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Unlike advertising copy, which is
written to appeal to a prospective customer, a press release
is written to appeal to a journalist.A journalist is not
someone seeking to buy your product or service. A journalist
is looking to inform, educate, or entertain his or her
readers. Karen Thacston
A better title for this article might be "Why Write a Press Release?" You write a press release in order to obtain free publicity -- mention of your company, people, event, product or services in a newspaper, trade magazine, TV or radio broadcast. You hope to inspire a journalist to write a story about you, using your press release as a jumping off point.
Writing a press release simply to meet a public relations goal of putting out one release every month, well, why bother? If the information you wish to convey doesn't get published, broadcast, or otherwise reach your intended audience, you've accomplished nothing.
Actually, since it can cost from $800-1500 to have a press release distributed, (using PR Newswire or other services) you have accomplished something. You've performed the equivalent of taking a cigarette lighter and burning a wad of Franklins.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of a press release is to inform the news media about an initiative that your organization believes is of importance to your mutual audience. In sharing this information with them, you are, in essence, saying that, "I believe that this is information that your readers, viewers and/or listeners will be interested in knowing.
The question I'm going to answer HERE is "How do you write a press release so that it will actually garner you some free publicity?" To do that, we must put ourselves in the shoes of an editor. (An extremely busy editor, I might note) What an editor asks about a story, any story, is "Is this news that would be of interest to my magazine's readers?"
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Reporters don't want to think of their job as rewriting releases. They want news leads to follow - just the basics, and somebody they can contact for more. Martin Winston. |
Press releases face the same test that stories and editorial content do. "Is it relevant? Is it interesting? Why would anyone care?"
Your press release had better have a thought provoking, shocking, titillating or amusing headline, or you won't even make it that far, according to some editors.
Let's face it. The promotion of Joe Schmoe to "Executive Vice President of Sales at ABC" probably IS news in a smaller industry, and it probably isn't news if Joe is a complete unknown, or it's a huge industry like auto parts. Other than keeping ABC's name in people's minds, why do we really want people to know that Schmoe is our new VP? Who really cares except for Joe's mom -- and your direct competitors?
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The typical magazine runs, at BEST, a dozen vendor press releases, or "New Product" blurbs as part of editorial. We now (D&P Center) receive an average of 14 vendor press releases per day. If we ran every one we would need 350 pages of "New Products" each month. Wonderful. But who will pay for it? Did they think we should run it because they sent it? More importantly who would read 350 pages each month? source: http://www.user-groups.net/UGNetwork/DearVendor.html |
The announcement of new products, on the other hand, is news in a lot of industries. Especially if the product has powerful new features that will perk up the ears of a lot of readers. Is it an innovation? A breakthrough? Will it generate cost savings? Does it create a revolutionary new way of doing business?
Then it's news.
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Two daily newspaper editors: Phil: what do you look for in a press release? John: how it impacts on people, our readers. Will the event or product being pushed have any interest to our readers? Steve: Is it something our readers would like to know about? John: is it new or different? Tell people why it's better, why they need it. If it's a new outboard motor for a speedboat, say what's different about it. If it's 25% cheaper to run or goes 19% faster then say that in the release. Steve: is it just more PR cr-p, or is there a real story there? |
Use of jargon: If you to work in the PCB (printed circuit board) industry, then you don't need to babytalk the editor of PCB magazine explaining what blind and buried vias are. On the other hand, if you're distributing your press release to a wide variety of publications, you'd better define your terms and use an analogy understandable by everyone to explain what a "buried via" is.
Have a friend or family member, someone NOT in your industry read your press release. If they can't understand what you're trying to say, rewrite it. Then try it on someone else; a fresh "victim."
Figuring out WHO you want to send your press release to is part of what you pay for in issuing a press release. Shotgun email or fax-blasting it to every editor in the world costs you money and wastes their time. Writing a press release is merely the first step in the PR process.
