A rebranding press release is a short public record of a change in identity. Its job is to tell people what the new brand is, what prompted the move, when it takes effect, and what the change means for them. This guide provides a fictional sample and an editing process. It does not claim that a made-up business launched, won a market, or made the quotations shown in the example.
Set the news angle
Start with a concrete event: a company name change, a combined brand after a merger, a shift in service focus, or a substantial redesign that changes how customers interact with the organization. If the update is only a new color palette, a customer email and an owned blog post may be more useful than a broad press release.
Collect the approved new name, date, brand assets, product and domain changes, and a list of audiences who need direct notice. Check whether the reason given for the rebrand is supported by actual decisions or research. Avoid unsupported claims that the company is now a market leader or that every customer will benefit.
Fictional sample release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — [CITY], [DATE] — [OLD NAME], a [FACTUAL ONE-SENTENCE DESCRIPTION], announced today that it will become [NEW NAME] on [EFFECTIVE DATE]. The new identity reflects [SPECIFIC, VERIFIED CHANGE IN OFFER OR POSITIONING]. Customers will continue to access [CONFIRMED SERVICE] through [WORKING URL OR CHANNEL] while [CHANGE] is introduced over [REALISTIC PERIOD].
'[APPROVED QUOTE THAT EXPLAINS THE DECISION AND CUSTOMER IMPACT],' said [AUTHORIZED NAME AND TITLE]. The company has published details about [ACCOUNT, PRODUCT, OR BILLING CHANGES] at [REAL URL]. About [NEW NAME]: [FACT-CHECKED BOILERPLATE]. Media contact: [NAME, EMAIL, PHONE]. Every bracket is a placeholder to replace before publication; none of these sentences describes a real announcement.
Edit for clarity and trust
Read the draft as a person who has not attended the internal brand meetings. Could that person tell whether the company is the same legal entity, which site to use, and what happens next? If not, the release needs more operational detail and less brand philosophy.
- Put the change and effective date in the first paragraph.
- Explain old-name and new-name continuity in plain language.
- Check that every quote is approved by the named person.
- Remove inflated adjectives unless a specific, verifiable fact supports them.
- Give customers a working path to help with accounts, orders, or contracts.
- Check the final URL, media contact, image rights, and release timing.
Publish the transition consistently
Coordinate the release with the new site or transition page, email notices, product interfaces, and social accounts. If web addresses change, Google Search Central provides technical guidance for URL moves; the release alone does not preserve search visibility. Keep old links and support channels available during the transition where possible.
Measure clarity through support questions, correct referrals, and stakeholder understanding. A press release can provide a reliable public reference, but journalists remain free to ignore it or cover the change independently. Focus first on making the change true, accessible, and understandable.