There are seven basic elements that every press release should have in terms of content and how it appears:

1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: These words should appear in the upper left-hand margin, just under your letterhead. You should capitalize every letter.

2. Contact Information: Skip a line or two after release statement and list the name, title, telephone and fax numbers of your spokesperson (the person with the most information). It is important to give your home number since reporters often work on deadlines and may not be available until after hours.

3. Headline: Skip two lines after your Contact information and use a boldface type.

4. Dateline: This should be the city your press release is issued from and the date you are mailing your release.

5. Lead Paragraph: The first paragraph needs to grasp the reader's attention and should contain the relevant information to your message such as the five W's (who, what, when, where, why).

6. Text: The main body of your press release where your message should fully develop.

7. Recap: At the lower left hand corner of your last page restate your product's specifications, highlight a release date.