A Guide to Writing a New Product Press Release

By Intelligent Relations Team

August 12, 2022

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A successful product launch depends on good-quality promotion. 

One surefire way to generate interest is to issue and publish a new product press release. If media outlets are enticed by the announcement, interested journalists might choose to write about the product and its release, essentially providing free advertising.

In this guide to writing a new product press release, we’ll explain the following:

• What is a new product press release?
• What should you include in a press release for a new product?
• How do you make a new product press release stand out?
• New product press release example
• x3 Additional new product press release examples
• How do I increase my chances of getting it published?

What is a new product press release?

Generally, any press release is simply an official announcement circulated to media outlets as a way of providing information about company news. The hope is reporters and publications will pick up the announcement and provide press coverage.

New product press releases fall into a number of categories, such as the below:

• A product announcement. This announces and promotes a new product, regardless if it’s available yet or not. The goal is to generate buzz about the product.

• A product launch. This press release will describe the product, what it does, and when it will launch, as well as where potential customers will be able to find it.

• A product update/rebranding. Simply promote an updated version of a product as part of a larger rebranding initiative, then issue a product update press release. 

• A product expansion into new markets. Alternatively, your product may be in a certain market—maybe it’s now available in stores in Asia, for example.

• A product promotion. If you’re hosting a PR event to promote a product—like a giveaway, perhaps—you need a product promotion press release. But be warned, if it’s simply a price discount, this will likely be of no interest to journalists.  

• A product retiring/sunsetting. On the other hand, if you’re retiring a product, you need this. Particularly if you have a large user base, for a SaaS product, say, and you want to raise awareness among the user community.  

What should you include in a press release for a new product?

A press release should be a factual summary of the news you’re announcing. What’s more, press releases are usually written in a standardized format, so reporters can easily skim-read the key points.

The two key factors to bear in mind are the inverted pyramid and the 5 Ws.

The inverted pyramid is how news articles are written, with the most important information placed at the top of the article and the less important information placed further down. The 5 Ws, meanwhile, are the key points you need to include at the top of the article.

Here’s a graphic that explains what I mean in more detail.  

How do you make a new product press release stand out?

Simply announcing your new product and its features in a press release may unfortunately not be enough to generate media coverage.

To make your press release truly newsworthy, you need to create a “hook”. This is a fancy PR term that basically means explaining why your news is interesting, relevant, and deserving of coverage. Here are some examples of how to do this.

• Focusing on the problem the product solves. Does your product solve a well-known, obscure, or interesting problem? If so, make this prominent within the press release.
• Highlighting the unaddressed demand within the industry. Is your product the first of its kind to address a certain need or demand within the industry? If so, call this out and use data points to support your argument.
• Framing it as part of a broader trend. Has there been a lot of investment and new product launches within your industry? If so, you could frame your product as part of this broader narrative. 
• Focusing on anything genuinely new and unique. Is your product offering something brand new that no other company has done before? If so, make this the central point of the press release. 

New product press release example

To put all this information together, let’s look at a real-life product press release. Below is a breakdown of a successful new product press release written for one of our clients. 

1. Title

State the specifics about the product, who’s behind it, and its relevance, in as few words as possible. In this example, we state the company name, the product name, and a brief summary of what the product does.

2. First Paragraph

Add the date and company location at the beginning of the first paragraph (this answers two of the 5 Ws – when and where). The remaining 3 Ws, who, what, and why are then answered in the first paragraph. But we keep this high level in this example, as we go into more detail later.

3. Second and Third Paragraphs

Here we provide more details on what the product does and the problem that it is solving. We also provide some background information on the development of the product

4. Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Paragraphs

In this section, we go into the specifics of how the product works. We also relate this back to the problem the product is solving, which was unpacked in the previous section. 

5. Seventh and Eighth Paragraphs

Here we include a quote from one of the executives at the company, which provides more context in the first person.

6. Ninth Paragraph

We wrap up the main part of the press release by including social proof, by listing all the media outlets that the company has previously been featured in. 

7. Boilerplate

Now we include the press release boilerplate, which is a short summary of the organization issuing the press release.

8. Contact Info

And finally, we include the contact details of the person who will handle any media inquiries.

3 Additional new product press release examples

In addition to the above new product launch press release example, we’ve collated three other model examples, to provide you with further context:

• Product launch. In this example, Adobe announces new software on the day of launch. Product launch press releases should be timely and include a specific date. 

• Product announcement. In this example from Tostada and Taco Bell, the product announcement aims to raise general awareness rather than provide specifics.

• Product update. In this example, Apple publicizes the release of a redesigned Macbook Air with M2. While Macbooks are not new, this promotes a product revamp. 

How do I increase my chances of getting it published?

To stand the best chance of getting your press release published, you need to avoid some common mistakes. Here’s a quick rundown of the main dos and don’ts to focus.

Also, be aware of the best time to submit a press release, which for a new product is roughly 1 to 2 weeks before the product hits the market.

Wrapping up

Keep it simple, straightforward, and factual, and follow the best practices outlined above.

Or if you need a hand reaching the right journalists, you can try our DIY PR platform, which automatically matches your campaigns to the most relevant journalists, and enables you to email them with the click of a button.