| Template section | Length or rule | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | Under 100 characters | Write it last, once the news is settled, and trim until it fits. |
| Dateline | Start of the first paragraph, with city and release date | Fill it in on the day you plan to send. |
| Lead | Two to three sentences answering the five W’s | If you cannot fill all five, the news angle is not ready. |
| Body | 2 to 3 paragraphs | Use one paragraph for detail and one for context. |
| Quote | One or two quotes from a key executive or stakeholder | Get approval from the speaker before the release is final. |
| Boilerplate | Two-sentence company bio at the end | Keep one approved version and reuse it unchanged. |
| Media contact | Name, email address, phone number | Name a person who will answer inquiries promptly. |
| End notation | Three pound signs (###) centered at the bottom | Add it last so editors know nothing is missing. |
Section order and lengths follow the structure in CEO Medium’s press release template guide, and the time pressure behind them is noted in Newswire’s guidance on preparing a release.
A tech press release template follows one fixed section order, from headline to end notation. Fill every placeholder with a confirmed fact and keep each block short, because editors have limited time.
The template sits inside the wider tech press release format, which also covers sending the finished release. This page gives you the blank fields, the rules for filling each one, and startup and SaaS variations.
Before you draft: news angle and placeholder rules
The news angle decides what goes into every field. Write it as one plain sentence that says what changed and who it matters to. If that sentence needs the word “innovative” to sound like news, you do not yet have an angle. Every field below should support that one sentence and nothing else.
Placeholder rules that apply to every field
- Bracket every open field. Use one bracket style, such as [Company Name], so you can search the file for stray brackets before sending.
- Fill brackets only with confirmed facts. Names, titles, product names and dates come from the people who own them. Leave a field blank rather than guess.
- Strip promotional wording. CEO Medium advises removing words like “revolutionary,” “industry-leading,” and “excited to announce” from a news release.
- Check the destination’s rules. Newswire’s guidance says to follow industry guidelines, or any guidelines specific to the publication you are targeting, so adjust the template when a target outlet asks for something different.
Using the template as a Word document
A press release template Word file works well because brackets, bold labels and a centered end mark are all simple to format. Save one clean master with the placeholders intact, then save a copy for each announcement. Editing a copy keeps the master free of last month’s product names and quotes.
Top of the release: headline, dateline and lead
The top of the release carries the news, so these three fields get the most care. Copy this block into your master file and fill each bracket in order.
[HEADLINE: Company name + specific verb + the news]
[CITY, STATE] — [Month Day, Year] — [Lead sentence one: who and what.] [Lead sentence two: when, where and why it matters.]
Headline
Keep the headline under 100 characters, per CEO Medium’s template guidance. Name the company, use a plain verb, and state the news itself. A headline that describes a feeling instead of an event gives an editor nothing to judge.
Dateline
The dateline appears at the start of the first paragraph and includes your city and the release date. The example format in the same guide is BOSTON, MA — March 18, 2026 —. In the template, the city is in capitals, followed by the state, a dash, the date and a second dash, and the lead text runs on directly after it.
Lead
The lead should answer the five W’s in two to three sentences. For a tech company, that means naming the company, the product or event, the date or availability, the place if it matters, and the reason it matters. Put the most newsworthy fact in the first sentence, and move any background to the body.
Middle of the release: body and quote
The middle gives editors enough detail to write a story without a follow-up call. Use this block after the lead.
[BODY PARAGRAPH ONE: what the product, event or milestone is and how it works.]
[BODY PARAGRAPH TWO: context for why now, and who it is for.]
[OPTIONAL BODY PARAGRAPH THREE: availability and next steps.]
“[Substantive quote about the news,]” said [Name], [Title] at [Company].
Body length and content
The body runs two to three paragraphs, according to CEO Medium. Give each paragraph one job. Detail goes first because the lead has already stated the claim, and context comes second. Use the third paragraph only when availability or next steps would otherwise be missing.
Where the quote goes
The quote goes after the body paragraphs and before the boilerplate. Include one or two quotes from a key executive or stakeholder, and make them substantive. The same guide warns against generic lines. A useful test is whether the quote says something the body has not already said, such as a reason for the decision or what customers can now do.
