Communications
Demo contentHow to write a congressional press release
A structure reporters actually read, and the pitfalls that get a release ignored.
What this is
A congressional press release announces news from the office — a bill, a vote, a grant, a response to an event — in a format reporters can lift from directly.
When you will need it
Whenever the office has actual news: an introduction, a passage, a vote explanation, a local funding award, or a reaction to a major event.
Step by step
- Decide whether this is real news. If not, use social or a statement instead.
- Write the headline as the news, in plain language, under twelve words.
- Lead with what happened and why it matters locally in the first sentence.
- Put the Member quote in the second or third paragraph and make it sound spoken.
- Add the essential facts: numbers, dates, district impact, bill number.
- Include a second quote from a credible local voice when possible.
- Close with background and boilerplate.
- Proof the numbers, names, titles, and the bill number twice.
- Send to the right list — local first for local news.
What good looks like
- A reporter could publish the first two paragraphs unchanged
- The local angle is in the first sentence
- Quotes sound like a person, not a policy document
- Every number is verifiable
- One page, no jargon
Common mistakes
- Burying the news under process language
- Quotes stuffed with clauses no one would say aloud
- No local impact in a local pitch
- Sending to a national list for district news
- Announcing something that already happened last week
Staffer tips
- Write the headline last, after you know what the news actually is.
- If the release has no number in it, ask whether there is real news.
- Keep a running file of local data by county for fast localization.
Related template
Press release
The standard congressional release structure reporters can lift from.
Open template