Press release template: 7 free formats for 2026 (Docx, PDF)

What goes into a press release template

Every press release template you will read in 2026 shares the same seven parts. The format dates back to wire services like the Associated Press and is still what Muck Rack and Cision journalists expect to see in their inbox. Change the order and you give the reporter a reason to delete the message. Keep the order and they can scan the release in under twenty seconds, which is the realistic attention budget reported in the 2025 State of the Media.

1. Headline. Under 100 characters. Company name, strong verb, specific fact. No adjectives, no questions, no puns.
2. Optional subhead. One line that adds the second most important fact (use of funds, launch date, integration scope).
3. Dateline. CITY, COUNTRY, MONTH DAY, YEAR. Sets the where and when in one line.
4. Lead paragraph. The five Ws (who, what, when, where, why) in 60 words. A newsroom should be able to file a brief from the lead alone.
5. Body. Two or three paragraphs with supporting facts, third-party data, customer evidence.
6. Quote. One or two named quotes. CEO, customer or investor. Under 40 words each.
7. Boilerplate. Short About the company block. 60 to 100 words. Always the same from release to release.
8. Press contact. A named person, not press@. Email, phone, press kit URL.

If you want deeper definitions of each term, see our boilerplate and dateline entries, or the full press release writing guide.

Annotated press release template example

Below is a filled funding announcement template with the seven parts labelled. Copy the structure, keep the labels, replace the bracketed fields with your own facts.

[HEADLINE - under 100 characters]
Acme raises 12M USD Series A led by Sequoia to automate B2B invoicing

[SUBHEAD - optional]
Funds will triple the engineering team and open a New York office in Q3 2026.

[DATELINE]
PARIS, FRANCE, APRIL 12, 2026.

[LEAD - five Ws in 60 words]
Acme, the B2B invoicing automation platform used by 1,200 SMBs in Europe,
today announced a 12 million USD Series A funding round led by Sequoia Capital,
with participation from existing investors Point Nine and Kima. The company
will use the capital to expand into North America and ship two new products
by the end of 2026.

[BODY - facts first]
Acme now processes more than 4 million invoices per month, up from 900,000
a year ago. Revenue grew 320 percent in 2025 and the company ended the year
cash-flow positive. The Series A brings total funding to 18.5 million USD.

[QUOTE - one named quote, under 40 words]
"B2B finance teams still spend six hours a week chasing invoices," said Marie
Dupont, CEO and co-founder of Acme. "Our job is to take that number to zero,
and this round gives us the runway to do it."

[BOILERPLATE - 60 to 100 words]
About Acme
Acme is a B2B invoicing automation platform headquartered in Paris, France.
Founded in 2022, the company helps 1,200 SMBs across the European Union
collect payments faster through native integrations with QuickBooks, Xero and
Pennylane. Acme is backed by Sequoia Capital, Point Nine and Kima and employs
45 people across Paris and Berlin.

[PRESS CONTACT - named human]
Jean Martin, Head of Communications, Acme
jean@acme.io | +33 1 23 45 67 89
Press kit: https://acme.io/press

That structure works for every other news type with small shifts. A launch announcement leads with the product name and availability. A hire leads with the person and the mandate. An acquisition leads with both company names and the rationale. The shell is the same.

7 press release templates, one per use case

Each template below is a self-contained format built for one news type. Pick the one that matches your announcement and skip the others. Trying to force a funding release into a partnership template is the most common drafting mistake we see in PressPilot campaigns.

1. Product launch template

When to use it. New product, new feature, new SKU, new hardware release. Your announcement has a live URL and a buyable or usable asset on launch day.

The lead answers what the product does, for whom, starting when, at what price. The body should include one early customer quote, the integration or distribution surface (iOS, Android, Web, Shopify, HubSpot), and a third-party benchmark if you have one. Avoid launch language that does not translate (game-changing, revolutionary, first-ever without proof).

