Product launch press release: a template for indie founders

A press release only works when there is news: a product that did not exist, a free tier that changes who can use a tool, an open source release, a first version on a new platform. "We redesigned our homepage" is not news.

Write one when at least one of these is true:

• You can name ten writers, newsletters or podcasts whose readers care about the problem you solve.
• You have something concrete to show: a demo, real pricing, a date, early users who agreed to be quoted.
• You need a reference page that partners, directories and journalists can link to and quote accurately.

If none apply, a personal post in your own voice will do more. The guide to writing a product launch announcement covers that format.

The structure is a convention, and following it makes you look prepared. The Public Relations Society of America's press release guide recommends starting with "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" (or an embargo line), keeping the headline under 100 characters, using AP style datelines and ending with a short boilerplate and media contact.

The underlying rule is the inverted pyramid. Media Trust's guide to writing a press release explains why: the most newsworthy facts go first because editors cut from the bottom up. If someone reads only your first paragraph, they should still know who launched what, for whom, when, and why it matters.

In order, the parts are:

1. Release line. "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" or "EMBARGOED UNTIL [date, time, time zone]".
2. Headline. What happened, in plain words. A news headline, not a slogan.
3. Subheadline (optional). The second most important fact: price, availability, platform.
4. Dateline and lead. City, date, then one sentence with the who, what, when, where and why.
5. Body. Two or three short paragraphs: the problem, how the product solves it, specifics.
6. Quote. One quote from the founder that adds an opinion or a reason, not a repeat of the headline.
7. Availability. Price, platforms, link, any launch offer and its end date.
8. Boilerplate. "About [Company]" in two or three sentences, the same on every release.
9. Media contact. A real name, email and, if you have one, a phone number. Then ### to mark the end.

G2's press release format guide and ACCESS Newswire's format guide describe the same elements, which is a good sign the convention is stable.

Copy this into a document and replace every bracket. Delete any line you cannot fill with a fact.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Product] launches to help [audience] [do outcome] [without pain point]

[Subheadline: price, platforms or availability in one line]

[CITY, Country], [Month Day, Year]: [Company] today launched [Product], a [category]
that lets [audience] [main outcome]. [Product] is available now at [URL] [pricing].

[Paragraph 2: the problem, in the audience's words. One concrete situation.]

[Paragraph 3: how the product works, two or three specific features, and what is
different from the usual way of doing it.]

"[Quote with an opinion or a reason only the founder can give]," said [Name],
founder of [Company]. "[Optional second sentence about what comes next.]"

Availability: [platforms, price, free tier, launch offer and end date, link].

About [Company]
[Company] builds [what] for [whom]. Founded in [year] by [name], it is based in
[city]. More at [URL].

Media contact
[Name], [role], [email], [phone]

###

Here is the template applied to a fictional product, so you can see the level of detail that works.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tallybook launches to help freelance designers send invoices in two clicks

Free for up to five clients, available on the web today

LYON, France, October 23, 2026: Tallybook today launched a web app that turns a finished design project into a ready-to-send invoice, using the client and rates already saved in the project. Tallybook is available now at tallybook.example with a free plan for up to five clients.

Most freelance designers invoice from a spreadsheet or a generic accounting tool built for larger teams...

"I built Tallybook because I kept forgetting to bill small revisions," said Jane Doe, founder of Tallybook. "If invoicing takes two clicks, you stop leaving money on the table."

Notice what is missing: no "revolutionary", no claim you cannot prove.

The biggest decision is distribution. For a small product, a targeted list beats a paid wire.

Do this:

• Publish it on your site at a stable URL such as /press with your logo files, screenshots and founder photo. Link it from your footer.
• Pitch individually. Pick 10 to 30 writers who covered similar tools in the last few months. Send a three-line email: why their readers will care, the one-sentence news, and the link. Paste the release below your signature, not as an attachment.
• Send it to niche newsletters your users already read.
• Reuse it on launch platforms. The first paragraph is often a ready-made description for Product Hunt, directories and your MegaLaunch listing.

Be careful with:

• Paid wire distribution as an SEO tactic. Google's spam policies list "links with optimized anchor text in articles, guest posts, or press releases distributed on other sites" as link spam. If a release is syndicated, links in it should carry rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored", as described in Google's guide to qualifying outbound links. Treat any links you get this way as visibility, not ranking power.
• Embargoes with strangers. For a first launch, send on the day.

• Burying the news. If the product name and what it does are not in the first sentence, rewrite it.
• Marketing adjectives. "Game-changing" and "innovative" make editors stop reading. Replace each one with a fact.
• A quote that repeats the headline. The quote should say why you built it, what you learned, or what changes for users.
• No way to try it. Include a link that works without a sales call.
• Missing assets. Link a folder with a logo, three screenshots at full resolution and a short demo video.

The press release is one piece of the launch, not the launch itself. Write it once the product, pricing and date are fixed, then derive the announcement post, the email to your waitlist and the directory descriptions from the same facts. The first product launch guide shows how to sequence these in the week before launch, and the launch checklist keeps the pieces from slipping.