Why Your Press Release Quote Matters More Than You Think
A press release is supposed to feel like news. But here's the thing: journalists can smell a corporate memo from a mile away. The headline might grab attention, and the opening paragraph might be solid, but it's often the quote that determines whether a journalist actually uses your release or tosses it in the trash.
A good quote does something the rest of your press release can't: it adds a human voice. It gives journalists a ready-made soundbite they can drop straight into their story. It also signals credibility—when a real person (not a faceless company) stands behind the news, editors take it more seriously.
The problem? Most press release quotes are terrible. They're generic, they're too long, they sound like they were written by a legal team, and they don't actually say anything interesting. If you want journalists to pick up your story, your quote needs to be different.
What Journalists Actually Look For in a Press Release Quote
Before you write a quote, you need to understand what's going through a journalist's head when they read it.
They're looking for a reason to care. A quote isn't just a statement—it's an opportunity for the journalist to understand why this news matters. Is it solving a problem? Is it a surprising insight? Is it a bold prediction? If the quote doesn't answer "so what?", it's dead weight.
They want personality, not corporate-speak. "We're excited to announce this partnership" tells the journalist nothing. "This solves a problem we've been hearing about for three years" tells them you've done your homework and that you're actually invested in the outcome.
They need something quotable. Quotable means it's short enough to fit into a sentence or two, it sounds natural when read aloud, and it doesn't require 10 paragraphs of context to understand. If a journalist has to edit your quote down to half its length, they might as well write their own.
They're checking for specificity. Vague quotes are useless. "This is a game-changer for the industry" is meaningless. "This cuts customer onboarding time from two weeks to two days" is something a journalist can actually work with.
The Five Biggest Mistakes in Press Release Quotes
Let's look at what's killing your quotes before they even reach a journalist's inbox.
1. The Quote Is Too Long
If your quote is more than three sentences, it's too long. Period. A journalist reading a press release is skimming. They're looking for a quote they can grab and drop into their story in roughly 15–30 seconds. If they have to spend five minutes parsing your quote, they'll just write their own.
Bad: "We're thrilled to announce this partnership because we believe that when two organizations with complementary strengths come together, there's an incredible opportunity to create value for customers in ways that neither company could achieve independently, and we're committed to ensuring that this collaboration delivers measurable results across all key metrics."
Good: "This partnership lets us do something neither company could do alone—deliver real-time analytics to teams that have been waiting for it."
2. The Quote Doesn't Actually Say Anything
Generic praise is worthless. "We're excited to work with this amazing team" could apply to literally any partnership announcement. What specific value does this create? What problem does it solve? What makes it different from the last five announcements?
Bad: "We're proud to announce this exciting new initiative that will help our customers succeed."
Good: "Customers have been asking for a way to sync data across platforms without manual entry. This integration finally makes that possible."
3. The Quote Sounds Like a Press Release
If your quote reads like it was written by a committee, journalists will know it was. Real people don't talk in corporate jargon. They don't use phrases like "leverage synergies" or "unlock potential." They speak like humans.
Bad: "We are committed to leveraging best-in-class solutions to drive operational excellence and maximize stakeholder value."
Good: "We built this because our team was frustrated with the status quo. Now we're seeing customers save hours every week."
4. The Quote Doesn't Match the Person's Voice
If you're putting a quote in the mouth of your CEO, it should sound like your CEO—not like your marketing team. A journalist who's familiar with your CEO's previous interviews will notice if the quote feels off. Worse, they might decide the quote is inauthentic and skip it.
Spend time thinking about how this person actually talks. Do they use data? Do they tell stories? Are they direct or thoughtful? Write the quote to match their actual communication style.
5. The Quote Buries the Lede
Your quote should reinforce the news, not introduce new information. If the most important thing about your announcement is buried in the quote, you've structured your press release wrong. The quote should add color and credibility to news that's already clear from the headline and opening paragraph.
The Formula for a Quote That Gets Used
Here's a simple structure that works:
[Person] + [Specific insight or reaction] + [One concrete detail or outcome]
Let's break it down:
- Person: Who's speaking? Make sure they have credibility on this topic. (Your CEO works. A customer works better. A random employee doesn't.)
- Specific insight: What's the one thing this person wants journalists to understand? Not a generic statement—a real insight. "We've been solving this the hard way for years" or "This is the first time we've seen this metric move this fast."
- Concrete detail: One number, one example, or one outcome that makes the insight real. "We've cut time-to-value from six months to three weeks" or "Our top 50 customers have already adopted this."
Example: "Our customers have been asking for this for years," says Sarah Chen, VP of Product. "The first beta group cut their data processing time in half."
That's 20 words. It's specific. It sounds like a real person. It's quotable. A journalist can use it as-is.
Who Should Be Quoted?
Not every press release needs a quote from your CEO. In fact, sometimes a customer quote is more powerful.
Use an executive quote when: The news is strategic (a new product, a major partnership, a significant milestone). The executive is well-known in the industry. The executive has a unique perspective on why this matters.
Use a customer quote when: You want to show real-world impact. You want to add credibility. You want to prove the news matters beyond your company.
Use an employee quote when: The news is about internal culture, hiring, or company values. The employee has direct experience with what you're announcing.
Pro tip: If you're using PitchBud to draft your press release, the AI will prompt you to choose who's being quoted and will help you craft a quote that fits their voice. You can always edit it to sound more natural.
How to Get Your Quote Right: A Checklist
Before you finalize your quote, run through this checklist:
- Is it three sentences or fewer?
- Does it say something specific (not generic praise)?
- Could a journalist drop it into an article without editing?
- Does it sound like a real person talking, not a corporation?
- Does it match the speaker's actual voice and communication style?
- Does it reinforce the news in the headline and opening paragraph?
- Does it include at least one concrete detail (a number, an outcome, an example)?
- If a journalist reads only the headline and the quote, would they understand what the news is?
If you can't check all eight boxes, keep revising.
Real Examples of Strong Press Release Quotes
Here are a few examples of quotes that actually work:
Product launch: "We spent two years listening to what teams needed. The feedback was clear: they wanted one tool instead of five. This is that tool."
Partnership: "Neither of us could build this alone. Together, we're solving a problem that's been expensive and painful for our customers."
Milestone: "When we hit 10,000 customers, I thought we'd figure out how to scale. At 50,000, we realized we needed to rethink everything. This is the result."
Customer story: "Before this, we were manually syncing data between systems every morning. Now it's automatic. We've freed up two people to focus on strategy instead of busywork."
Notice what they have in common: they're short, specific, human, and they give journalists something they can actually use.
The Bottom Line
Your press release quote is one of the most important pieces of your announcement. It's the difference between a journalist reading your release and moving on, or reading your release and actually using it in a story.
Write it like a real person. Make it specific. Keep it short. And always ask yourself: would a journalist actually use this, or would they rewrite it? If it's the latter, you're not done yet.
When you're ready to draft your full press release—headline, body, and quote—tools like PitchBud can help you structure it all at once and make sure each element supports the others. But the hard work of making your quote genuine and quotable? That's on you.