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Writing An Effective Press Release
How To Write Your Release
Writing an effective, professional release can be very difficult, especially when the writer has little or no experience dealing with the media. To ensure that your release has the greatest chance of capturing the attention and interest of the media, here are a few guidelines to follow when crafting your release:
Is it newsworthy?
The most common reasons why the media does not pick up a news release is that it is not of interest to the editor or the news is buried. To be newsworthy, your announcement must have broad, general interest and a strong news angle (e.g. drama, human interest, localness, consequence, etc.). In addition to being newsworthy, your release needs to be written in a journalistic -- rather than marketing -- style. It should be objectively written as though a reporter were writing the story for you. Your release needs to “inform” people, NOT sell them something.
Hints for making your release newsworthy:
- Write in third person (don’t use we, us, our, you, our, my);
- Do not use puffery statements or hype (i.e. we make the greatest widgets…);
- Include quotes to convey opinion or affiliation.
Grab the reporter’s attention.
Write your headline to make your release stand out. To be effective, your headline must be:
Many journalists view releases over their wire system by headline only, then pick and choose when they want to view the full text of the release. An informative headline gives editors that use a headline-only view a better idea of what stories are coming in. A headline should include the name of the company issuing the release.
A headline should be no longer than two lines (78 characters). Many newsrooms have a limit as to how many characters they can receive in a headline and their systems are programmed to “bounce out” releases that exceed this limit.
Features vs. Hard Hitting News
Is your release a story where the news interest is more casual than a hard business story? Would you expect to see your release featured on the front page of the business section or within the lifestyles section of your local newspaper? Then consider submitting your release as a feature distribution.
Tips for Writing your Headline:
- Do not include the terms “Company”, “Incorporated” or “Limited” or their abbreviations unless they are necessary to clearly identify the organization, i.e. Tandy Corporation vs. Tandy Brands.
- Do not use first names or middle initials unless it is necessary to clearly identify the individual or to make the headline read correctly. For example: “King of Los Angeles Awarded Congressional Medal of Honor” should be changed to read “John King of Los Angeles Awarded Congressional Medal of Honor
- Don’t use headers that look like spam. Anything with repeated exclamation points, dollar signs or all caps will essentially guarantee that the editor will hit the delete key without reading your release.
- Attribute (use words like claim or alleged) all controversial, potentially libelous, critical or judgmental statements. For example, for the headline “Municipal Hospital Workers Locked Out,” we would suggest you change the headline to “Local 1040 Claims Municipal Hospital Workers Locked Out.”
- Keep it brief.
Remember: Less is more. Your release should be no more than two pages in length (approximately 400 words). This should be enough space to tell the reporter who you are, what you’re announcing and why they should care. If you can’t state your message in two pages, you’re not getting to the point.
- Ready to Print
Editors honestly do like publicizing the information they receive in news releases. Sometimes, though, a release has been so poorly written that it is difficult to use. A journalist will be more likely to use your release if it is written in a format that is ready to print.
The best releases follow this general structure:
- Two-Sentence Summary
Your release should begin with a one to two paragraph abstract. This summary should clearly state the news and explain why it is important.
- Detailed Explanation
Next, provide the facts so that editors have something to report. Explain the implications of your announcement. Tell how this event compares to other happenings in the field.
- Background Information
Provide information about the event that non-specialists need to know to understand your news. Remember, the easier it is for the reporter to write about your news, the more likely it will be published.
- Company Information
Give a brief description of your business, and include corporate background or history if it is available. This helps editors understand your business so they can write about it.
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