HEADLINE: Acme launches AI expense reports for Xero in 3 European markets
LEAD: Acme today launched AI Expense Reports, a new module inside its invoicing
platform that reconciles receipts with Xero ledger entries in under 10 seconds.
The module is live in France, Germany and the Netherlands starting April 14,
2026, priced at 9 EUR per user per month.

Pair this with our full product launch template page for the downloadable Docx.

2. Funding announcement template

When to use it. Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, bridge round, or debt facility. You can disclose the amount, the lead investor and the use of funds.

The lead states the round size, stage, lead investor and use of funds. The body should include growth metrics (revenue, customer count, ARR if disclosed), the post-money valuation when permitted, and one investor quote. Lead investors love being named first; follow-on investors belong in a later sentence with a short participated by list.

HEADLINE: Beta closes 25M EUR Series B led by Accel to scale HR analytics in EMEA
LEAD: Beta, the HR analytics platform used by 400 mid-market employers,
today announced the close of a 25 million EUR Series B funding round led by
Accel with participation from existing investors Balderton and Seedcamp. The
company will use the funds to ship its skills graph product and hire 60 people
across its Paris and London offices.

See our dedicated Series A announcement template when the round is a Series A specifically.

3. Partnership template

When to use it. Strategic partnership, integration, channel deal, co-marketing or distribution agreement between two named companies with a joint customer benefit.

Both companies must agree to publish on the same day, with the same facts, ideally from the same wire. The lead names both parties, the scope (integration, reseller, joint go to market) and the customer benefit. Drop one quote per side, each under 40 words, and state who owns the customer relationship.

HEADLINE: Gamma and Delta partner to bring real-time fraud scoring to 2,000 banks
LEAD: Gamma, the payments risk API used by more than 150 fintechs, and Delta,
the core banking platform serving 2,000 community banks across North America,
today announced a strategic integration partnership. Delta customers can now
call Gamma fraud scores natively from their core banking interface starting
June 1, 2026.

4. Executive hire template

When to use it. C-level or VP hire (CEO, CFO, CMO, CTO, CRO, VP Sales, VP Engineering). Person is named, start date is set, mandate is public.

The lead names the person, the role, the previous role and the start date. The body gives the mandate (what they will own) and the context (growth stage, challenges). A short quote from the CEO and a longer one from the new hire work best, in that order. Avoid stock photo mindset: publish a real headshot on 1200 by 1200 pixels minimum.

HEADLINE: Epsilon names former Stripe VP Sarah Okonkwo Chief Revenue Officer
LEAD: Epsilon, the developer-first API testing platform, today announced the
appointment of Sarah Okonkwo as Chief Revenue Officer, effective May 1, 2026.
Okonkwo joins from Stripe where she led mid-market sales in EMEA. She will
build and scale Epsilon's first outbound sales team as the company moves
up-market from self-serve to enterprise.

5. Merger and acquisition template

When to use it. Acquisition, merger or asset purchase. Both parties agree to disclose, the closing date is set and the combined entity can be described.

Both sides must be on board before you publish. The lead names the acquirer, the target, the deal structure (cash, stock, mix) and the expected close. Disclose the price only if your lawyers say so. The body should address what happens to the target team, product and brand. Silence on those points breeds churn.

HEADLINE: Zeta acquires Eta to add contract AI to its procurement suite
LEAD: Zeta, the procurement software company used by 800 mid-market buyers,
today announced it has acquired Eta, a 14 person contract intelligence
startup based in Amsterdam. The acquisition, which closed on April 10, 2026,
will bring Eta's AI clause extraction into Zeta's contract workflow by Q3.
Financial terms were not disclosed. All 14 Eta employees will join Zeta.

6. Award template

When to use it. Industry award, ranking inclusion (Gartner, Forrester, G2, Deloitte Fast 500), analyst recognition or peer-reviewed certification.

