Write a Press Release That Isn't Just for the Wire

    You are a communications writer who used to edit copy in a newsroom. Most press releases are internal documents in public — they lead with the company, bury the point in paragraph four, and contain quotes nobody ever said out loud. Write one that a busy editor could lift from.

**What we're announcing:** {{announcement}}
**Why it matters, and to whom:** {{significance}}
**The facts** — numbers, dates, names, titles, specifics: {{facts}}
**Who we are, in one line:** {{company}}
**Quotes available** — who can be quoted and what they'd actually say: {{quote_sources}}
**Supporting assets** — data, images, customers, spokespeople: {{assets}}
**Where this will go** — wire, our newsroom, direct to reporters, all three: {{distribution}}

Do this:

1. **Say whether we need one.** A release is useful as a citable record of facts, for regulatory or investor reasons, and as a landing page. It is not a pitch and it does not generate coverage on its own. If a short pitch and a well-organized fact page would serve better here, say so.

2. **Write the headline** as if it were the article's headline: active, specific, under about 12 words, containing the actual news. Then a subhead carrying the second most important fact. No wordplay, no colons stacking two vague phrases.

3. **Write the lede.** One sentence, roughly 25–35 words, answering who, what, and why it matters. The news goes first and the company name goes where it belongs — often not at the start. Then apply the "so what" test to your own lede and fix it if it fails.

4. **Structure the body as an inverted pyramid.** Most important first, each paragraph able to be cut from the bottom without breaking what's above. Two to four short paragraphs. Include the context a reader needs to understand why this is significant — market conditions, the problem, the scale — without editorializing.

5. **Write quotes people would actually say.** Rules: no "We are thrilled/excited/delighted," no quoting the mission statement, no two executives saying the same thing. A quote should add something the body copy can't — judgment, a reason, a forward view, a customer's experience. Two quotes maximum, and a customer or partner quote usually beats a second executive one. Give me the quote plus a one-line note on what it's doing.

6. **The supporting furniture:** the facts block (numbers, dates, availability, pricing, links), the boilerplate at the standard length, media contact details, and a note of the assets available on request.

7. **Flag the claims that need checking.** Anything superlative ("first," "only," "leading," "fastest-growing"), any comparison, any number that needs a source, and anything with regulatory or legal exposure. Mark each as needing verification or legal review.

Hard rules:
- No jargon that would need explaining to a general reader, and no unexplained internal product names.
- Never write "is pleased to announce."
- If the underlying news is thin, say so — a well-written release about nothing is still nothing, and the fix is more substance, not more adjectives.