Write a Media Pitch (w/ 7 Real Examples from Experts) appeared first on Prowly.

Today, we put our hand to making a list of the top American magazines and show you how we curated it, why these are the most popular US magazines, and how you can reach the journalists that work there.

If you want to find the best media outlets for your project right away, try Prowly's media database free for 7 days and start building meaningful relationships today.

How we built this list of the most popular magazines in the United States (and how you can too)

We didn't just sit down and start creating a list of the outlets we simply think are cool based on our gut feelings and preferences. The list we built was curated through Prowly, our own PR platform.

Here's how you can do the same thing, step by step.

1. Create a Prowly account

Signing up takes just a few minutes and you get access to all the features for free for seven days. That's more than enough to test if the size and quality of the database suits your needs.

2. Head to the Media Database

Prowly's media database has over one million contacts. Besides individual journalists, you can also use it to build lists, such as that of the best US magazines.

It's easy to narrow down your search with intuitive filters and Prowly's AI Assistant's aid, so you can see only what is truly most relevant for you.

Here's how it works in practice:

3. Tick off "Media outlets" and then "United States" as location

We want results exclusively from the USA.

4. Head to the "Traffic insights" tab

Mark off the following: 150M+, 100-150M, 50-100M and 20-50M. This will give you a list of outlets with anywhere from 20 to over 150 million monthly visits.

Prowly gets this data direct from Semrush, one of the world's most accurate SEO tools.

Want to find magazines and journalists the easy way?

A list of the most popular American magazines

#1 Forbes Online

▪️ Visits per month: 194M
▪️ Influence score: 91
▪️ Contributing journalists: 676

Forbes Online is a go-to destination for entrepreneurs, executives, and ambitious professionals looking to stay ahead in the business world. Covering topics from finance and leadership to technology and innovation, Forbes delivers expert insights, rankings, and inspiring success stories. Its target audience includes business leaders, investors, and trendsetters who crave actionable advice and industry updates.

#2 CNN International Online

▪️ Visits per month: 117M
▪️ Influence score: 91
▪️ Contributing journalists: 724

CNN International Online keeps the globe connected with breaking news, in-depth analysis, and cultural stories from every corner of the world. Catering to a global audience, it dives into international politics, economies, and human-interest features, making it essential reading for travelers, expats, and anyone with a global mindset.

#3 IGN.com

▪️ Visits per month: 283M
▪️ Influence score: 91
▪️ Contributing journalists: 108

IGN.com is a gamer’s paradise, covering the latest in video games, movies, TV, and geek culture. With reviews, trailers, and sneak peeks, it’s tailored for entertainment enthusiasts who love being in the know about the hottest releases and pop culture trends.

#4 Bleacher Report

▪️ Visits per month: 23M
▪️ Influence score: 91
▪️ Contributing journalists: 20

Bleacher Report scores big with sports fans, offering real-time updates, commentary, and fan-driven content across all major sports. From football to basketball, it’s perfect for anyone who eats, sleeps, and breathes sports—and loves a little flair in their updates.

#5 ABC News

▪️ Visits per month: 57M
▪️ Influence score: 91
▪️ Contributing journalists: 29

ABC News is a trusted source for breaking news, investigative journalism, and human-interest stories. Covering everything from politics to lifestyle, it caters to a wide demographic of news-savvy individuals who value credible and timely reporting.

#6 TMZ.com

▪️ Visits per month: 83M
▪️ Influence score: 91
▪️ Contributing journalists: 3

TMZ.com is the ultimate guilty pleasure for celebrity gossip and entertainment news. Known for its fast-paced scoops, paparazzi photos, and candid coverage, it’s ideal for pop culture junkies who thrive on staying ahead of the Hollywood buzz.

#7 CNN Online

▪️ Visits per month: 748M
▪️ Influence score: 89
▪️ Contributing journalists: 78

CNN Online delivers around-the-clock news coverage with in-depth reporting on politics, technology, health, and world affairs. Catering to a broad audience, it’s the digital hub for anyone seeking up-to-the-minute news and thought-provoking stories.

