How to Write a New Hire Press Release

By Intelligent Relations Team

August 18, 2022

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Congratulations! After months of searching, you’ve finally found the perfect candidate to fill a key position in your company. Now that it’s time to introduce them to the rest of the business world, you better learn how to put together a new hire press release.

New hire press releases are not altogether dissimilar to regular press releases. But, they are also very different, so using a template to work from is a good first step to drafting one. 

Below, you’ll find everything you need to know about new hire press releases, and, as you’ll see, it’s all pretty straightforward. Here’s what we’ll go through:

• Different Types of New Hire Press Releases
• What to Include in a New Hire Press Release
• Writing a New Hire Press Release
• New Hire Press Release Examples
• Sending a New Hire Press Release

What is a new hire press release?

A new hire press release is an official media announcement about a new person joining your company. They are often reserved for C-suite level or executive hires. It’s best practice to send a new hire press release after the person has accepted the offer and before their start date.

The key to announcing new hires is to make sure they’re newsworthy. That most often includes a change in leadership – i.e., you’ve hired a new CEO.

But that can also include instances where you’ve hired a superstar executive.

Here are some examples of C-suite level executives positions you might want to announce:

• CEO
• CFO
• CTO
• CMO
• COO
• CIO
• CCO
• CHRO

What are the main types of new hire press releases?

New hire press releases can be broken down into three different types, all featuring shared components relevant to any press release, but each tailored to various new hire scenarios that your company might experience.

• New Team Member Press Release – For a new team member joining your company, typically a high-level upper management position or C-suite hires.
• Multiple New Hire Press Release – For the hiring of several new employees at once, usually for non-upper management positions.
• Employee Promotion Press Release – For employees being promoted to a new position in your company, typically upper-management. 

What should I include in a new hire press release?

Regardless of the type of new hire press release you need, they all serve the same purpose – to introduce a new team member in a public announcement. For high-level senior management positions, new hires are a big deal, especially if there are lots of eyes on your company. 

The intended audience for a new hire press release might include competitors, stakeholders, shareholders, media outlets, as well as anyone with a vested interest in your company, and, of course, the new hire you’ve brought on board.

As for the information to include in a new hire press release, break everything down to the “5 Ws.”

• Who: The name of the person you’ve hired. 
• What: The new hire’s skills, qualifications, and experience.
• When: The date on which the new hire will start said new position.
• Where: The position and responsibilities within the company.
• Why: The reason the new hire’s been brought on and the benefit the hiring will bring.

How do I write and format a new hire press release?

New hire press releases have to be written and formatted a certain way if you want to get the most out of them, but they are fairly straightforward. 

A new hire announcement should follow a standard press release format. That way, it will more readily be reviewed by journalists and syndicated by media organizations.

Lay Out Your Press Release

Press releases are laid out similarly to news articles, using what’s called an “inverted pyramid structure.” What this means is, you put the most important information at the top of the press release while leaving less important content for the end.

The typical elements of a press release include:

• Company Logo – Your company insignia should be included in the header.
• Release Date – Usually, “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,” but this is your discretion.
• Headline – This should be kept succinct. For example: “[Company] Announces Addition of John Smith as Chief Marketing Director of the North America Sales Division”.
• First Paragraph – This is the most important part of the press release, so stick to the 5 Ws and keep it to about 70 words.
• Second and Third Paragraph – This includes additional information about the hire, such as background, education, and previous positions. This can be as long as 200 words (and where you can really brag!).
• Company Quote (Optional) – If included, this is a short, upbeat, positive quote about the new hire from the company CEO, CFO, or other C-level position. For example: “I am thrilled to welcome John to our organization where I’m certain he will bring an incredible amount of experience and capability into his new role as Chief Marketing Director”.
• New Hire Quote (Optional) – This could be a short quote from the new hire. For example: “I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to be a part of this team and look forward to helping the company expand into new markets while maintaining the high level of customer service our clients have come to expect”.
• Fourth Paragraph – This rounds off the new hire announcement with leftover details, such as how the new hire will be welcomed, or how the appointment will positively affect the company.
• Boilerplate – General information about the company issuing the press release is included here. A good tip is to simply copy-paste the language from the company’s “About Us” page on their website.
• Contact Information – This will include the name, email address, and possibly office phone number of whoever at the company handles press inquiries.

Get the Basics Right

Now that you know the structure of a new hire press release, it’s time to get into the basics of writing a press release. Like what will really help yours stand out and make a positive impact.

