If you've been searching for a press release template you can actually open in Microsoft Word, edit in five minutes, and send today, you're in the right place. Below you'll find a free .DOCX download, the full template as editable text, and everything you need to know to use it correctly.
How to Use This Press Release Word Template?
Download the .DOCX file below and open it in Microsoft Word (2013 or later), Google Docs, or LibreOffice. Every bracketed placeholder is a field you replace with your own content.
Expert’s Opinion: "The format isn't bureaucracy, it's a shortcut. When your release follows the structure journalists already know, they spend zero time figuring out where the news is and all their time deciding whether to cover it."
— EasyPRwire Editorial Team
Here's how to work through it:
Step 1 (Fill in contact details first): Your name, title, email, and phone number go at the top. Journalists need this instantly. If it's missing, the release gets ignored.
Step 2 (Write the headline before anything else): The headline shapes everything below it. Keep it under 80 characters and make it factual, not clever. "Company X Launches Sustainability Fund Targeting 500 SMEs" beats "Company X Takes Bold Step Toward a Greener Future." Getting this step right is often the hardest part of learning to write media release copy that actually gets picked up by journalists.
Research published in Science Advances in June 2024, based on nearly 30,000 headline experiments conducted by The Washington Post and Upworthy, found that readers consistently prefer simply written headlines over complex ones, choosing shorter, more common words and straightforward structure every time. (Source: The Journalists Resource)
Step 3 (Answer the 5 Ws in paragraph one): Who did what, when, where, and why, all in the first 40 words. Journalists skim from the top. If your news isn't clear by the end of the first paragraph, the release is already failing.
Step 4 (Add a quote in paragraph two): It should come from a named person with a title. Avoid corporate speech. A quote like "We're thrilled to announce this exciting opportunity" tells journalists nothing and gets cut.
Step 5 (Write your boilerplate last): The boilerplate is a 75–100 word "About Us" paragraph that sits below the body copy. Keep a master version saved separately, you'll reuse it in every release you send. If you want to get deeper into what makes a strong boilerplate, our guide on what goes in the boilerplate section of a press release covers it in detail.
Once the document is complete, save it as a .DOCX and a PDF before sending. Many distribution platforms accept both.
Press Release Template – Standard Format
Use this as your starting point. Copy it directly into Word, or download the pre formatted .DOCX file in the next section.
[YOUR COMPANY LETTERHEAD / LOGO]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (or: EMBARGOED UNTIL [DATE & TIME])
Media Contact: [Full Name] [Job Title] [Email Address] [Phone Number] [Company Website]
[HEADLINE: State the news clearly – under 80 characters]
[SUBHEADLINE: Optional. One sentence expanding on the headline.]
[CITY, STATE] – [DATE] – [Lead paragraph: 40–50 words. Answer who, what, when, where, and why. Put your strongest fact first — a number, a launch date, or a concrete milestone.]
[Second paragraph: Supporting details. Expand on the announcement, include context, and add a named quote from a company spokesperson or executive.]
"[Quote from spokesperson]," said [Full Name], [Title] at [Company Name]. "[One more sentence from the quote if needed.]"
[Third paragraph: Any additional context — data, research, background, or relevant timing. Link to supporting assets if the template is being used for a digital distribution platform.]
[Optional fourth paragraph: A second quote from a partner, client, or external voice adds credibility.]
About [Company Name] [Boilerplate: 75–100 words. Describe what your company does, who it serves, and any key facts — founding year, locations, notable clients, or awards. End with your website URL.]
###
(The "###" symbol signals the end of the release — centre it on its own line.)
This format follows the AP Style guidelines used by most newsrooms and wire services. If you're submitting through a distribution platform, check whether they apply their own formatting on top, most do, which means your Word document is the source file, not the final presentation.
Download the .DOCX Template
The free template is pre formatted with correct heading styles, a placeholder boilerplate, and the standard "###" end mark. Everything is in place, you just replace the brackets.
Once you've drafted your release, press release distribution is the next step to get it in front of journalists and wire services. Our platform handles formatting, targeting, and tracking from one place.
Customising the Template for Your Announcement
The standard format above works for most announcements, but a few situations call for small adjustments.
Product launches need a clear availability date and price in paragraph one. Journalists covering consumer or trade beats will skip releases that omit both. Include a high-resolution image link if the product is visual.
New hires and appointments lead with the person's name and new role, not the company. "Sarah Chen joins [Company] as Chief Operating Officer" works. "Company Strengthens Leadership Team" does not, it buries the news.
Partnerships and collaborations require a quote from both parties. One quote from one side of the deal reads as a sponsored announcement. Two named quotes, from two different organisations, read as news.
Events should state the date, location, and how to register in the first paragraph, not at the end. If someone can't find the date in ten seconds, they won't look for it.
For any of these, the Word template structure stays the same. You're adjusting emphasis and order, not the format itself. If you want to see how different announcement types look in practice, view full samples by industry, there are examples covering product launches, acquisitions, nonprofit announcements, and more.
Common Mistakes When Using a Template
Templates help with structure, but they don't stop people from making the same content mistakes.
Leaving placeholder text in the final draft. Releases go out every week with "[Insert Quote Here]" still in the body. Do a Ctrl+F search for every bracket before you send.
Writing like a marketing brochure. "Groundbreaking," "revolutionary," and "industry-leading" are not news. Journalists treat promotional language as a signal to stop reading. Stick to facts.
Burying the announcement. The first paragraph should contain the actual news. Background, history, and company context belong further down. Journalists read inverted pyramid style, most important first.
No quote, or a quote that says nothing. A quote is mandatory in any release going to the media. It gives journalists something to cite directly. Make it specific: what does this announcement mean for customers, employees, or the market?
Sending it as a .doc instead of .docx. Some older templates are saved in legacy .doc format. Word opens them fine, but some distribution platforms and email clients flag them. Save as .DOCX before sending.
Skipping the boilerplate or writing a new one each time. The boilerplate should be consistent across every release you publish. Journalists who cover your company regularly will notice if it keeps changing.
If you're newer to writing press releases from scratch rather than filling in a template, the full walkthrough in our guide on how to write a press release is worth reading before you draft anything.