#8 NBC News

▪️ Visits per month: 125M
▪️ Influence score: 89
▪️ Contributing journalists: 429

NBC News combines decades of journalistic legacy with cutting-edge reporting on politics, current events, and culture. It appeals to well-informed readers who value thorough reporting and engaging multimedia content.

#9 Digital Trends

▪️ Visits per month: 16M
▪️ Influence score: 89
▪️ Contributing journalists: 51

Digital Trends is your ultimate tech lifestyle guide, offering insights on gadgets, home automation, and the latest in consumer tech. Targeting tech enthusiasts and everyday users, it bridges the gap between high-tech and practical living.

#10 CNN Business

▪️ Visits per month: 3M
▪️ Influence score: 89
▪️ Contributing journalists: 29

CNN Business is a hub for professionals, investors, and entrepreneurs who want to stay informed about markets, economics, and corporate news. It’s a smart pick for decision-makers navigating the fast-paced world of business.

#11 MarketWatch

▪️ Visits per month: 58M
▪️ Influence score: 89
▪️ Contributing journalists: 86

MarketWatch caters to investors and financial enthusiasts, offering stock market updates, economic news, and expert analysis. Whether you’re a seasoned trader or a curious newcomer, it’s the ultimate destination for making informed financial moves.

#12 VICE

▪️ Visits per month: 9M
▪️ Influence score: 89
▪️ Contributing journalists: 18

VICE pushes boundaries with edgy, thought-provoking content on culture, politics, and underground movements. Its bold storytelling attracts millennials and Gen Z readers who seek fresh perspectives and aren’t afraid to challenge the norm.

#13 Yahoo! News

▪️ Visits per month: 179M
▪️ Influence score: 89
▪️ Contributing journalists: 1,000

Yahoo! News is a one-stop-shop for a mix of breaking news, entertainment, and lifestyle content. Its broad appeal makes it a favorite among casual news browsers who want everything from politics to feel-good stories in one place.

#14 Variety

▪️ Visits per month: 67M
▪️ Influence score: 89
▪️ Contributing journalists: 100

Variety is Hollywood’s heartbeat, delivering insider scoops on entertainment, TV, film, and theater. A must-read for industry insiders and entertainment buffs, it’s where showbiz gets serious and seriously fun.

#15 BuzzFeed

▪️ Visits per month: 87M
▪️ Influence score: 87
▪️ Contributing journalists: 118

BuzzFeed is the king of viral content, offering a mix of quizzes, listicles, and news that keep readers scrolling for hours. Perfect for millennials and Gen Z, it blends humor, relatability, and cultural commentary into every bite-sized post.

Find magazines and journalists in seconds with Prowly

Did you know that it took us just a few moments to curate this list of the best magazines in the USA?

With Prowly, you can search for outlets and journalists worldwide, thanks to our media database of over one million contacts. Find journalists based on location, topics of interest, previously published articles, and many other details. And the best part is, you can give it a try for free.

The post 15 Top Magazines in the US to Pitch in 2025 appeared first on Prowly.

But if you're looking for a more precise way to contact the Guardian with a story, we have a short guide that will help you find the exact journalist your story needs.

Step 1: Use a media database to find journalists

To get in touch with Guardian reporters, you're going to need a solid media database. These are collections of contacts to millions of journalists across the globe. For example, Prowly's media database has over one million contacts, including from notable outlets such as the Guardian.

Of course, you could try and search for a specific Guardian email manually, but that would take more of your precious time and you'd be missing out on some great additional features we'll cover below.

A media database can cost up to thousands of dollars, but Prowly starts at just $258 per month, and you can get a free seven-day trial account too.

Step 2: Find all the Guardian reporters

Here's how to do it. Head to Prowly's Media Database and use the "People" tab. Since we already know that we want to email Guardian contacts, that's what we write in the media outlet box. We also want the Guardian reporters list for the United Kingdom, so we tick off "United Kingdom" as a desired country.

We now have a list of all the Guardian journalists and we can sort through them according to their relevance, influence score, and names.

Step 3: Narrow down your search

In the previous step, we got a Guardian journalists list with over 1,000 names. Let's say you want to email the Guardian reporter who talks about travel, writes for the online version of the magazine and is located in London.