• Write it like a news article – Writing a good press release should be approached like a professional news article. This means, keeping it free of bad grammar, avoiding the passive voice, and trying to execute a “flow” to the content that effortlessly carries the reader from one section to the next. (Also note: use either Associated Press or Chicago Manual of Style for formatting, but never mix.)
• Write in the third person – Your press release should be written entirely in the third person. This is a standard approach for newsletters and articles, and it’s the same for press releases. The only exception to this rule is quotes, which are written in the first person.
• Keep it short – Press releases are only about 400 to 600 words total, or about one page of copy. If significantly longer than one page, try to edit it down by shortening sentences and cutting inessential information.
• Keep the prose neutral – Avoid hyperbole and keep the prose restrained. Avoid terms like “game-changing,” “revolutionary,” or “disrupting,” which can make your press release sound more like a shameless ad. The headline and quotes should be the only sections where the prose might be a little stylistic or effusive.
• Think about your audience – If you have a target audience in mind for your press release, such as shareholders or partners, don’t be afraid to include technical language or an issue they’d be familiar with. If you’re writing for the general public, on the other hand, keep language approachable and avoid unclarified acronyms or jargon.
• Include a professional photo or headshot of the new hire – Journalists will be more likely to cover the news of your hire if you include a photo of the appointee. Doing so gives a face not only to the new hire but also to the company.
• Consider the media outlets you’re going to send it to – If you already know which media outlets you’ll be sending the press release to, consider including the kind of information they would be most interested in.

Create a “Hook”

The best new hire press releases don’t just recount details. They build a broader narrative. This tactic is called creating a “hook,” and it’s the best way to make a new hire announcement bigger than the press release itself.

When it comes to a new hire announcement, there are a few ways to achieve this.

• Connect it to a broader narrative of business growth – Has your company posted impressive figures lately, or is it a rapidly growing startup? Linking new hires to this talking point is a great way to build this narrative.
• Connect it to a broader narrative of business expansion – Is the company expanding into new markets or launching new products? If the new hire is spearheading the initiative, make this a central theme.
• Link it to a broader narrative of change in business direction – Has the new hire been brought in with the aim of turning around the fortunes of a struggling business? This is bound to pique interest, so ensure this narrative is brought to the forefront. 
• Link it to a broader narrative of a change in business culture – This could be part of a broader crisis comms strategy. In this context, a new hire could be tasked with changing and improving business culture. 

New Hire Press Release Examples

To help you get started with announcing a new hire, we’ve collected three new hire press release examples for your inspiration. Each one represents a different type of new hire press release.

• New Team Member Press Release – Here, the non-profit Kelly Bush Foundation announces their new executive director.

• Multiple New Hire Press Release – In this example, Sainty, Hird, and Partners announce four new senior hires to their executive search firm.

• Employee Promotion Press Release – Finally, Green Street alerts the public to the promotion of two key members of the firm’s executive team.

We have an extensive catalog of industry-specific press release example guides:

CEO Announcement Press Release Example

New Partnership Announcement Press Release Example

Acquisition Press Release Example

How do I send out my press release?

Once you’ve completed your new hire press release, it’s time to send it out. For this, you have two main options, both with benefits and drawbacks.

Send a Press Release Via a Wire Service

For a fee, you can have a professional press release wire service handle your press release publication. These services have a list of media outlets they immediately publish your press release to, and they’ll compile a performance report for its reception and its media reach and impact.

But be warned, the outlets where these services publish could have little relevance to your new hire announcement. For instance, press releases are often published to cable news websites nationwide—not relevant if your business is focused on a single region.

Also, as a final note, it’s unlikely that a press release will be published in a trade publication relevant to your industry via this method.

Send a Press Release to Media Outlets Via Email 

While this option is cheaper than using a wire service, it does cost you time. Sending press releases manually via email means compiling your own media list and composing a pitch email that you’ll send to each source. 

The other downside is that you’ll get fewer overall media pickups.

The upside? You get to target and handpick the outlets. So, anything you do secure will be relevant to your new hire announcement and your company.   

Check out our other press release distribution resources:

How to Submit Press Releases

New York Times Press Release Submission

Tech Press Release Distribution

Wrapping Up

Creating a new hire press release isn’t complicated, as you can see, it just requires a bit of work, especially if you’re new to putting them together. Just remember to stick to the customary format and craft the press release around an enticing story about your new hire.

Still not sure how to write a new hire press release? Let us help! Simply book a free consultation with us to get expert insight into how to start or improve your press release.