Guide · Press release basics
Press release format: structure, template and a real example
In short
A press release follows a set order: headline, a one-line summary, a dateline with city and date, a lead that gives the news, the body with the facts, a quote from a named person, an About paragraph and a contact. News sites expect that order, so following it is what lets an editor publish your text as it stands. The table below shows each part with the matching lines from our own release on USA Today.
The parts, in order, with a real example
Each row shows what to write. Every row quotes our own release, published in USA Today’s press release section on 23 October 2026, so you can see each part as an editor accepted it; the image above marks the same parts on the whole text.
| Part | What to write | From our release |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | The news in one line | Vokolla Launches an AI Press Release Agent That Lets Small Businesses and Founders Publish Their Own News |
| Summary | One line with one more detail; 150 characters or fewer, no final period | Vokolla launched an AI press release agent that lets small businesses and founders write, check and publish their own news |
| Dateline | City and state or country, then the date | CHEYENNE, WY – October 23, 2026 |
| Lead | Who did what, when and where, in one or two sentences | Vokolla today launched an AI press release agent at vokolla.com that lets small businesses and founders publish their own news. |
| Body | The facts: what it is, who it is for, price, availability; most important first | Written by the owner and checked by the agent. Owners who prefer to write their own release can upload or paste it. The agent reviews it against the editorial requirements publishers apply and suggests improvements, from a clearer opening and a proper dateline to wording that reads as news rather than advertising. (Excerpt) |
| Quote | A named person with a title, saying why it matters | “Every business has news worth sharing, but many small businesses have not issued a press release, because it seemed to require an agency…,” said Richard Lee, Founder of Vokolla. |
| About | Two or three sentences, the same in every release | Vokolla (vokolla.com) is a self-service press release platform for businesses and brands growing their online presence. It combines AI-assisted writing and editorial checks with distribution and a report of every published link. |
| Contact | A named person and a way to reach them | Media Contact: Richard Lee, Vokolla, vokolla.com |
A template you can copy
Replace the brackets and delete anything that does not apply:
- Headline: [Company] [launches / opens / appoints / announces] [the news]
- Summary: [One more detail, 150 characters or fewer, no final period]
- Dateline and lead: CITY, ST – Month D, YYYY – [Company] today [did what] [where or for whom it is available].
- Second paragraph: what it is, who it is for, the price or availability.
- Third paragraph: one more detail or a figure you can back up.
- Quote: “[Why it matters],” said [Name], [title] at [Company].
- What is next: where to find out more, with a link using your brand name or web address as the link text.
- About [Company]: two or three sentences, identical in every release.
- Contact: [Name], [email], [website].
The Vokolla AI assistant drafts a release in this structure from a few sentences about your news, and our editors check it before it is published.
Format rules that outlets apply
Outlets add their own rules on top of the order above. For our Premium Media release, USA Today asked for 400–500 words; AP style (no serial comma, lowercase titles after names); a summary of 150 characters or fewer with no final period; descriptive link text instead of bare web addresses; alt text on every image; and no comparisons with named organisations or products. Our release had 421 words.
Two further habits help everywhere. Give the dateline a city and a state or country, as ours does. And put your links in the body or the About paragraph, because separate notes sections may be removed by an editor.
Publish with Vokolla
Vokolla shows one public price per release, from US$69, with no quote, sales call or subscription. You write the release or draft it with the Vokolla AI assistant, choose the package, pay online and get a report with every live link, and an editor reviews each release before it goes out. You can try it first with one free release every 30 days; every package is on the pricing page.
Questions people ask
What is a dateline?
The city, state or country and date at the start of the first paragraph, for example “CHEYENNE, WY – October 23, 2026”. It tells the reader where and when the news is issued from.
What goes in the About paragraph?
Two or three sentences on what the company does, who it serves and where to find it. Write it once and reuse it word for word, so every copy describes you the same way.
Where should the website link go?
In the body or the About paragraph, with your brand name or web address as the link text. One or two links are enough.
Is there a template for a press release?
Yes, the one above. The Vokolla AI assistant produces the same structure from a short description of your news.
Vokolla pages for this step
- Packages →Six packages from US$69 to US$659 per release, each with a report of the live links.
- Pricing →Every package’s public price, reach and what it includes, side by side.
- Free press release →One free release every 30 days on news sites, after editor review.
- AI assistant →Connect your AI assistant to Vokolla to draft, check and save a release.
Sources
Written and checked by the Vokolla editorial team. Vokolla provides the packages described here; prices and outlets are as published on vokolla.com on the date above, and the results quoted come from our own releases. Search rankings depend on many factors, so no distribution service can guarantee them.
- Vokolla publishing records: our own releases on USA Today and partner networks (October 2026), Google, Bing and AI-answer checks on 4 Nov 2026 (internal records; the method is described on this page) — checked 2026-11-04
- USA Today: “Vokolla Launches an AI Press Release Agent…” (press release section, 23 Oct 2026) — checked 2026-11-04
- Vokolla: Editorial guidelines for press releases — checked 2026-11-04
- Vokolla: Press release distribution pricing (packages, prices and reach) — checked 2026-11-04