Simply select the right filters on the left-hand side of the Prowly Media Database:

And the end result of this search and filtering is just one contact:

You can now click on "Details" to get their contact information or click on "Add to list" to add them to a list of the reporters you want to target with a press release.

Step 4: Assess the details of your target

Once you click on "Details" you won't just get the email of this Guardian journalist. You'll get a range of useful insights to determine if this is the right person to reach out to.

You'll also find:

• Their phone number
• Their social media handles
• Their latest published articles
• A list of topics they cover
• How frequently they publish and where

On top of all this, you can get more details about the outlet. So you can learn if the Guardian is even the right target for your PR outreach efforts.

This allows you to easily compare journalists across different outlets (or just one) to find out if they publish frequently and cover topics that are of interest to you.

You also get a list of their published work that you can search through:

Start reaching out

Now you know how to get a list of Guardian journalists, and not just any journalists, but those that meet your specific criteria. With Prowly's advanced filters, not only can you find all the people writing for a specific outlet, but you can go above and beyond and filter by topics, keywords, demographic data and much, much more.

The post How to Find Guardian Contact Information: A Step-by-Step Guide appeared first on Prowly.

But what should a press release include? How to end a press release? And what about the press release format? Luckily, we have all the answers. 

There are specific guidelines for writing a press release—covering everything from news angles to press release structure. All of them you will find in our complete guide on how to write press releases that get attention (and results!), along with expert comments.

Use Prowly's AI press release generator or templates that you can use for free to easily create your own in a format that journalists expect to receive.

Prowly also lets you find relevant journalists based on your press release and send it to them directly from the platform.

While creating press releases with AI or templates is a great way to speed up the process, it's still crucial to know the ins and outs of writing a press release to ensure it's correct and effective.

Read on to find out what makes a good press release.

What is a press release?

A press release is a tool made to announce something that is newsworthy in the most objective way possible. The whole purpose of a press release is to get coverage and get noticed by a target audience.

It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, the problem is that the press release is tricky and often misunderstood by both PR specialists and the audience. To be able to write an effective material, it is necessary to understand its structure:

Press release format

If you’re building a press release on your own, remember that there is a standard, expected format for press releases.

These are the elements of a standard press release:

1. Headline
2. Subheader / Lead
3. Dateline
4. Body
5. Quote
6. Company info (boilerplate)
7. Logo
8. Media contact information

While you might get creative and unconventional when it comes to the content, the format where you present it needs to follow the rules. This is not the time to get experimental—remember that you’re writing for an audience that is used to a particular format because it works. 

"By following a standard press release format, you’re ensuring that a journalist knows how to find what they’re looking for in your release and allow them to quickly determine if they want to cover your announcement. It also shows them that you’re a seasoned PR pro who knows the ins and outs of a press release, and signals that you’re likely easy to work with." – Cassie Scher, Nahigian Strategies

Let’s go through the boxes you need to tick when formatting a press release so you can make just the right impression on media contacts and provide them with everything they need to take your conversation to the next level.

How to write a press release in 9 steps

Now that you know the correct press release format, let's dig into the details of writing a press release.

1. Choose your target audience

Before you get to the actual press release writing—the most important thing to start with is choosing your target audience and the angle that matters for them.

Remember that the angle (a perspective that the story will take, in other words) that will interest the readers of a specialist publication will be very different from the local newspaper.

Keep in mind that you’re not only targeting potential readers but also journalists. If you don’t do your research and target the wrong journalists, writing good press releases won’t get you anywhere.

By using a PR tool like Prowly, you can access a media database to find relevant journalists and also get recommendations based on your press releases. This way, you’ll always pitch relevant media contacts who are more likely to be interested.

2. Craft an attention-grabbing headline

No surprises here. Your headline needs to communicate the essence of what follows at a glance. Recipients of your press release are going to scan the headline in a fraction of a second, so this is the place to make your point. Convincing media contacts that your message is newsworthy can be a challenge when you have a limited number of characters to work with, so focus on the main takeaway. 

Pro tip: Don’t use all capital letters or exclamation points in your headline. A reasonable font size and bolding, combined with the fact that it’s the header, make it obvious to the reader that your news is somehow important. 

