Every press release must answer six questions before it is submitted: who is involved, what happened, where, when, why it matters and how the result or claim was reached. The first five belong in the opening paragraph, so a reader who stops there still has the news. The sixth, how, usually needs its own short paragraph of method or evidence. If any answer is missing, an editor will send the release back, and readers, search engines and AI assistants are left to guess.
Why do these six questions matter so much?
They are the minimum a stranger needs to understand and repeat your news accurately. A journalist needs them to write a story. A search engine needs them to connect your company to a place, a product and a date. An AI assistant answering a question about your market needs them to describe you correctly, or at all.
They also force you to check the announcement is real. If you cannot answer "when", the news may not have happened yet. If you cannot answer "how", the claim may not survive a sceptical reader.
What does a good answer to each question look like?
Who?
The full name of the company, what kind of business it is and where it is based, in the first sentence. Then any people, with their full names and job titles, and any partners, named in full. "Millbrook Bakery, a Norwich wholesale bakery supplying cafés across Norfolk" answers who. "Millbrook" on its own does not, because a reader may never have heard of you.
What?
The specific action, in one verb: launched, opened, published, appointed, acquired, signed. Avoid "announced" on its own, because it describes the release rather than the news. "Millbrook Bakery announced an exciting new chapter" says nothing; "Millbrook Bakery opened a second production site" says what happened.
Where?
The place the news happened, and where it applies. For a launch, where the product is available. For an expansion, the town and ideally the address. For research, the geography the data covers. Location matters for local search and for readers deciding whether the news is relevant to them.
When?
An exact date, with the year. For something that has happened, the date it happened. For something coming, the date it starts. For data, the period it covers. Replace "recently", "soon" and "this year" with a day and a month.
Why?
Why it matters to the reader, not why the company is pleased. What changes for customers, what problem this addresses, why the company made the decision now. A reason with a basis is stronger than a reason on its own.
How?
How the figure was counted, the result reached or the decision made. For research: the sample, the period, the method and the limits. For a milestone: what was counted and from which records. For a claim of speed or quality: what it was measured against. The guide calls this the basis of the claim, and from vague claims to verifiable facts shows how to write it.
What does a worked example look like?
Here is an opening paragraph from Millbrook Bakery, a fictional wholesale bakery. All details are invented for the example.
Before
Millbrook Bakery is delighted to announce an exciting expansion that will help us serve even more of our wonderful customers. The new facility represents a major step forward for the business and demonstrates our commitment to quality.
Now check it against the six questions.
| Question | Answered? | What is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Partly | What kind of business Millbrook is, and where |
| What | Vaguely | What the "facility" is and what it does |
| Where | No | The town or address |
| When | No | The opening date |
| Why | No | The reason for expanding |
| How | No | Any figure, or where it comes from |
After
Millbrook Bakery, a Norwich wholesale bakery supplying 140 cafés across Norfolk, opened a second production site in Dereham on 12 October 2026. The 600-square-metre bakery adds capacity for 9,000 loaves a day and has created 14 jobs. The company expanded because orders from cafés in west Norfolk grew by 35% in the year to August 2026, according to its order records, and its Norwich site was running at full capacity.
Every question now has an answer. A reader who stops after that paragraph could tell someone else exactly what happened, and so could a search engine or an assistant.
What is the fill-in checklist?
Copy this list and fill in every line before you write a word of the release. If a line stays blank, find the answer or drop the claim that depends on it.
- Who: full company name, type of business, where it is based.
- Who else: each person quoted or named, with full name and job title; each partner, in full.
- What: the news, in one sentence with one active verb.
- Where: the town, region or country it applies to; the address if there is one.
- When: the exact date, with the year; the period covered, for data.
- Why: what changes for customers or the market, and why now.
- How: the source and method behind every figure and claim.
- Proof: the page a reader could visit to check it, ideally on your own site.
The answers to lines 1 to 6 go in the headline, summary and first paragraph. Lines 7 and 8 go in the body and the supporting link. Where each of those sections sits is covered in the anatomy of a modern press release.
Frequently asked questions
Do all six answers have to be in the first paragraph?
Who, what, where, when and why should be, because many readers and systems read only the opening. How can follow in the next paragraph or a short method section, since it often takes more space. The first 100 words covers how to fit it all in.
What if I do not know the exact date yet?
Then wait until you do. A release without a date reads as a teaser, and newswires expect a dated record. The dateline at the top of the release carries the issue date; the body should still give the date of the event itself. Datelines, contacts and the end mark explains the difference.
Once all six are answered, the next step is making sure every claim can be checked, which is the subject of the next post: from vague claims to verifiable facts.
media:on Editorial. Written and reviewed by the media:on editorial team, who edit every release before it files.