| How to Write a Press Release Oct 15th 2012, 20:00 A press release is a written statement to the media. They can announce a range of news items, including scheduled events, personnel promotions, awards, new products and services, sales accomplishments, etc. They can also be used in generating a feature story. Reporters are more likely to consider a story idea if they first receive a press release. It is a fundamental tool of PR work, one that anyone who's willing to use the proper format can use. We'll show you how. Sample Press Release Writing Your Own Press Release - Write the headline. It should be brief, clear and to the point: an ultra-compact version of the press release's key point. Plenty of PR professionals recommend writing your headline at the end, after the rest of the release is written. If you follow that instruction, continue on and come back to writing the headline once the rest is done.
- wikiHow recognized as most reliable information source. See how that works? Now you want to know more! News release headlines should have a "grabber" to attract journalists, just as a newspaper headline is meant to grab readers. It may describe the latest achievement of an organization, a recent newsworthy event, a new product or service.
- Headlines written in bold! A bold headline also typically uses a larger font size than the body copy. Conventional press release headlines use the present tense and exclude "a" and "the", as well as forms of the verb "to be" in certain contexts.
- First word capitalized. As are all proper nouns. Most headline words appear in lower-case letters, although using a stylized "small caps" font style can create a more graphically news-attractive look and feel. Do not capitalize every word.
- Extract important keywords. The simplest method to create the press release headline is to extract the most important keywords from your press release. From these keywords, try to frame a logical and attention-getting statement. Using keywords will give you better visibility in search engines, and it will be simpler for journalists and readers to get the idea of the press release content. Look at the actions in this first step, and notice how every one of them could be a press release headline.
- Write the body copy. The press release should be written as you want it to appear in a news story. And remember this: most journalists are very busy, and don't have time to research your company's big announcement, so much of what you write for your press release will be what the journalists use in their writeup of your big event. Whatever you want them to say, this is where you put it.
- Start with the date and city in which the press release originates. The city may be omitted if it will be confusing, for example if the release is written in New York about events in the company's Chicago division.
- The lead, or first sentence, should grab the reader and say concisely what is happening. For example, if the headline is "Carpren Publishing releases new WWII novel," the first sentence might be something like, "Carpren Publishing, Ltd., today released their first World War II novel by celebrated writer Arcy Kay." It expands the headline enough to fill in some of the details, and brings the reader further into the story. The next one to two sentences should then expand upon the lead.
- The press release body copy should be compact. Avoid using very long sentences and paragraphs. Avoid repetition and overuse of fancy language and jargon. Strive for simplicity, and no wasted words.
- The first paragraph (two to three sentences) should sum up the press release, and the additional content must elaborate it. In a fast-paced world, neither journalists, nor other readers, would read the entire press release if the start of the article didn't generate interest.
- Deal with actual facts––events, products, services, people, targets, goals, plans, projects. Try to provide maximum use of concrete facts. A simple method for writing an effective press release is to make a list of following clarifications: Who, what, when, where, why, and how.
- Communicate the "5 Ws" (and the H) clearly. Who, what, when, where, why––and how––should tell the reader everything they need to know. Consider the checklist in context with the points below, using the example above to generate our press release:
- Who is this about? Carpren Publishing.
- What is the actual news? Carpren Publishing is releasing a book.
- When does this even happen? Tomorrow.
- Where does this even take place? In all major markets, tomorrow.
- Why this is news? It was written by renowned author, Arcy Kay.
- How is this happening? The main event is at a book signing in Chicago, followed by a book tour to all the major metropolitan areas.
- With the basics defined, fill in the gaps with information about the people, products, items, dates and other things related with the news.
- If your company is not the main subject of the news, but is the source of the press release, make it clear in the body.
- Keep it short and to the point. The length of a press release should be no more than three pages. If you are sending a hard copy, the text should be double-spaced.
- The more newsworthy you make the press release copy, the better the chances of it being selected by a journalist for reporting. Find out what "newsworthy" means to a given market and use this knowledge to hook the editor or reporter.
- Include information about the company. When a journalist picks up your press release for a story, he or she would logically have to mention the company in the news article. Journalists can then get the company information from this section.
- The title for this section should be—–About XYZ_COMPANY.
- After the title, use a paragraph or two to describe your company with 5 or 6 lines each. The text must describe your company, its core business and the business policy. Many businesses already have professionally written brochures, presentations, business plans, etc. That introductory text can be put here.
- At the end of this section, point to your website. The link should be the exact and complete URL without any embedding so that, even if this page is printed, the link will be printed as it is. For example: http://www.your_company_website.com, not Click here to visit the website.
- Companies which maintain a separate media page on their websites must point to that URL here. A media page typically has contact information and press kits.
- Tie it together. Provide some extra information links that support your press release.