Humans have a shorter attention span than goldfish. So saying less is best in the headlines. Focus only on adding value, making it catchy, and creating a hook for your target audience. Avoid using clickbait in the headlines, you may lose trust among the journalists as well as will attract the wrong readers. - Mehdi Hussen, Head of Marketing @ ZoomShift

💡 Read more: How to Write a Great Press Release Headline (w/ Examples & Tips)

3. Add more information with your lead

This is optional but recommended since it gives you a chance to pack some extra information right at the top. As a de facto extension of your headline, use your subheader or lead to expand on what makes your announcement worth the time and attention of media contacts. 

As you write your subheader or lead, think of which aspects of your announcement are most likely to impress, inform, or spark curiosity about the details. If your header is a high-impact message limited to just a few words, your subheader is an opportunity to expand on it with the top one or two ways that it’s important or consequential. 

Remember about the five W's: what the news is about, who is involved, when and where it happened, and why it is important. 

Pro tip: Your header and subheader are not the places for mysterious, “read more to see…” references to what’s in your press release. Don’t make readers “work” by teasing what’s further down the page. Stick with the facts and use the time and attention the reader gives you to convey the most information possible. 

4. Include the dateline 

Typically at the introduction of the main body of text, the dateline communicates basic info like the date and location of the announcement. Bold this information and separate it from the first sentence of the body with a dash. 

The dateline always contains the name of the city in capitals, with the state being optional. Despite the name, the dateline does not have to include the date.

Be sure to change and update the dateline with any changes or updates in the press release itself. 

Pro tip: Sure, the dateline is a very small piece of the press release but it’s simply part of the expected format. Don’t overlook this standard press release format element just because it’s just a handful of characters!

Read more: https://review42.com/resources/dateline-press-release/

5. Provide the details of your announcement in the body

Here’s where all the who-what-when-where-why basics get covered. Never forget that you’re trying to get media contacts interested in learning more, so the newsworthy angle should always be a priority. 

Use a strong opening sentence, which will likely be a paraphrase of your headline. Remember that journalists will think in terms of “How is this relevant to my audience”, so the body of your press release is where you answer that along with the top-level details that help them to start imagining what their story about you could look like. 

There’s nothing wrong with adding a second paragraph, as long as all the information you include helps to meet the goal of explaining why your announcement is worthy of media coverage. The focus is always on how your message is interesting, valuable, relevant, etc. to those who might read about it, not how media coverage would be good for you. 

Don’t let the length of the body of your press release push the total length beyond a single page. If you push things to a second page, there is a 100% chance there is some fat to cut out on page one. 

Pro tip: This is a press release, not a copy for an advertisement. Stay away from salesy language and remember that you’re trying to ignite interest in a story, not a product or service. 

6. Include a quote to add credibility or more details

Another optional but recommended component of your press release layout quotes help to add a touch of credibility or detail to your announcement. Depending on the context, quotes can help to illustrate how much of a breakthrough you’re announcing, how important your news is for the industry, how unique or game-changing it is, etc. 

Again, the same rule applies—be sure that the information in any quote you use helps media contacts create a more complete conception of the story they could write about your announcement.  Everything is about helping to facilitate the path from your press release to press coverage. 

Pro tip: If possible, use a quote from the most high-profile, credible source associated with your organization. Also, the rule about avoiding salesly language applies to quotes as well.  

7. Provide your company info in the boilerplate

The last paragraph of your press release will include a basic but flattering description of your company. This is the press release equivalent of the “About Us” section on your website. Keep it short, keep it complimentary by mentioning your position in the industry, awards, etc., and provide a link to your website. 

Like the press release generally, keep your boilerplate section limited to the most essential, high-level kind of information and use later follow-ups to expand on the details. This is no time for the complete history of your company!

Pro tip: This boilerplate section of your press release can contain information you might be tempted to include elsewhere, like the subheader or the body. If you are “California’s leading supplier of building supplies” or “The Southwest’s largest medical research facility” or whatever, say that in your Company Info section instead of repeating it. This will free up space in those other sections for additional information.  

8. Add your logo

Your company’s or organization’s logo is part of any professional press release. Search online and you’ll find that there’s plenty of disagreement of where exactly it should appear on the page but top-middle and bottom-middle are the two leading contenders. You can decide based on what you think looks best. 

