How to Write a Marine Science Press Release
A press release is one of the most widely used tools in science communication. Done well, it gives journalists the information they need to decide quickly whether a story is worth pursuing. Done badly, it gets ignored.
Understanding what a press release is for – and what it isn't – is the starting point for writing one that works.
What a press release is (and isn't)
A press release is a short, structured document that announces something newsworthy and gives journalists enough information to decide whether to cover it. It's written in a journalistic style, designed to be read quickly, and aimed at people who receive dozens if not hundreds of them a day.
It is not a summary of your paper. It is not an opportunity to explain your methodology. It is not a celebration of your institution or funder. And it is not a guarantee of coverage. A well-written press release improves your chances, but journalists and publication editors make their own editorial decisions based on their audience and their publication's needs.
The best press releases read almost like the opening of a news story. They lead with the most important information, use plain language, and make it immediately clear why anyone outside your field should care.
Before you write ask yourself two questions
Why are you promoting this research now? The strongest press releases have a clear news hook, like a paper being published, a report being released, or a project launching. If you're promoting ongoing or unpublished research, think carefully: has it been peer reviewed? Could speaking about it now affect the chances of journal publication? Is there a good reason not to wait?
What are you trying to achieve? Not all research needs a press release. Are you trying to raise the profile of your project, foster public debate, influence policymakers, or reach a specific community? Being clear about your goal shapes everything from who you target, how you frame the story, and what success looks like.
How press releases reach journalists
A press release typically travels through three routes:
Your website. Publishing your press release on your organisation's or project website means it's findable by journalists searching for stories and gives you a URL you can share.
Syndication platforms. These are services that distribute press releases to large networks of journalists, editors, and newsrooms. The main ones relevant to ocean and marine science are EurekAlert!, AlphaGalileo, and the Science Media Centres (e.g., Science Media Centre (UK), and Science Media Centre (Canada). Some require institutional membership to post. Others are open to individuals or organisations. Getting your release onto these platforms significantly extends its reach.
Direct to journalists. Sending your press release directly to specific journalists whose beat matches your story can be a very effective route. More tips on how to do that below.
Structure
Press releases can vary in style and structure, but in general, they contain the following elements:
Headline. The most important line you'll write. It should be specific, clear, and read like a news headline – not an academic title. Tell the reader what happened and why it matters, in no more than fifteen words. "New study finds ocean acidification threatens shellfish aquaculture across the North Atlantic" is a headline. "Research on the impacts of changing ocean chemistry on bivalves" is not.
Throughout the release, write in plain language and active voice. "Researchers found that seagrass is disappearing" is clearer than "a decline in seagrass coverage was observed." Keep sentences short. Don't speculate beyond what your data actually shows. State what the result means, not what you think it could mean.
Standfirst. A single sentence immediately below the headline that expands on it slightly and adds context. It should add something the headline didn't say, not repeat it.
Dateline. The date and location of the release: CITY, DATE
Opening paragraph. Don't start with "we are excited to announce." It adds nothing and signals to journalists that they're reading promotional copy rather than news. Instead, lead with the finding and its significance. Who did what, what did they find, and why does it matter? This paragraph should work as a standalone summary. Many journalists read no further before deciding whether to follow up, so this paragraph has to earn their attention.
Body paragraphs. Two or three short paragraphs expanding on the finding, providing context, and explaining the implications. Keep sentences short and avoid jargon. Present one idea at a time, in logical order. The body should cover the most important supporting details and include at least one quote.
One important note for ocean science specifically: be explicit about correlation vs causation. If your study is observational, say so. "X is associated with Y" is different from "X causes Y," and getting this wrong in a press release is one of the most common routes to inaccurate coverage. Caveats written into the press release can make their way into news stories – even if they are not explicitly framed as a caveat in the story.
Notes to editors. A section at the end for information that didn't fit naturally in the main text, like links to the full paper, funding sources, institutional affiliations, and whether images or videos are available (see the media kit section below). Journalists who want this detail know to look here.
Boilerplate. A short standard paragraph about your institution, project, or organisation. Keep it brief and consistent across releases.
Contact details. Name, email, and phone number of whoever is handling media enquiries. Make it easy to respond quickly.
— ENDS — Mark the end of your release clearly.
The quote
Every press release should include at least one quote, usually from the lead researcher. The quote is your opportunity to add a human voice and a perspective that goes slightly beyond what the data shows.
A good quote does not restate the finding in different words. It adds something such as context, implication, significance, a personal perspective on why the work matters, a surprising find, or an overturned assumption. Shorter is better: aim for one or two sentences, under fifty words, free of jargon.
For example, this quote: "Our research found that seagrass coverage has declined significantly over the past decade,"
is much weaker than this quote: "We knew seagrass was under pressure, but the scale of what we found was genuinely alarming. These meadows are nursery grounds for commercially important fish species, and losing them has consequences that go well beyond the ecosystem itself."
If other institutions or organisations were involved in the research, consider including a quote from a co-author or partner. It distributes the credit and adds another voice.
