what is a press release

A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. It is a formal announcement made by a business sharing newsworthy information relating to its latest business development with the media and other interested parties with the aim to generate press coverage. Press releases are usually handled by a companys public relations (PR) department and are written by PR professionals. They are considered a primary source of information and are composed of nine structural elements, including a headline, dateline, introduction, body, and other components. The goal of a press release is to pique the interest of a journalist or publication and contain all the essential information (who? what? where? when? how? and most importantly why?) for the journalist to easily produce his own story. Press releases are typically delivered to news media electronically, ready to use, and often subject to "do not use before" time, known as a news embargo.