Pro tip: Use a full-color logo and keep it down to a fairly small size. Remember, the logo is there for brand identity purposes, not to steal the show.  

9. Include your contact details for the media

You’ve put all this effort and planning into your press release because you want to generate interest among media contacts, so be sure that you make it easy for them to get in touch. This info will depend on who your contact is, of course—the person writing the press release, a Marketing or PR representative, an outside agency, etc. 

A simple “[Brand name] is happy to share more information…” or “Please direct all media inquiries to…” or some similar call to action is sufficient to make it clear that this is the person who will handle replies from the media. 

Pro tip: A phone number and an email address is all the contact information you need to share with anyone responsible for handling replies to your press release. While you may have reached out to media contacts via their social media, you want their replies to go through your phone or email. 

Common mistakes when writing a press release

1. The story isn’t actually newsworthy

First things first. Is your story actually a story? Is it new or interesting? Will people outside your organization really care about it? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you might be onto something. If it’s not new, not interesting and you’re not sure if anyone will really care, it might be a good idea to come up with something else.

Reserve press releases only for the most timely and newsworthy announcements about your client or company. So often business leaders and PR pros get 'release happy' and mistakenly believe that if they're not sending releases at a regular cadence, their media outreach is going stagnant. This simply isn't the case. - Robyn Ware, Principal, Robyn Ware PR

2. You’re beating around the bush

Nail the story in the first few sentences: get the facts out quickly and succinctly and the chances of a press release making it from an inbox to an editorial meeting will increase dramatically. Journalists are pushed for time more than ever before, so the importance of communicating the bones of the story in the first few lines of a press release is vital. Chances are, they’re not going to have time to read the whole thing, so the quicker you get to the point, the better.

I still get exceedingly long press releases that resemble a book’s chapter. A bad book's chapter with an excess of self-promoting adjectives. Anyone who works in media is always running against the clock with deadlines, so the best piece of advice I could give is to always remember to include the most newsworthy information at the very beginning of your press release. If you leave it to the very end, chances are that the journalist will not read that far, and a good story will be overlooked. - Marcio Delgado, Journalist, Digital Consultant and Producer

3. Press release quotes don’t come off as authentic

Whether it’s a young person talking about how happy they are to have secured an apprenticeship or a CEO analyzing the latest financial results, it’s a wise idea to make the people quoted in a press release sound real.

For example, the said young person is unlikely to use words you’d need a dictionary to understand, so remember to have your story feel authentic. Just try to make sure they’re not ‘delighted’, even if they are.

How to create a press release with AI

AI-powered tools for PR can help you create high-quality press release drafts, provide advanced editing suggestions, and even recommend who to send your press release to.

While it's worth knowing how to create an effective press release from scratch, using tools can help speed up the process and ensure you've ticked all the boxes when it comes to the format and content that journalists expect to receive.

Read more: Mastering AI Press Releases: Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Sending + Practical Examples

Here’s how to create (and send) a press release using a tool like Prowly’s AI-powered Press Release Generator.

Step 1: Enter basic details about your press release

1. Start the process by entering the type of your press release.
2. Once you select the type, Prowly's AI will ask you to pick your target audience. There are predefined options, such as industry players, customers, or local communities, but you can also add your own.
3. Choose the language of your press release draft.

Step 2: Enter key messages about your press release

Here, you'll want to be as specific as possible and ensure that whatever you choose is the most relevant information.

The key messages you'll want to provide will depend on the type of your press release and what it's about.

Here are three general key messages that you can include:

• What is happening: Clearly state the main event or announcement. This is the core of your press release.
• Why it matters: Explain the significance of the event or announcement. How does it benefit your audience or the public at large?
• What's next: Provide a brief overview of future plans or developments related to the event. This helps to maintain interest and anticipation.

Step 3: Answer the follow-up questions

Once you’ve entered the basic information about your press release, Prowly’s AI will ask you more in-depth questions designed to mirror a natural conversation with the journalists you’re targeting.

You’ll receive ten questions tailored specifically to the content you shared earlier. This will complete your press release draft and reduce the need to answer many follow-up questions from the person you're pitching to.

