A press release is still one of the cheapest ways for a UK small business to get into a local paper, a trade magazine or a regional news site. The hard part has never been the format. It is finding a story that a journalist actually wants, then writing it clearly enough that they can use it in five minutes. Claude AI is very good at the second part if you do the first part yourself.
This guide covers how to write a press release for a UK small business, where Claude helps, where it causes trouble, and how to send the finished release without burning your name with local editors.
Are press releases still worth writing for a small business?
Cision's 2025 State of the Media report, based on a survey of more than 3,000 journalists across 19 markets, found that 72% rank press releases as the most useful thing PR teams provide. Cision's UK summary of the same research adds that 79% rely on press releases to generate story ideas.
The catch sits in the same report: 86% of journalists say they will reject a pitch that is not aligned with their beat or audience. For a florist in Harrogate, that means the Harrogate Advertiser and a florists' trade title are worth more than a national business desk that will never run the story.
What counts as news for a UK small business?
Before opening Claude, write one sentence that answers "why would a reader of this paper care this week?" Strong small business angles include:
- Opening a second site, or reopening after a refit, with a date and an address.
- Taking on apprentices from a local college.
- Hitting a community milestone, such as raising money for a named hospice.
- Being first in the town to offer something, as long as you can prove it.
- A local reaction to national news, for example how a new regulation affects your trade.
If you cannot write that sentence, Claude will not invent a good one for you. It will produce a smooth release about nothing, and editors spot those immediately.
How do you structure a press release in the UK?
The structure UK newsrooms expect looks like this:
- Embargo line, either "For immediate release" or "Embargoed until 00:01, Tuesday" with a date.
- Headline in plain words. "Ripon bakery hires four apprentices from Harrogate College" beats "Exciting growth at local business".
- First paragraph that could run on its own as a news brief.
- Supporting paragraphs with detail, context and any figures you can prove.
- One quote from the owner that says something a human would say.
- Ends marker, then notes to editors with a short company description, photo links and a phone number someone will actually answer.
How do you use Claude to draft the release?
A prompt that works well in practice:
You are a local news sub-editor. Using ONLY the facts below, write a UK press release for the [publication name]. Use British spelling. One page maximum. Headline under 12 words. First paragraph must answer who, what, where, when and why. Include one quote from [name, role]. Do not add any figures, claims or names that are not in the facts. If something is missing, write [MISSING] instead of guessing.
Facts: [paste your bullet list]
The "[MISSING]" instruction matters. It turns Claude's tendency to fill gaps into a visible to-do list. Ask for three headline options, then pick one yourself. If you want to keep a set of house rules, such as your company description and tone notes, a Claude Project lets you store them once and reuse them for every release. The Claude hub covers how Projects and the paid plans fit a small business.
How do you make the quote sound human?
AI-written quotes tend to say things like "we are thrilled to announce". No editor will print that. Instead, answer out loud: "Why does this matter to you?" Paste the transcript and ask Claude to cut it to two sentences without changing the meaning. You get something like "I left school at 16 and someone gave me a chance. Four kids from Harrogate are getting that same chance in our kitchen next month." That line gets used.
How long should the press release and pitch email be?
According to Cision's UK write-up of its 2025 research, 28% of journalists prefer pitches of 100 to 200 words, and only 2% want pitches over 400 words. A useful habit is to ask Claude for a pitch of under 120 words that explains why this story suits this specific publication, then paste the full release below it in the email body.
Who should you send it to, and how?
Build the list by reading the last month of each target publication and noting who wrote the business, community or trade stories. Five well-matched names will usually beat a bought list of 500. Cision UK reports that 62% of journalists say one follow-up is appropriate, so send a single polite nudge a few days later and leave it there.
Before you paste customer names, staff details or anything sensitive into Claude, run through the basics in this AI data protection checklist for UK businesses. Get written consent from anyone named or photographed.
What photos and extras should go with the release?
Cision UK reports that 70% of journalists want images with a pitch, and 54% say an ideal pitch includes compelling data or statistics. Your own data counts: bookings since opening, number of local suppliers, apprentices trained. Claude can help you turn a messy spreadsheet into two clean sentences, but the numbers must be yours and checkable.
Should you write it yourself or hand it to someone else?
Anthropic's help centre lists Claude's Pro plan at $20 per month in the US, with local currency pricing where supported, and the free tier is enough for an occasional release. The bigger cost is your time finding angles. If you want releases to go out at regular intervals, slot them into an AI content calendar so you spot news moments early.
The honest trade-off: Claude saves you the blank page and the fiddly editing, often turning an evening of writing into a short session. It cannot find your story, build your relationship with the local editor or vouch for your facts. Those parts stay with you.
Press Releases with Claude AI — FAQ
Do journalists still read press releases?
Yes. Cision's 2025 State of the Media survey asked more than 3,000 journalists across 19 markets, and 72% named press releases as the most useful resource PR teams can offer. Cision's UK write-up of the same survey adds that 79% rely on press releases to generate story ideas. That does not mean every release gets read. The same research found 86% of journalists will reject a pitch that does not fit their beat or audience. So the format still works. What fails is sending a generic release to the wrong person. A small business that sends a short release with a real news angle to a handful of carefully chosen local and trade journalists will usually do better than one that blasts it to hundreds of addresses.
Can I use Claude AI to write my press release?
You can use Claude to structure, draft and tighten a press release, but you should supply the facts yourself and check every line before it goes out. Cision's UK summary of its 2025 survey reports that 72% of journalists cite factual errors as their biggest concern about PR people using AI, and 27% are strongly opposed to PR people using AI at all. The safe approach is to give Claude a fact sheet with your names, dates, figures and quotes, ask it to build the release only from that sheet, then read the draft against your notes. Treat Claude as a fast editor, not as a source. If a figure in the draft did not come from you, delete it.
How long should a small business press release be?
Keep the release itself to roughly one page, and keep the email pitch that goes with it much shorter. In Cision's 2025 survey, as reported on Cision UK, the most popular pitch length was 100 to 200 words, chosen by 28% of journalists, while only 2% wanted pitches over 400 words. A practical structure is a pitch of a few lines in the email body, then the full release pasted underneath, with a headline, a strong first paragraph, two or three supporting paragraphs, one quote, a short boilerplate about your business and contact details. If your draft runs past a page, it usually means the news angle is not clear yet.
What does Claude cost for a small business?
Anthropic's help centre lists Claude Pro at $20 per month in the US, with pricing shown in local currency where supported, and notes that prices vary by region and that some regions add tax at checkout. Check claude.ai/upgrade while signed in from the UK for the exact pound figure that applies to you. The free plan is enough to try drafting a single press release. If you plan to write releases, newsletters and web copy regularly, the paid plan gives more usage per session. For one release a quarter, the free tier is often fine.
Should I include photos with my press release?
Yes, where you can. Cision's UK summary of its 2025 State of the Media research reports that 70% of journalists want images with a pitch, and the main Cision announcement says releases have more impact when paired with multimedia. For a small business, that means one or two good landscape photos, properly lit, with a caption that names the people in them and confirms you own the rights. Link to them through a shared folder rather than attaching large files, which can bounce or annoy busy inboxes. Get written permission from anyone pictured, especially staff and customers, before the photos go to a newspaper.