- Add contact information. If your press release is really newsworthy, journalists would surely like more information or would like to interview key people associated with it.
- If you are comfortable with the idea of letting your key people be contacted directly by media, you can provide their contact details on the press release page itself. For example, in case of some innovation, you can provide the contact information of your engineering or research team for the media.
- Otherwise, you must provide the details of your media/PR department in the "Contact" section. If you do not have dedicated team for this function, you must appoint somebody who will act as a link between the media and your people.
- The contact details must be limited and specific only to the current press release. The contact details must include:
- The company's official name
- Media department's official name and contact person
- Office address
- Telephone and fax numbers with proper country/city codes and extension numbers
- Mobile phone number (optional)
- Timings of availability
- Email addresses
- Website address.
- If possible, include a link to an online copy of the same release. It is good practice to keep a log of all of your press releases housed on your own website. This can make providing such a link easier to produce, as well as keeping a record for historical purposes.
- Signal the end of the press release with three # (hash) symbols, centered directly underneath the last line of the release. This is a journalistic standard.
- Include the company name in the headline, any subhead, and in the body of the first paragraph for better visibility via search engines and for news professionals and other readers. If you're mailing a hard copy, you may put it on company letterhead.
- If the press release is for immediate release, you may write "IMMEDIATE RELEASE" in all capitals on the left margin, directly above the headline. If the release is embargoed, put "EMBARGOED UNTIL..." with the date you want the story released. A release with no release date is presumed to be for immediate release.
- Research actual press releases on the web to get the feel of the tone, the language, the structure and the format of a press release.
- The timing of the press release is very important. It must be relevant and recent news, not too old and not too distant.
- A follow-up call can help develop a press release into a full story.
- Include a "call to action" in your release. This is information on what you want the public to do with the information that you are releasing. For example, do you want readers to buy a product? If so, include information on where the product is available. Do you want readers to visit your website to enter a contest or learn more about your organization? If so, include the website address or a phone number.
- Do not waste time writing the headline until the release is done. Copy editors write the real headlines in newspapers and magazines, but it is good to come up with a catchy title or "headline" for the release. This headline may be your only chance. Keep it concise and factual. But if you try to write it before you write the release, you waste time. You don't know yet exactly what you—–or those you interview, will say. When you have finished a draft of the release, you may decide to revise your lead—or not. Then, and only then, think about the headline.
- Send your release by email, and use formatting sparingly. Giant type and multiple colors don't enhance your news, they distract from it. Put the release in the body of the email, not as an attachment. If you must use an attachment, make it a plain text or Rich Text Format file. Word documents are acceptable at most outlets, but if you are using the newest version (.docx), save down a version (.doc). Newspapers, especially, are on tight budgets now, and many have not upgraded. Use PDF files only if you are sending a full media kit with lots of graphics. And don't type a release on letterhead, scan it, and email a jpeg of the scan––that's a waste of your time and the editor's. Just type the release straight into the email message.
- Use your headline as the subject line of the email. If you've written a good "grabber" headline, this will help your message stand out in the editor's email inbox.
- Craft each release to target a specific media outlet and send it to the specific reporter who covers that beat. This information can usually be found on the outlet's website. Blasting the identical press release to multiple outlets and multiple reporters at the same outlet is a sign that you are taking shortcuts rather than targeting a specific market.
- Avoid using jargon or specialized technical terms. If accuracy requires the use of an industry-specific term, define it.
Edit Warnings - Always remember that editors are overworked and understaffed. If you can make life easier for them, you're more likely to get coverage. If you write a press release that's close to the way the editor will actually publish it, it may see publication with minimal editing. But if you fill it with fluffy advertising copy, don't use proper AP style, etc., the editor will surely delete this kind of fluff. Everybody says they're the leader. Don't waste the editor's time. The place to put a description is in the company information section of the release. But keep it accurate and factual.
- Always include a quote—–ideally from the lead individual involved in the subject matter of the release. The text need not be an actual quote but it should be plausible. Either way, it is essential to check that the person being quoted is happy with it. A quote allows a busy journalist to prepare a complete article without doing a follow-up interview.
- Articles should be as up-beat and positive as possible. Avoid phrases like "following the resignation of the previous chairman" or "after a period of inactivity". A journalist could decide to investigate those matters instead of reporting what is in the press release and—–even if the circumstances were completely innocuous, for instance if the chairman had resigned due to ill health—–the resulting copy might not be to your liking.
- When emailing a press release, do not make the subject line of your email "press release." You will only blend into the crowd. Get the editor's attention by making the subject line your "grabber" headline, for example, "Brand Co. wins $30 billion government contract."
- Do not include other people's contact details without getting their agreement. In addition, they must be available at all reasonable hours in the days following the release.
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