There’s a type of press release for every kind of business announcement you might want to make.

If you’re a public relations pro, I’m guessing you are your company’s biggest advocate.

Whether your company is hosting an industry-renowned event, bringing on an impressive new hire, or announcing a long-coming partnership, the team looks to you to create best in class PR materials^[1].

Right?

Unfortunately there isn’t a one-size-fits-all tactic for how to write a press release^[2]. If you’re tasked with a press release covering your company’s new charitable initiative, attempting to recreate your recent partnership press release likely won’t get you far. Similarly, your charitable initiative press release isn’t a starting point for when you’re announcing your new superstar executive.

Regardless of the announcement, there is a press release to fit your marketing^[3] needs. While we provided a brief overview of the types of press releases in our ultimate guide, here we’ll be taking a deeper dive into your options. We’ll review the types of press releases and when to use them, as well as evaluate examples based on what they did well, and how they could improve for next time.

Here are some common use cases you can turn to when your team is counting on you to spread the news. Keep in mind that the format is always the same, with the date, header, subhead, boilerplate^[4], and contact information present. 

Event Press Release

An event press release^[5] is used to promote a newsworthy event that your company is hosting, attending, or sponsoring.

These press releases aim to raise awareness among the general public and encourage members of the media to attend or cover your event. Because of that, timing is vital.

To increase attendance for an event you’re hosting, you’ll need to distribute the release well before the event itself. This will give reporters plenty of time to get the event on their schedule and begin preparation.

As we mentioned, covering the “five W’s” of journalism (who, what, when, where, and why) is vital when it comes to event marketing^[6] press releases. If your purpose is to attract the media, then think of this as your invitation to them.