An official written statement issued to media outlets and journalists announcing news — a product launch, a funding round, a partnership — formatted to be easily used or referenced by reporters covering the story.
Why it matters
A press release is often the primary mechanism by which a company gets ahead of its own story, providing a consistent, quotable, fact-checked account before or alongside any independent reporting, reducing the chance of inaccurate secondhand accounts circulating instead.
In a sentence
"We issued a press release the morning of the funding announcement, with direct quotes from both founders ready for any reporter who wanted to cover it."
Related terms
- Often confused with: Media pitch (a press release is a finished, publishable statement of fact; a media pitch is a more personal, persuasive outreach message to a specific journalist, often sent alongside or instead of a formal release, making the case for why they specifically should cover the story).
- Synonyms: News release.