We have received many startup funding announcements through our publication, MadisonStartups.com, and they have been all over the map in terms of the format. Remember, your goal is to present the most important facts in descending order. Follow this template on how to write a press release for your startup’s funding.
LEAD PARAGRAPH
Answer these questions:
- WHERE: (Dateline) Your location
- WHO: Your company
- WHAT: Amount raised
- HOW: Funding round/stage
- WHEN: Date round/stage closed
- WHY: Purpose for money
Example: MADISON, Wis.–XYZ Company closed a $1 million angel round on Friday, with the funds to be used for manufacturing and marketing.
SECOND PARAGRAPH
This is a good place to list the investors (lead and other participants) and how much money you’ve now raised to date.
THIRD PARAGRAPH
Include a quotation from your founder/CEO about the importance of this funding and their feelings about it, and incorporate your key messages. Avoid technical jargon and limit your quotation to two sentences. Contrary to what you may think, you do NOT need to include a quotation from the investors, as those quotations add no value to the press release.
FINAL PARAGRAPH
Provide more details on the “WHY” from the first paragraph. In this example, where’s the manufacturing plant? When will you start manufacturing? Are you adding sales staff? Etc.