WRITING A PRESS RELEASE

 

A Good Press Release Solicits Immediate Coverage. 

Be Newsworthy.   Be Consise.  

Establish a Working Relationship with Reporters and Editors.*

 

Basics for a Press Release

• First, be confident.  You are doing your contacts a favor by offering them a newsworthy item. 
• Press Releases are for the purpose of Breaking News.   They can also summarize a story or report or give background information. 

The press release is a primary method of communicating your story to the public. Issued periodically, a press release allows a company or organization the opportunity to announce activities, business events, new product introductions, promotions, corporate activities, financial information such as earnings reports, technology updates or facts that may be of interest to the general public.

Because reporters are often working on a deadline, working odd hours, or otherwise may not be able to reach you, the more self-contained and detailed the release is, the greater the chance of it being used.  Establish a relationship and reputation with the reporter or editor before you send the press release.  (See "Pitching to Reporters") That way, when they see the letterhead, they are more likely to stop and read the article. 

A well crafted press release captures the attention of journalists and is optimized for distribution over the internet, email, and PRWeb’s specialized network feeds.  Occasionally, a media outlet will print your release as is.  Other times, a reporter will use it as a spring board to a bigger story.  Either way, write the story as you would like it to be told.   Even if not printed fully, it might provide a decent amount of exposure.   Continued below -

    

 

Remember:

• A good press release solicits immediate coverage.  Be newsworthy.  Reporters only report interesting news. 
• You have only a few seconds to grab your reader’s attention. Do not blow it with a weak opening.  Always get the most important information into the headline and the first paragraph to encourage him/her to read further. Your catchy lead should also succinctly summarize the news.  The Headline Should be in Title Case, Except for Prepositions or Articles of Three Characters or Less.  It should also be about 80 characters long and written last.  A subhead can also be used to flesh out your angle a little further.  The lead sentence contains the most important information in 25 words or less.   The lead paragraph contains all the pertinent information by concentrating on who (speakers?), what (topic?), when, where and why and how. 
• The balance of the release backs up the claims made in the first paragraph.  Write it in an inverted pyramid format: First the Conclusion, then the supporting facts and then the least interesting information at the end.  Write in the third person, using an active, not passive voice.  Strong, active words bring the press release to life. 
• Include timely information and all the necessary facts for a reporter to file a story with minimal legwork.  Tie your story to a current event or social issue.  It should be written with a good news hook; the best of all stories coming out of the event.  Reporters like easy stories.  Make sure the press release includes colorful real life illustrations, anecdotes and/or quotes from a spokesperson.  Give example (s) of how your solution fulfills needs.  If possible, show cause and effect.
• Nonprofits frequently don’t approach reporters with breaking news, and their releases many times don’t appear to be relevant and newsworthy.  In fact, some news media have become leery of non-profits because they have had too many weak story pitches and badly written news items.  To overcome this:
• Give the reporter an exclusive.  Media outlets sometimes respond to having a scoop.
• Make your story different and unusual.   Stories that are new and original have a “Gee Whiz” factor.  
• Involve a big name.  Our culture is obsessed with the famous.
• Be an extreme.  Newest, biggest, first, or oldest, can all have a “Gee Whiz” factor.  Just make sure it is truthful.
• Controversy is news.  Media love conflict.  
• Offer a solution, and offer them a “Good News” story. 
• Put a face on the story.  Compelling human interest stories are news.
• Give it a local angle.   A national news story with a local hook is compelling.  Move fast though, because National News is old news fast.
• Provide pictures and photo opportunities.
• The last sentence should be your organization’s “boilerplate,” a block of standard text that is used over and over again.  In this case, the text reiterating the mission statement or unique quality of the organization or entity announcing the news.
• Keep it concise and simple. Make each word count.  If at all possible, keep to one page.  Then again, a good story requires more than one paragraph. If you don’t have facts for more than one paragraph, you probably don’t have a story.
• Put ### at the end to signal the conclusion of the article.  If the report goes on to a second page, include the word - more - or - continued – at the bottom of the first page so that reporters know to look at for a second.  On the top of a second page, use a one word “slug” to indicate this is the following page.  For example, in a report concerning the President put the word “President/page 2” at the top of the page.  This is helpful in case the pages get separated at the fax machine. 
• Below the ###, add a contact sentence.  For example, “If you would like more information on this topic, or would like to schedule an interview, please call John Doe at 555-1111. 
• Be sure to get written permission before using quotes from employees or affiliates of other companies or organizations.  
• Make sure to proof read your release to ensure correct grammar and spelling.  Use a word processor rather than writing online for best results.  When you ate done proofreading and editing, do it again.  Make sure top management, technical management or any cited parties have reviewed the press release.
• Be sure to keep your media list current. Update periodically by calling first to be sure it's addressed to the appropriate individual.
• Use the announcing organizations letterhead.  Include the name and telephone number of a person who can answer more questions and post it clearly at the top. Day and evening telephone numbers are helpful. If a reporter cannot reach you, he/she may not pursue the story. 
• Send your press release early. A month before the event is not too early. Then, a follow up telephone call is encouraged to be sure the press release was received.
• Mail or fax your release at least 10 days in advance of the release date.   This allows the reporter time to evaluate the information and start the story in a timely fashion. 
• If you are using email, use a “role account” instead of a personal account.   A personal account comes directly to you.  A role, or office, account can be accessed by co-workers.  This prevents you from missing valuable media contacts should you be out of office for a period of time,
• When posting on a site such as Google News, try posting in the morning rather than the evening, as many people sort by date.   Tuesdays and Wednesdays are some of the best days to get on top of the online pile. 
• Send the press release to:
• Beat reporters – those that cover specific issues or entities in daily or weekly papers, TV and radio stations, magazines, and wire services.
• Assignment Editors and News Directors – those who decide whether to call a story and send a journalist.  Alert them to next day or same day news.
• Radio and TV Producers who schedule shows that might cover your topic.
• If this is a release that follows an advisory, it should be sent to the same list of reporters as the advisory was sent to.  You can add others if new angles have developed.  
• Reporters receive hundreds of press releases.  If the heading doesn’t grab immediate attention, most promptly thrown in the garbage can.  To avoid this from happening, follow up your written communication with a phone call to encourage coverage.   But be careful to leave it at encouragement and not use the phone call as an opportunity to overwhelm them with additional information.  If they want more information, they will call you.   Even better, establish a relationship and reputation with the reporter or editor before you send the press release.   That way, when they see the letterhead, they are more likely to stop and read the article. 