Step 4: Customize and edit the press release draft

Whether you've generated a press release draft or written it yourself, you can adjust header font styles, fine-tune the content just like you would in a regular text editor, adjust your press release length, and cater it into a format you're happy with.

An AI Assistant trained in PR writing best practices reviews the draft and suggests improvements based on 11 key criteria, indicating exactly where to edit.

Step 5: Get contact recommendations for your press release

Prowly’s AI will start suggesting journalists you can pitch to based on the keywords found in your press release.

As long as you have contact information for the people you want to pitch to, you can always do deeper work and find out about their interests, what they've written about before, or what they're hooked on at the moment.

Press release examples

Now that we've covered how to write a press release, here are two examples to help you get a better idea of what a press release should look like.

Find more examples in our post: 20+ Press Release Examples to Draw Inspiration From in 2023.

If you're looking for a specific guide to match your field of work, check out one of these how-to articles that cover precise tips and examples carefully selected by our PR consultant:

• How to Write a Book Press Release (Example & Template)
• How to Write a Music Press Release (Examples & Templates)
• How to Write a Sports Press Release (Example and Template)
• How to Write an Acquisition Press Release (Example & Template)
• Writing a New Hire Press Release (with Example and Template)
• How to Write a New CEO Press Release (with Examples & Template)
• How to Write a Social Media Press Release (with Examples)

Example #1: Apple

According to Nelson Jordan (and plenty of other experts, I imagine), Apple does a great job with its product announcement press releases. If you look at this press release example for a new product, Apple’s new walking audio program, you’ll quickly notice that it’s written in a way to make it easier for journalists to pull facts, details, and quotes for their stories. That’s precisely what makes it a good press release.

See the entire news release example

Example #2: TaskShift

As already mentioned, good press release examples are concise and to the point - and this new business press release sample from TaskShift is no different. It clearly states what the news is all about (new service launch), mentions the USP, mission, and vision behind it. There’s not much else to add there, really.

See the entire press release sample

If you're launching a new business and curious about how to write your first press release for a small business, here is the step-by-step guide.

Press release templates

As press releases follow a similar format, using templates can be an effective way to speed up the writing process.

In Prowly you can find free press release templates based on common announcement types, such as a product launch, book launch, or a new hire. In addition, the software can build a targeted media contact database based on the keywords in your press release.

The post How to Write a Press Release (With Tips From PR Pros) appeared first on Prowly.

If you're looking at getting featured in top tier publications, it feels like that a lot of the time... Until attempt number 10,001 when suddenly it does work.

How do you even get featured in a top tier media outlet?

It takes a combination of hard work, perseverance and great PR tools to get the attention of top tier media outlets. Today, we'll show you how you can get featured in the top media outlets you love and look up to.

What is a top tier publication?

A top tier media publication is a highly regarded and influential magazine, newspaper or periodical in a certain industry. Top tier media outlets have a large following and readership base as well as an established reputation as a thought leader in the industry.

A top tier outlet is known for publishing high-quality content that goes through rigorous review processes. These media outlets set the standards for the quality of content, as well as standards for research and innovation.

While the definition of top tier media is universally accepted, it's important to note that for your specific case, general tier 1 media publications may not be all that valuable. For example, getting featured in Sports Illustrated as a SaaS business would not be a huge success due to the mismatch of target audiences.

In other words, your tier one media publications will depend on your industry and PR goals.

How to get published in top tier publications?

Landing features in top media outlets is vastly different for every business and client. To get mentions and stories in top tier media outlets, you're going to need a unique, personalized approach for every campaign.

Step #1: Have a unique, valuable story

What do you have that is worth top tier media coverage? Not even your local newspaper is going to write about you unless you have something special to share with the world. While your company or client may be amazing, successful and profitable, that does not interest top media outlets.

And mind you, tier one media needs tier one stories.

Here are some notable examples:

• Tesla hitting a market capitalization of $100 billion
• SpaceX sending NASA astronauts to the International Space Station
• Apple becoming the first publicly traded US company to reach a market capitalization of $1 trillion

While you don't have to be Apple or Tesla, you will need something remarkable for a top tier outlet to notice your pitch.