Closing blocks: boilerplate, media contact and end mark
Three short blocks close the release, always in the same order: boilerplate, contact, end notation.
About [Company Name]
[Sentence one: what the company does and for whom.] [Sentence two: one distinguishing fact and your website address.]
Media Contact: [Name] | [Email] | [Phone]
###
Boilerplate
The boilerplate is a short paragraph at the end of every press release describing your company. Think of it as a two-sentence company bio, and keep it consistent from release to release. Treat it as locked text: update it only when the company itself changes, not for each announcement.
Media contact
The media contact block should include a name, email address, and phone number for media inquiries. The source example puts them on one line, separated by vertical bars, which is the layout the template above uses. Choose a person who can reply quickly, since an editor with a question will usually move on rather than wait.
End notation
Use three pound signs (###) centered at the bottom to signal the end of the release. It is a small convention, but it tells an editor the document is complete and nothing was cut off.
Startup and SaaS versions of the template
Both versions keep the same section order. What changes is which facts fill the lead and body fields, and these suggested placeholders are a starting point rather than a fixed rule.
Startup press release template
A startup press release template has to explain the company as well as the news, because many editors will not know the name. Adjust these fields:
- Lead: add [what the company does] and [who it serves] alongside the announcement, so the lead stands alone.
- Body paragraph two: use [the problem the company addresses] as context in place of market-size claims you cannot support.
- Quote: use [Founder name], [Title], and make the quote about the decision behind the announcement.
- Boilerplate: include [what the company does], [who it serves] and [website].
SaaS press release template
A SaaS press release template is usually about a change to a product that already exists, so the lead should state what changed. Adjust these fields:
- Lead: name [the feature, integration or release], [who can use it] and [when it is available].
- Body paragraph one: describe [the customer task it affects] in plain terms, not feature names alone.
- Body paragraph three: state [availability, plans or access] only if those details are confirmed.
- Quote: use [Product or company leader], [Title], and have them explain what customers can now do.
If you want to see filled-in releases rather than blank fields, read these tech press release examples next to the template.
Sending the release: newswire and targeted outreach
A finished template does not decide how the release travels. Wire services, according to CEO Medium, distribute your release to thousands of media outlets automatically, with costs from $150 to $1,000 per release depending on reach. That suits announcements with broad appeal.
A newswire is not the right choice for every release. A niche product update may reach the right reporters more reliably through direct outreach. Start with how to build a media list for a press release if you plan to pitch reporters yourself, and compare that effort with the wire price before you decide.
Final check before sending
Run these checks in order, with the printed release or a fresh read-through of the Word file.
- Search for brackets. Any remaining [ or ] means a field is unfilled.
- Check grammar and spelling, then read the release aloud, as Newswire’s guidance recommends.
- Confirm the dateline. The city and date must match the day you actually send.
- Test the contact block. The named person, email address and phone number should all be correct and monitored.
- Scan for ad-style words, and delete any that remain.
Troubleshooting common template problems
- The lead will not fit in two to three sentences. The announcement probably contains two stories. Keep the strongest in the lead and move the other to the body or a separate release.
- The quote sounds generic. Ask the speaker for the reason behind the decision, or a specific change for customers, and cut any line that could be attached to any company.
- The headline is too long. Remove adjectives first, then secondary details, until it is under the length limit of 100 characters.
- The release feels like an advertisement. Look for the promotional words listed earlier and replace each with a concrete fact.
- An outlet wants a different format. Follow that outlet’s own guidelines over the template for that submission.
Frequently asked questions
What sections does a tech press release template need?
It needs eight sections in this order: headline, dateline, lead, body, quote, boilerplate, contact and end notation, as set out by CEO Medium.
How long should each section of the template be?
The headline stays under 100 characters, the lead takes two to three sentences, the body takes 2 to 3 paragraphs, and the boilerplate is a two-sentence bio. The quote count is one or two.
Where do the quote and media contact go?
The quote follows the body and precedes the boilerplate. The media contact block sits after the boilerplate and before the end notation, which closes the release.
Can one template serve both a startup and a SaaS company?
Yes. Both use the same section order. Only the lead, body and boilerplate placeholders change, so keep one master file and a short list of company-specific fields.