Offer more than one angle
One approach worth considering is to offer more than one angle in your press release. This could be a secondary hook or finding alongside your main one. This gives journalists in different niches something to run with and put their own spin on, rather than everyone writing the same story.
For ocean science, this might mean a study on marine heatwaves that also touches on the specific communities or fisheries affected, giving a science journalist one angle and a local or policy journalist another. The core finding stays the same; the framing can shift depending on who's covering it.
Include a media kit
Alongside the press release (which you’ve pasted in your email if you’re sending directly to journalists or publications), it can be useful to prepare a media kit that gives journalists everything they need.
A media kit for research can include:
A copy of the press release
High-resolution images or video, such as fieldwork, study sites, species, equipment, or people involved in the study, with captions and photographer credits
Useful graphics, such as an illustration or diagram that helps explain the findings
A fact sheet with key findings, study details, context, and explainers of key concepts, technical terms, and anything else a journalist may need to understand your research
A link to the published paper or an embargoed copy
A contacts sheet, if you are offering multiple contacts with different specialities
Just like the press release itself, these resources shouldn’t be attached to an email. Instead, provide all the resources in a single folder stored on your preferred cloud-storage solution via a non-expiring link included in the press release. A journalist who tries to access your media kit a week or more after you sent it should still be able to access everything.
Targeting the right media
Not every outlet is right for every story, and sending your press release to everyone in the hope of getting one bite is a mistake. It can damage relationships and reduce your credibility with journalists who find it irrelevant.
Think about who your audience actually is and which outlets reach them:
National and international outlets work for findings with broad public relevance, like discoveries that affect people's lives, that challenge widely held assumptions, or that connect to major ongoing issues.
Specialist and trade publications work for findings of primary interest to practitioners, policymakers, or industry. In the ocean world, this might include fisheries management publications, marine technology outlets, or blue economy trade press. Specialist journalists often know their field well and can handle more technical detail.
Regional and local outlets work when your research has a specific geographic relevance, such as for coastal communities, local fisheries, and when dealing with regional environmental issues.
Radio and broadcast are often overlooked but worth considering, particularly for findings with a strong human interest angle or that touch on ongoing public debates.
For research that is particularly important, complex, controversial, or politically sensitive, a press briefing may be worth considering if budgets allow. Press briefings bring a small group of relevant journalists together in person or online to hear from the researchers directly, ask questions, and get to grips with the material before writing their stories. It's more resource-intensive than a press release alone, but for findings that are likely to be misunderstood or that touch on contested issues, the extra investment in journalist understanding can make a significant difference to the quality of coverage.
Sending your press release directly to a journalist
If your institution or organisation is issuing the press release through official channels, they will likely send it broadly without personalisation. But there's nothing stopping you from also reaching out personally to specific journalists or publications who you think would be interested in your work. A personal note from the researcher themselves often lands differently from a generic press office email.
Rather than writing a formal covering email, think of creating a brief personal introduction – two or three sentences that explain who you are, why you're getting in touch with this particular journalist/publication, and what makes the story relevant to them or their audience specifically. If your research affects a particular community, region, or issue that the journalist regularly covers, say so explicitly. "I noticed you've covered North Atlantic fisheries. Our findings on seagrass loss in that region may be of interest" is more compelling than a generic introduction.
Keep it short. Your brief introduction should be under 200 words. Paste the press release into the body of the email below your introduction and make sure to add a link to your media kit if you have one.
Subject line. Treat it like a headline. Be specific, clear, and no more than six to eight words. A subject line that reads like a news story is more likely to get opened than one that reads like an admin task.
Following up. If you don't hear back within five days, a brief follow-up is reasonable. Journalists can receive hundreds of press releases in a single day. Keep your follow-up short and be sure to include the original email in your reply so they can find the information easily. If you still don't hear back, move on.
Embargoes
If your paper is forthcoming rather than already published, you may want to send your press release under embargo. This means you are requesting that the journalist doesn’t release the story before a certain date and time. Embargoes allow journalists to prepare their story in advance. Coverage is then more likely to line up with the paper publication date.
An embargo isn't a formal contract, but it is an established professional norm that most reputable journalists respect, because breaking one damages their relationships with sources and institutions. State the embargo clearly at the top of your release. Include the full date, time, and time zone (e.g. 00:01 GMT, Monday 14 April). Use 00:01 rather than 00:00 to avoid ambiguity on midnight embargoes.
For embargoed research, the window between sending the release and the embargo lifting should be long enough for journalists to do the story justice. Five to seven days is not uncommon for a straightforward research finding. For something complex or controversial, consider giving more time if you can.
It’s worth noting that not all journalists or publications work with embargoed material for a variety of reasons. And if an embargo is broken, assess the damage carefully before taking action. It's often a mistake rather than deliberate, and a quiet word is usually more effective than a punitive response.
If you'd like support writing a press release or preparing media materials for your ocean science research, get in touch.
