How to write a press release for a small business
A press release is a short news story about your business, written so a reporter can use it with little work. Here is when you have something worth sending, the parts every release needs, a made-up example, how to send it to local press, where to keep it on your own site, and what Google says about links in releases.
The advice on news, structure and pitching is our view from writing websites and announcements for small businesses. The part on links comes from Google's spam policies for Google web search and its page on qualifying outbound links, both checked on 13 November 2026. This guide does not recommend any paid distribution service; for most small businesses a direct email to the right local reporter does more.
When your news is news
A reporter asks one question: why would our readers care about this now? Good reasons for a small business are usually local and concrete:
- You open, move, expand or open a second location (for the rest of an opening plan, see our grand opening ideas).
- You start a service people in the area could not get nearby before.
- You hire a number of local people, or reach a real milestone (25 years in the same street).
- You run or support a community event, a fundraiser or a free class.
- You win a recognised local award, or a staff member does something notable.
- You have useful local information: a seasonal warning from a trade that sees it first, or a change that affects customers.
Things that are usually not news on their own: a new website, a new logo, a sale, a new product in an existing range, or "we are the best in town". Those belong in your newsletter or on social media. If you are unsure, ask whether a neighbour who has never been a customer would find it interesting.
The parts of a press release
Keep it to one page, roughly 300 to 500 words. Put the most important facts first, because editors cut from the bottom.
- Release line: "For immediate release", or "Embargoed until" a date and time if the news must not run earlier.
- Headline: one plain sentence that states the news, with the business name and the place. No puns, no capital letters all the way through.
- Dateline: the city (and state) and the date, before the first sentence.
- Lead paragraph: who, what, when, where and why in two or three sentences. A reporter should be able to stop here and still have the story.
- Details: one or two short paragraphs with the facts a reader needs: opening hours, prices if they are part of the news, how to sign up, who it is for.
- Quote: one or two sentences from a named person (the owner, a partner, a customer who agreed to it) that say something a fact cannot: why you are doing this. Avoid "we are thrilled to announce".
- Boilerplate: a short "About" paragraph that stays the same in every release: what the business does, where, since when, and the website address. You can take it from your About us page.
- Media contact: a real person's name, phone and email, answered on the day the release goes out.
- End mark: "###" or "Ends" so the reader knows nothing is missing.
Add one or two good photos as attachments or download links, with a caption and a credit, and only photos you have the right to share (see photos and image licensing).
A made-up example
This example is invented to show the structure. The business, people, address and details are not real.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Harbor Street Bakery opens a free weekend bread class for teens in Oceanview
OCEANVIEW, Calif., March 2, 2027 – Harbor Street Bakery, a family bakery on Harbor Street since 2012, will run a free two-hour bread class for teenagers aged 13 to 17 every Saturday morning from March 13. Places are limited to eight per class and can be booked on the bakery's website.
Each class covers mixing, shaping and baking one loaf, which students take home. Ingredients and aprons are provided. A parent or guardian signs the booking form.
"Most of our bakers learned by standing next to someone who knew how," said owner Maria Lopez. "We want local teenagers to get that chance too."
About Harbor Street Bakery: Harbor Street Bakery bakes bread and pastries daily at 100 Harbor Street, Oceanview. www.example.com
Media contact: Maria Lopez, owner, (555) 010-0000, [email protected]
###
Sending it to local press
- Find the right person. Look at who covers business, community or events at your local paper, news site, radio station and neighbourhood newsletters. Most outlets list a news desk email or a contact form.
- Email, not attachment only. Paste the release into the body of the email, with a short note on top: one or two lines on why it matters to their readers, and that photos are available.
- Write a clear subject line. For example "Local news: free bread class for teens starts March 13". Tell the truth about what is inside.
- Send early. Give event news a week or two of notice. Send each outlet one email; follow up once a few days later if you hear nothing, then let it go.
- Be ready. Answer the phone that day, and have the facts, photos and the person quoted available for a short interview.
Press is one of several local channels; see local marketing ideas for how it fits with your Google profile, events and referrals.
A simple newsroom page on your site
Keep every release on your own website as well, on a page such as /news/ or /press/. It gives reporters one place to check facts, and gives customers a record of what you have done. Our view of what that page needs:
- Each release as its own web page with a date, not only as a PDF.
- A short boilerplate, a few downloadable photos and your logo, with a note on how they may be used.
- The media contact name, phone and email.
- Links to coverage you received, with the outlet name and date.
Keep the business name, address and phone on it the same as on your Google Business Profile and in your organization markup.
Links in press releases and Google
Some services sell press releases as a way to get links that help your rankings. Google's spam policies say the opposite. They define link spam as "the practice of creating links to or from a site primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings", and list among the examples "links with optimized anchor text in articles, guest posts, or press releases distributed on other sites."
So treat links in a release as a way for readers to find you, not as a ranking tactic:
- Link to your home page or the one page the news is about, using your business name or the plain address as the link text.
- Do not stuff the release with keyword links such as "best bakery San Diego".
- If you pay for a release to be placed on another site, that link is a paid placement. Google's outbound links page says to mark "links that are advertisements or paid placements" with
rel="sponsored".
The real search value of press is indirect: an article from a local outlet that chooses to write about you, and people who then search for your name. For the basics that do move rankings, see small business SEO basics.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a small business press release be?
One page, roughly 300 to 500 words. The headline and first paragraph should carry the whole story; the rest adds details, one quote, the boilerplate and a contact.
Do I need a paid distribution service?
Not for local news. An email to the right reporter at each local outlet is usually enough, and Google's spam policies treat optimized anchor links in distributed press releases as link spam, so a paid service does not buy you rankings.
Should I put press releases on my website?
Yes. Keep each one as a dated page on a news or press page, with photos, the boilerplate and a media contact, so reporters and customers can find the facts.
Want help with a newsroom page, an About page or the website your press coverage links to? See our services.