What Is A Press Release And How To Write It

If you want to work in fashion PR, one of your main tasks will be to write press releases. So if you are considering a career in this field, you have to know what a press release is and how to write it. 

In case you are wondering why you need to learn it now if you are a beginner and haven’t started working in fashion yet, let me reveal a secret: adding a press release to your application can significantly increase your chances of landing a fashion PR internship. But more on that later. 

First, let’s see what’s a press release, what’s its purpose, and which professionals use it. Then, I will give you tips to write a press release and share how to strategically use it to land an internship in fashion if you don’t have any experience yet. 

What Is A Press Release?

A press release is a document that fashion brands or magazines produce to be distributed to share news. It can be produced internally by the PR team or by a PR agency.

A press release can be used to announce:

• A fashion show or another event
• The launch of a product, collection, line, or a new brand
• The appointment of a new designer/creative director
• A new headquarters 
• The opening or closure of a new store 
• The release or closure of a magazine
• A sustainable initiative
• Awards and nominations
• Etc.

Most fashion news is communicated to writers and editors through a press release; that’s how they find out about the different projects and events. They can find the news in press databases or other publications, or discover them by word of mouth. However, the press release remains the official and direct source of information a brand provides to their press contacts.

A press release can be issued for different purposes; it depends on what goal the brand wants to achieve with the spread of that information. It can be to get extensive media coverage by providing all the details about the product or event. It can also be used just to tease the news without revealing too much to spike curiosity and drive attention towards the brand. Therefore, the communication goals must align with the expected reaction a brand wants to get in the media. 

Who uses press releases in fashion?

The press release is mainly used by brands to send it to press contacts, such as fashion editors, digital publications, bloggers, and influencers. They can then spread the news in the articles or social media platforms.

Before sending the press release, fashion brands decide on which sources will be the best fit to report on the news. They consider the type of publication, the profile of the influencer/blogger, the readership, etc. 

For example, a press release from Chanel about an upcoming fashion show can be sent to fashion publications like WWD or the Business of Fashion. And the news about a new Dior collection can be shared with digital but also print publications like Vogue or l’Officiel. 

How to write a press release

Let’s get to the exciting part of writing a press release! Here are some general recommendations on the structure to follow, and the mistakes to avoid. 

Include the logo and the date

Always include a logo of the company on top, as well as the date. 

The Headline

Include a headline, which is a short statement and summary of the main point of the document. It should be as short as 1 line and generate interest to keep reading it further. 

The Body

A good press release must always answer 5 questions: “who”, “what”, ”where”, “when”, and “why”. 

It is recommended to follow the format of an “inverted pyramid”. The most important information is revealed at the beginning of the story, followed by the least significant information at the bottom.

The Closure

Share the contacts of the press team so that the media can reach out for questions or more information.

Make sure your press release follows this structure to make it easily readable.

Include quotes

Quotes can give your press release extra validity. You can support your story with comments from the brand’s spokesperson (a CEO, a creative director, a brand ambassador, etc.). They can provide further insight into the topic and make it easy for journalists to quote your brand in their articles. 

What Does “For Immediate Release” mean?

If news shall be shared immediately, the press release includes a note that says “For Immediate Release”. It must go at the top, beyond the logo, the first thing the reader sees when they open the document. 

How many pages should a press release be? 

The information should ideally fit in one page or at most two. More than two pages in a news release is considered off-format. 

Indeed, journalists and editors receive hundreds of PR pitches every single day. This means that many of them are either ignored or discarded immediately. On average, the press contact will only spend a few seconds looking at an email to decide if the content is relevant. 

Keep in mind that a press release is not an article or review but just a short news. Therefore, you should be clear and concise, and go straight to the point. Keep it short and sweet. 

If it is more than one page, type “more” or “over” at the bottom of the page to inform the reader that more information follows. 

Where to send a press release?

Nowadays, the fastest and most common way to send a press release is by e-mail. To increase the chances of getting noticed by your press contacts, make sure you not only attach the document but paste it into the body of your email. This will ensure that key information is seen immediately. Some people won’t bother opening an attachment without seeing short information first and what the press release is about. 

Avoid sending large image files. Either they won’t get sent or they will clog up your recipient’s inbox. Compress all media to avoid bouncebacks.

Fashion Press release examples

Below you can find two real press releases from Chanel and Dior. They will give you a better idea of how one looks like just in case you need to write one or you’re just curious.

Landing a job or internship in fashion PR

As I said at the beginning of this article, you should learn how to write a press release (and now you know 😉 ) even before you land a PR internship. Even though fashion companies usually don’t request it in the job description, knowing how to write it can make you stand out from applicants who don’t have this skill.

You should indicate this skill in your CV and cover letter. In addition, I recommend you do not just tell but show that you know how to write a press release aka include it in your portfolio. 

It’s very simple. You can take any existing news about a past fashion show, product launch, or anything else and pretend you are a PR manager working at some brand that released this news. So you don’t have to come up with an imaginary project but use real news. 

Just a few press releases are enough to build your portfolio for fashion PR. Trust me, the recruiter will be impressed by this initiative and the fact that you can write a press release as a total beginner.

I explain more about how to build a portfolio project for fashion PR in my online course Break into the Fashion Industry.

If you want to get a glimpse into my teaching style first, register here for my free webinar 😉