How to Write a Press Statement (With Examples)

A press statement is a short, on-the-record response from your organization to a specific event or question, written so a journalist can quote it accurately. A good one fits on half a page: it says what happened in one or two plain sentences, what you are doing about it, how it affects the people involved, and when you will say more. It is dated, attributed to a named person or the organization, and approved before it leaves the building.

This guide covers how to write one, what to leave out, how to get it approved quickly and how to send it. It includes sample wording you can adapt.

Press statement vs press release vs holding statement

These three get mixed up, and the difference matters because each is written for a different moment.

Document	Purpose	Typical length	When you use it
Holding statement	Acknowledge an issue before you have the facts	Two to four sentences	The first hour of a developing situation
Press statement	Give your position on a specific event or question	One to five short paragraphs	Once you have confirmed facts, or when a reporter asks for comment
Press release	Announce news you want covered	Several hundred words, with quotes and background	Launches, results, appointments, planned announcements

A holding statement buys time; our guide to writing a holding statement covers that first step. A press release is proactive news; see how to write a press release for that format. The press statement sits between them. It is usually reactive, it responds to something already in the news or about to be, and it has to hold up when quoted out of context.

The structure of a strong press statement

Most effective statements follow the same order. Reporters often quote only one or two sentences, so the most important point goes first.

1. The headline fact. One sentence that states what happened or what your position is, in plain words. “On Tuesday morning, a fire in the storage area of our Main Street warehouse was put out by the fire department. No one was hurt.”
2. The human impact. Who is affected and how. If people were harmed or inconvenienced, acknowledge that before anything else about your business.
3. What you are doing. Specific actions already taken and actions underway. “We have closed the warehouse while the fire department completes its inspection” beats “We are taking this very seriously.”
4. What people should do, if anything. Where customers, patients or residents can get help or information.
5. What happens next. When you will update, and where. A date or a condition (“once the inspection is complete”) is better than “in due course.”
6. Attribution and contact. The name and title of the person the statement is from, the date and time, and a media contact.

Not every statement needs all six parts. A response to a single reporter question might be two sentences. But if a part is missing, it should be because it doesn’t apply, not because nobody thought about it.

What to include, and what to leave out

Include

• Facts you have confirmed. Times, places, numbers and actions that you know are true and are free to share.
• Genuine acknowledgment. If people were affected, say so directly. An apology can belong here if you are responsible; our guide on writing a public apology covers when and how.
• Specific commitments you can keep. “We will publish the findings of the review” is only worth writing if you will.
• A named source. Statements from a person read as more accountable than “a spokesperson said.” Choose the voice carefully; see how to choose a spokesperson.

Leave out

• Speculation. Causes, blame and numbers you haven’t confirmed. A figure that changes later becomes its own story.
• Personal or confidential information. Names of employees, customers or patients, health details, and anything covered by privacy law or a confidentiality agreement.
• Legal conclusions. Don’t say something “was not our fault” or “was fully compliant” unless counsel has approved that wording.
• Attacks on critics or reporters. Even when coverage is unfair, a combative statement usually gives the story a second day.
• Jargon and filler. “Out of an abundance of caution,” “we take this matter extremely seriously” and “isolated incident” are so common that readers skip them, or read them as evasion.

Step by step: writing and approving it fast

1. Confirm the facts. Get a short written summary from the person closest to the issue: what happened, when, who is affected, what has been done. Mark anything unconfirmed.
2. Decide the goal. Is the statement meant to inform, correct a false report, apologize, or simply show you are engaged? One statement can’t do everything.
3. Draft in plain language. Short sentences. Active voice. Name the thing that happened rather than calling it “the matter.”
4. Legal review where there is exposure. Injuries, lawsuits, regulators, employee conduct and data incidents all need counsel’s eyes. Agree in advance that legal will review for risk, not rewrite for tone. If a lawsuit is involved, our guide to a public statement about a lawsuit covers the specific cautions.
5. One final approver. Name one person who signs off. Committees produce statements that say nothing.
6. Prepare the follow-up questions. Write the five questions a reporter will ask next and agree the answers, including “we don’t know yet” where that is the truth.
7. Send it and publish it. Email it to the reporters who asked, post it on your website or newsroom page, and share it with staff before or at the same moment.