NEVER -

• NEVER Use your press release to make a sale.  Journalists are not interested in helping you make money.  The purpose of a press release is to communicate newsworthy information.  If your release reads like an advertisement, rewrite it.
• NEVER Write about every whim.  Not everything you are excited about is newsworthy.  Perhaps the opening of your new online store is important to you, but the media won’t be interested in announcing another online store.  However, they might be interested in doing a story concerning the uniqueness of your merchandise or service.  Answer the question, “Why should anyone care?”
• NEVER Call a reporter at deadline.  
• NEVER Call to inquire if they received the release.  Instead, call to discuss the story, and mention that you had sent a release.
• NEVER Use fluff, embellishments, or exaggerations.  Journalists are naturally skeptical.  Even if what you report is true, you might want to tone it down a bit.
• NEVER Overuse hype.  Don’t make wild product or service claims, NEVER SUBMIT A STORY IN ALL UPPERCASE LETTERS and if you must use an exclamation point, use just one, not “this!!!”  If a press release has too many “hype flags,” it could trip spam filters and never make it to its destination. 
• NEVER Use wordiness, unnecessary adjectives, flowery language, or redundant expressions such as “added bonus” or “first time ever.”
• NEVER Go overboard with hyped phrases, clichés, fancy fonts or presentation
• NEVER Imbed HTML or other mark up language.  Your release will be distributed over various networks and mark up language could affect its readability. 
• NEVER Use jargon.  While a certain amount is necessary for search engines, too much will turn off the average reader. 
• NEVER Break lines at 70 characters and use a hard carriage return after each sentence.  Use a carriage return only at the end of the paragraph.
• NEVER Include unnecessary cardboard, paper or packaging
• NEVER Stuff a press kit with materials that aren't directly related to its purpose

 

A Good Press Release Solicits Immediate Coverage.  Be Newsworthy.   Be Concise.

 

*Adapted from the following Sources:

• Green Media Toolshed;
• PRWeb Press Release Network
• Joan Stewart, the Publicity Hound
• Press Releases for Google News
• Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes, Kathy Andresen, 2006, Jossey-Bass
• The Mercifully Brief Real World Guide to…Attracting the Attention Your Cause Deserves, Joseph Barbato, Emerson & Church

 

 

 

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