Press release

The standard congressional release structure reporters can lift from.

What this template is

A press release template with headline, dateline, news lead, Member quote, supporting facts, second quote, and boilerplate.

When to use it

Use when the office has actual news: an introduction, passage, vote, funding award, or major response.

The template

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[Date]
Contact: [Name, email, phone]

[HEADLINE: THE NEWS IN UNDER TWELVE WORDS]
[Optional subhead with the local angle]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — [What happened, who did it, and why it matters locally, in one sentence.]

"[Member quote in spoken language — one or two sentences]," said [Rep./Sen. Name]. "[Second sentence tying it to constituents.]"

[Essential facts: numbers, dates, district impact, bill number.]

"[Local validator quote]," said [Name, Title, Organization].

[Background paragraph: process, timing, what happens next.]

###

Annotated example

HEADLINE: Rep. Doe Secures $4.2M for County Water System Upgrades

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Jane Doe announced today that Jefferson County will receive $4.2 million to replace aging water mains serving 11,000 residents.

Why this works: the number and the local impact are in the first sentence, and a reporter can publish it unchanged.

What each section is for

Headline: the news, not the process. Under twelve words.
Lead: local impact in the first sentence or the release gets skipped.
Quote: read it aloud. If nobody would say it, rewrite it.
Facts: every figure needs to be verifiable before you hit send.
Validator quote: a local voice doubles pickup in district outlets.

Common mistakes

Process language in the headline
Quotes with clauses no human would say
No local number
Sending district news to a national list