If your team has a crisis communication plan, steps 4 and 5 should already be written down, including who can approve when the usual person isn’t reachable.

Sample press statement wording

These are illustrative. Adapt the facts, and have counsel review anything with legal exposure.

An operational incident

Statement from Dana Lee, General Manager, Riverside Fresh Market, [date and time]: This morning a refrigeration failure at our Elm Street store affected dairy and meat products. We removed every affected product from sale as soon as the failure was found, and we have not sold any product from those cases since 7 a.m. Customers who bought dairy or meat at this store yesterday afternoon and have concerns can return it for a full refund, with or without a receipt. The store remains open while a technician repairs the system. We will post an update on our website by 6 p.m. today. Media contact: [name, email, phone].

Responding to an inaccurate report

Statement from [name, title]: A report published today says our company is closing its Denver office. That is not correct. The Denver office remains open, and no roles there are affected. We have contacted the publication with the correct information and asked for a correction.

If the outlet doesn’t fix it, our guide on requesting a correction or retraction explains the next step.

Employee conduct

Statement from [name, title]: We are aware of a video showing one of our employees speaking to a customer in a way that does not reflect how we expect anyone to be treated. We have apologized to the customer directly. The employee is not working while we review what happened, and we will not comment further on a personnel matter. We are also reviewing the training our store teams receive on handling disputes.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client. A regional bus charter company learns at 8 a.m. that one of its coaches was involved in a minor collision on a highway overnight. Two passengers were taken to a hospital as a precaution. A local TV station calls at 9 a.m. asking for comment.

The operations manager confirms four facts: the time and location, that police attended, that two passengers were checked at a hospital and released, and that the driver has been taken off duty pending the standard review. The cause is not known. The owner drafts a statement leading with the passengers, then the actions taken, then when the company will say more. Counsel reviews it in fifteen minutes and removes one phrase (“the other vehicle pulled out suddenly”) because the cause is for police to determine.

The statement goes to the TV station, is posted on the company website, and is emailed to staff at 10 a.m. When the reporter asks whether the driver had a previous incident, the owner gives the prepared answer: the company is reviewing the driver’s record as part of the standard process and will share any relevant findings. The story runs once, quotes two sentences from the statement, and does not return.

Common mistakes

• Waiting for perfect information. If you say nothing for a day, the story is written without you. Use a holding statement first, then a full statement when you have facts.
• Burying the point. Opening with company history or values before saying what happened.
• Passive voice that hides responsibility. “Mistakes were made” invites the question “by whom?”
• Different versions for different audiences. Reporters, customers and staff compare notes. The facts must match everywhere.
• Saying “no comment.” It reads as having something to hide. There is almost always something you can say; see should you say no comment.
• Forgetting to update. If you promised an update by 6 p.m., publish one at 6 p.m., even if it only says the review is still underway.

How to send and publish it

Send the statement as plain text in the body of an email, not only as an attachment, so it can be copied easily. Put “Statement from [organization] on [topic]” in the subject line. Reply to each reporter who asked individually; a mass email can look like you are trying to push a story further than it has gone.

Post the same text on your website with a date and time, so customers who search for the story find your words, not just other people’s. If the issue is being discussed on social media, share a short version there with a link to the full text. Update the page in place, with a note of what changed and when, rather than publishing a new version that contradicts the old one.

If the story keeps running or has already started to shape what people find when they search your name, our crisis management service can help with statements, monitoring and the longer recovery of your search results.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a press statement be?

Usually between two sentences and five short paragraphs. Long enough to state the facts, the impact, your actions and when you will update. Anything longer is likely to be cut, and the part a reporter chooses to quote may not be the part you wanted.

Who should a press statement come from?

A named person whose role fits the issue: the CEO for serious incidents that affect the whole organization, a site or department leader for local operational issues. Attributing a statement to a named person usually reads as more accountable than an unnamed spokesperson.

Should a lawyer review a press statement?

Yes, whenever there is potential legal exposure, such as injuries, lawsuits, regulatory matters, employee conduct or data incidents. Bring counsel in early so review doesn’t become a bottleneck, and agree that their role is to flag risk rather than rewrite the tone.

Can I send a press statement to only one reporter?

Yes. Many statements are written in response to a single inquiry. Send it to the reporter who asked, publish the same text on your website so it is on the record, and be ready to share it with any other outlet that follows up.