How to Write a Nonprofit Press Release

Structure

Inverted pyramid: headline → one-sentence summary → context → details → quote → call-to-action. Keep the whole release to one page with 2-3 sentence paragraphs. Include “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” at the top and a ”###” close.

Headline discipline

Under 110 characters, front-load the newsworthy fact in the first 65 characters, avoid weak verbs like “announces,” write the headline last, and test it before sending.

Content

Answer the 5 Ws/1H, include a named/titled quote from leadership or a beneficiary, and add hard data or case-study specifics — journalists gravitate to numbers over adjectives.

Media-pitching etiquette

Personalize each pitch, use the headline as the email subject, paste text inline rather than attaching files, never blind-copy multiple journalists, and don’t follow up daily.

Distribution

Embed photos/video, ensure mobile compatibility, post throughout release day (especially on X/Twitter), and re-amplify any resulting coverage across the organization’s own channels.

Why it matters for this archive

Gives this KB a concrete, repeatable press-release template a small nonprofit-adjacent team (Solar Fools, NMSEA) could use verbatim when announcing the Double Play container demo’s opening or milestones. See Promoting passive thermal technology.