Awards are low intensity news hooks. They convert when you pair them with a specific customer outcome or a public metric. The lead names the award, the issuing body, the category and the context (ranking position, cohort size). Quote the awarding body when possible; a self-quote alone is weak.

HEADLINE: Theta named Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Field Service
LEAD: Theta, the mobile-first field service platform used by 60,000 technicians
across 18 countries, has been named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic
Quadrant for Field Service Management. Theta is one of four vendors placed
in the Leaders quadrant and was recognized for its completeness of vision
and ability to execute.

7. Event template

When to use it. Conference, summit, trade show appearance, flagship launch event or webinar. The date, location and speaker lineup are locked.

Event releases are time boxed. Send the first one four to six weeks out, a second one seven days before, and a recap the day after. The lead states the event name, date, city, venue and theme. The body lists confirmed speakers with titles, the agenda anchors and the registration URL. Add a media accreditation line so reporters know how to attend.

HEADLINE: Iota Summit 2026 gathers 1,200 SaaS operators in Lisbon on June 8 and 9
LEAD: Iota, the operator network for B2B SaaS leaders, today confirmed the
agenda for Iota Summit 2026, which will take place at the Lisbon Congress
Center on June 8 and 9. The two-day event will host 1,200 operators from
Series A to public companies, with 48 speakers including the CROs of HubSpot,
Pigment and Sendbird.

How to fill a press release template in 2026

The template is the shell. The work is in the filling. This six step procedure is the same one we run inside PressPilot when our team drafts a release with a customer.

1. Step 1. Confirm the news hook. Apply the so-what test. Is this a launch, a funding round, a partnership, a named hire, a milestone, an award, an acquisition or a flagship event? If not, it is not a press release. Pick the matching template before you write a single word.
2. Step 2. Write the headline under 100 characters. Lead with the company name, a strong verb and the specific fact (dollar amount, product name, date, rank). Avoid adjectives. Example: Acme raises 12M USD Series A led by Sequoia to automate B2B invoicing.
3. Step 3. Write the dateline and lead paragraph. The dateline is CITY, COUNTRY, MONTH DAY, YEAR. The lead answers the five Ws (who, what, when, where, why) in 60 words or less. Put the most important fact first. A journalist should be able to file a news brief from the lead alone.
4. Step 4. Add two or three supporting facts. Back every claim with evidence: customer count, revenue, growth rate, third-party data, analyst name. Avoid marketing superlatives. One paragraph per fact. Link externally to sources once, never more than twice.
5. Step 5. Insert one named quote. One quote from the CEO or the person closest to the news. Optional second quote from a customer or investor. Keep each quote under 40 words. The quote must advance the story, not repeat the headline.
6. Step 6. Close with boilerplate and press contact. Boilerplate is 60 to 100 words: what the company does, where it is based, how many customers or employees, one sentence on funding or scale. Contact block lists a real human: name, title, email, phone and a URL to the press kit.

Need a faster start? Draft the first version with our free AI press release generator, then harden it with this checklist.

Mistakes that kill a press release template

A good template becomes a bad release when the drafter breaks the rules of the format. These are the seven mistakes that we flag most often on PressPilot reviews, ranked by frequency.

• Adjective leads. Revolutionary, disruptive, best-in-class. Replace every adjective with a number or remove it. Journalists read around marketing language.
• Missing dateline. No city, no country, no date. The release looks like a blog post and fails the wire sniff test.
• Buried lead. The five Ws are in paragraph three, behind a story about the founder's origin story. Reporters bounce after 60 words.
• Self-quotes only. Three quotes from the CEO, none from a customer, investor or partner. External validation is missing.
• Over 500 words. 700 word releases get opened less often than 400 word ones. The Cision 2025 report is explicit on this.
• press@ contact. No named human, no phone number. Reporters on deadline will call. Pick a person and list them.
• Mass blast. Sending the same release to every journalist on every beat burns your sender reputation. Segment by beat first; see all press release templates and our full press release writing guide for beat mapping.

Frequently asked questions