Fillable Printable Press Release Template and Tips
Fillable Printable Press Release Template and Tips
Press Release Template and Tips
Press Release Template and Tips
Below is a basic template for a press release along with a sample release and some helpful tips on how
to best approach drafting your press release.
Press Release Template
Here is the framework for a typical press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY/NEWS RELEASE
Contact Name
Company
Phone Number
Fax (if applicable)
Email
Headline
Sub-Heading
CITY, STATE, DATE – LEAD PARAGRAPH
QUOTE
SUPPORTING PARAGRAPHS AND QUOTES
CONCLUSION
BOILERPLATE
# # #
CONTACT INFORMATION
Sample Press Release & Tips
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
CONTACT: Abhi Bhansali
504/897-0462
abhi@bondpublicrelations.com
Post Oil Spill Economic Recovery Begins
Chevron Taps Greater New Orleans, Inc. to Spearhead “Coastal Vitality Project”
NEW ORLEANS, LA – AUGUST 5, 2010 – The “GNO, Inc. / Chevron Coastal Vitality Project” (CVP) launched today as
a proactive response to mitigate the economic impact incurred on the regional workforce and business community
by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster.
“The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill has drastically affected the communities of the Gulf Coast, adversely impacting
the livelihoods of its residents and devastating the fishing, restaurant, and tourism industries which provide jobs,
revenues and local culture,” says Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. “Supporting the
recovery of these local industries and communities is the mission of the Coastal Vitality Project.”
CVP will serve as an umbrella program, providing a broad set of services specifically tailored to businesses and
communities impacted by the disaster.
“We hope our support through our contributions to our long standing community partner, GNO, Inc., will help
carry out their important work during this difficult time of recovery,” said Warner Williams, Vice President of
Chevron Gulf of Mexico Business Unit. “GNO, Inc. plays a vital role in this recovery through providing services that
will benefit the economic vitality of the region where our employees work and live.”
GNO, Inc. will work with local economic development organizations, industry associations and community-based
organizations, focusing on three areas of core deliverables:
1) Marketing the Sustainability and Vitality of the Southeast Louisiana Coast Brand
• GNO, Inc. will execute a broad Economic Impact Study in order to inform where resources should be
invested to mitigate damage
• A regional marketing strategy and program will be implemented to promote the Gulf Coast as having
the potential to support small business and job retention and creation in both indigenous industries
such as fisheries and food enterprises, as well as in new emerging green industries
Clarify whether this is a
“news release” (news story)
or “media advisory” (event
or announcement)
Create a headline that is engaging
and encompasses your news story.
Think about what will be interesting
to the media and their respective
audiences. Keep the headline short,
to-the-point, and free of
punctuation (if possible).
A secondary headline can be used
to support your title headline and
further describe your news story.
Again, aim to be short and to-the-
point.
Your first paragraph
–
the lead
–
needs to describe the entirety of
your news story in a few
sentences. This paragraph, along
with your headlines, is your
chance to capture the reader’s
attention. Include the “who, what,
when, where, and how/why.”
• Further public relations efforts will focus on correcting damage to the Louisiana brand as a result of
the spill
2) Supporting Regional Workforce Development
• GNO, Inc. will conduct an regional jobs scan and create an online jobs bank, of available employment
opportunities, accessible to the diverse populations impacted by the oil spill
• Coordinating and collaborating with local chambers of commerce, government agencies, and
economic development and community-based organizations, GNO, Inc. will also engage in job
matching activities for recently unemployed workers as well as connect job seekers to existing
workforce training opportunities
• Additionally, a skills assessment of impacted populations will inform regional workforce training and
development initiatives in response to the oil spill
3) Catalyze Small Business Capacity Building and Entrepreneurship
• GNO, Inc. will help enable small business recovery and new business investments through a range of
innovative solutions, including technical assistance to coastal businesses, including fisherman,
seafood processors, wholesalers, and retailers negatively impacted by the oil-spill and damage to the
coast
• Further, GNO, Inc. will develop an inventory of local business assistance capacity to develop
strategically-tailored financial and technical assistance products aimed at supporting existing and new
businesses in capitalizing on new market forces and investment opportunities
To oversee CVP and a number of other innovative new initiatives, including GreenN.O., GNO, Inc. recently hired
Robin A. Barnes as Executive Vice President for Programs. Barnes, formerly Senior Vice President of Seedco
Financial Services, Inc., has over 25 years of community development, nonprofit management, lending and
economic recovery experience. Building on her success in helping small businesses in Lower Manhattan recover
after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, Barnes moved from New York City to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to
manage a $30 million regional small recovery initiative supporting 1,000 businesses in the fisheries, restaurant and
arts and culture industries.
“The Coastal Vitality Project intends to complement, and not duplicate, other oil spill-related recovery assistance,”
says Barnes. “To that end, we are pleased to announce that CVP is supporting the South Louisiana Economic
Council and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board in their efforts to mitigate the impacts of the
spill on local economies and on the seafood brand. In addition, by collaborating with community based
organizations along the coast, we will strive to ensure that many of the challenges presented by this disaster,
including language access and cultural competency, are properly acknowledged and addressed.”
Use quotes to help break the
monotony of a press release and
bring personality to the news story.
The individuals quoted in the release
should be the same ones who are
available for media interviews.
You may have a lot of information to
be included in your press release.
Sometimes, the use of bullet points
in the body of the release can help
draw the reader’s attention to
important facts about your story,
without having to be too “wordy.”
The GNO, Inc. / Chevron Coastal Vitality Project is made possible by Chevron, with additional support from the U.S.
Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, Capital One, and the Louisiana Department of
Children and Family Services.
“Since Hurricane Katrina, the region has made significant gains that are now threatened by the economic effects of
the Oil Spill, the potentially devastating moratorium and ecological damage to our vital wetlands,” says Hecht.
“Chevron’s leadership today will help businesses and workers find new opportunities tomorrow, and ensure that
the communities of our region remain vital.”
About Greater New Orleans, Inc.
The GNO, Inc. Mission is to serve as the catalyst for wealth creation in the Greater New Orleans region. GNO, Inc.
will accomplish this by pursuing an aggressive agenda of business development - marketing the region - and
product development – improving regional business conditions through policy, workforce and research initiatives.
The GNO, Inc. Vision is for the Greater New Orleans region to fulfill its potential as one of the best places in the
country to grow a company, and raise a family. The ultimate indication of success for GNO, Inc. will be the
presence of a robust and growing middle class in southeastern Louisiana.
More information can be found at www.gnoinc.org.
# # #
For more information or media inquiries, please contact Abhi Bhansali at abhi@bondpublicrelations.com or 504-
897-0462.
Additional Press Release Tips
• Use a press release, as opposed to a media advisory, when you have a story or narrative to tell.
• When writing a press release, it is important to create a compelling, relevant narrative in a
concise, easy-to-read format.
Use a “boilerplate” at the bottom of
each of your news releases. This is a
standard paragraph(s) of text that
describes your company,
organization, etc.
Use three “#” symbols to
signify the
end of your press release.
Restate the contact information to
remind the reporter or reader of
who to contact for more
information or to set up an
• Reverse-engineer your press release: know your intended end result, know which types of
media outlets you want to target and audiences you want to reach, and craft your release
specific to their interests.
• Be relevant: try to tie your press release and your news story into current issues or trends within
your industry/business category.
• Always write a press release as if you were a journalist – do not use “I” or “we” unless it is part
of one of the quotes in your release.
• If possible, try to limit your press release to one page and not more than two.
