You’ve started a crowdfunding raise for your startup – now what? If you’re excited to announce the raise, one of the ways you can do that is through a press release. A press release is a document written by an organization with the hope the media will use it in their publications. Press releases are also frequently posted to an organization’s own website, as well as social media, and you can distribute it on a newswire.

Format

Press releases follow a general basic style that helps journalists and readers quickly gather key information. You should create the document in a word processing application, such as Word, and format your content using a common font, such as Arial or Times New Roman, 11- or 12-point font, and standard margins.

A press release should include a set of information that identifies where the release is coming from and when it can be shared. This includes the company name and logo, the company’s contact person with phone and/or email address, a note designating whether the document is for immediate release or has an embargo until a certain date, and the release’s title and dateline (which includes both the date and city/state location).

Content

Your press release’s body content describes your main message — what your startup does and that you’re running a crowdfunding raise. Use the standard “who, what, where, why, when” questions that you probably learned in grade school to prompt your writing, and keep your information factual rather than filled with “marketing-speak” (see below for notes on compliance).

The inverted pyramid is a type of writing organization that might be helpful to guide you as you write the press release. In this format, you start with broad statements that let your reader know immediately what is the “big picture.” You progressively provide more details in the next paragraph(s). A quote from your founder or a product manager, etc., may also be a good detail to close your body content (see section below about compliant statements).