For example: you appointed a new CEO, opened a new branch of your company, started or donated to a charity, got a major round of investments, or something else.

In other words, have a top story first.

Step #2: Find relevant media outlets

You probably know the most important media outlets in your industry. Those with a large readership, many followers across different social media platforms, huge newsletters, and more. This is a good starting point, but you should look beyond numbers.

Make it your goal to find media outlets where your target audience spends their time and looks for information and news stories. The end result should be a list of digital and print outlets you want to reach out to.

And here is how to find them.

Prowly's Media Database has over one million contacts from media professionals around the globe and all across different industries. But you don't need one million people, you just need a handful of the right contacts for top tier media outlets.

You can use media database filters to search for the perfect match based on:

• Topic
• Location
• Tweets
• Keywords in previously published work
• And more

With just a few clicks, you can get a list of top tier media outlets and relevant journalists with accurate and up-to-date email addresses ready for outreach.

Speaking of which, you can also filter journalists based on their level of engagement in emails. If someone is consistently not replying to emails, you can move your top tier communications to a journalist who is more likely to reply.

But what if you want an even more efficient way of finding tier 1 media outlets?

The smart way: use AI to search for journalists

You may be spending too much time browsing news headlines, articles, or tweets when you could be pitching high-profile journalists.

For example, let's say you have a client as a PR agency that has just launched a new smartwatch. You type in the keyword "smartwatch," choose People for your desired search results, and choose Technology as your topic.

The end result: 2,881 people in the USA who write about technology. But you still have a long way to go to find tier 1 media outlets.

💡 The new way of searching is this: you enter your keyword ("smartwatch") in the keyword search tab and follow the suggestions on the screen.

The AI assistant gives you suggestions for related keywords, e.g. "fitness" or "health," to help you further narrow down your choice of publications. You can now check the articles published in those outlets, tweets from their accounts, and their most recent activity.

Perhaps most importantly, you can check their frequency - how many times a journalist posted content with your desired keyword.

This AI-based approach helps you go from thousands of possibilities to a handful of the very best media outlets in a matter of minutes.

Step #3: Analyze the outlets and reach out

Within the media database, you've now built a list of relevant media outlets. You can now start reaching out to them and sending press releases.

But here is the thing - you can't send the same press release to every outlet. Use Prowly's press release creator, which comes packed with AI features to build and personalize each of your press releases. You can create a personalized press release for every journalist you reach out to.

With Prowly's PR CRM, you can track your outreach campaigns all from a single dashboard. 

You'll see who opens, reads and responds to your outreach emails so you can adjust your pitching strategy and get even better results.

Step #4: Be persistent and adapt

Winning top tier media features is a long game and it will take more than a few attempts to get it right. Even if you have an amazing story to share, sometimes your approach needs some tweaking so you can achieve the best results, especially if you're new to the world of PR.

Some of the changes you can make include:

1. Change the angle of the story. For example, your company just got a major investment from VC funds, but no one is picking up the story. You can change the angle to the new jobs you'll open with that VC cash or the new technologies you plan on launching.
2. Change the media outlets you pitch. Go through the list you created in the previous steps and try to pitch another outlet with a personalized approach. Your first choice may simply not be interested in covering the type of content you're offering.
3. Change the journalist. Maybe you got the right outlet, but the specific media professional is not responding. Go through the Prowly Media Database and pick another journalist with high email engagement scores and reach out to them instead.
4. Change the email. Maybe the story is good, but the way you crafted the email is not resonating with your target audience. Personalize it and mention the journalist's latest articles, reference their main topics of interest, the content they’ve shared on Twitter, etc. Sometimes, changing your pitching strategy can make all the difference for your email open rates and overall conversions.

The important thing is to not give up if you have your heart set on a certain publication.

Conclusion

Winning features in top tier media outlets can take months, even with the best story and hand-crafted, personalized pitches. Besides equipping yourself with the best PR tech, you need perseverance to get the features you want and deserve.

And while we can't teach you how to persevere, we can give you the tools you need to find relevant journalists and send them personalized pitches.

The post Top Tier Publications: What They Are and How to Get Published appeared first on Prowly.