Press releases follow a standard format. See the examples I link to below. There's nothing magic about the format, however, I do recommend using at least a 14 point font so your release is still readable when you fax it. And by all means, use the FINE resolution mode on your fax machine!
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As the recipient of many over-formatted press releases, I frequently find myself wishing the magic of page layout had been kept from some people. Russell Brown |
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I found the PR news writers who would return my call by 10 a.m. instead of responding at 11:45 p.m., and I relied heavily on them. Jerry Robbins |
One of the key ways press releases fall down is in supplying additional information -- for example, either a copy of, or a URL link to frequently asked questions. A list of possible story ideas. A press release MUST contain current, active phone numbers, URLS, etc. If an editor reads your press release and has more questions, be sure someone [competent] is there to answer, on the first ring, the phone number you put on the press release. If necessary put the cell phone # of the president of your company. You may not get a second chance -- or fourth ring. Never make an editor/reporter about to give you free publicity "dig" for the additional information he/she may want. Your job is to make THEIR job easy!
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Address it to a specific editor or reporter, by name. Before you send a release, go through your media list, call each one, and verify the name of the appropriate editors and writers. If you're faxing, ask for that person's fax number. Send each one individually, with your contact's name on the envelope or fax cover sheet. It's okay to send the same release to more than one contact, by the way. A SINGLE press release that results in an article, interview, whatever, is more powerful than 1000 releases shotgunned all over the marketplace. It's like a single well-aimed bullet - the single most powerful force on the battlefield. Give up your idea of mowing down reporters. Aim for one at a time. |
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Educate, don't Bore! If you are informing editors about subjects outside of their areas of expertise (i.e. if they usually write about electronics, they may not understand genetics), and they are likely to find what you are saying both difficult and boring. Presenting boring stories to the press is one of the worst things that you could ever do. Test your release on someone equally illiterate about genetics! http://webdeveloper.com/management/manage_write_press_release.html |
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Proofread When you've finished your press release, remember to proofread it for typographical errors. If you don't have a good eye for spelling or grammar, give the release to a friend or colleague who does. If your release looks sloppy and careless, so will you. |
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Give thanks. Send a personal thank you to any reporter or editor who covers your story--even if you didn't like the coverage. If there are errors in the story, point them out in a polite and appreciative letter to the editor; if that gets published, you reinforce your initial exposure in that media market. http://www.promotionworld.com/press/outbin.shtml |
Length. I don't care if your new product bakes bread and gets 75 miles to the gallon, if you can't keep your press release under two pages, preferably one, then you haven't condensed it down to only the items of most interest to an editor. Provide phone numbers, email addresses, and URLS for the editors who want more information. There are times when you may choose to break the one-page rule, but it takes an experienced PR person to know when that helps rather than hurts.
Excessive length is bad. Repeat after me.
THE END!
RESOURCES
Other articles that I learned something from. Notice, most of these are written by reporters and editors, NOT PR firms.
Sample Press Releases -- see one at bottom of this page as well.
Press Release Templates
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Contact Information: Program Director Name Address for the site Website FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (date) Put the date that you want the information released "Title Here" (Example: New Students Anxious to Get an Upper Hand on Technology) CITY, STATE (Example: AUSTIN, TX) &endash; This is the opening paragraph, and it should be really brief but explain all important points. This paragraph should be anywhere from 3 to 5 sentences. It should include the event that's going on, the date, time and important people. The next paragraph goes into more detail. For example, this section could explain the importance of the event and why it's taking place. This is a good place to mention that the program and its participants depend on grants and other outside funding. In general, remember that most important information should be placed at the beginning of the article - information at the end is less likely to be read. Another section could talk about the need for your particular program(s). This is where you'll go in detail about how it got started and what services you offer. Once again, you should keep paragraphs at about 3 to 5 sentences in length. The very last paragraph is called the "boilerplate." It is usually no more than 2 to3 sentences. Example: The Digital Workforce Academy strives to meet workforce demands in the digital economy by providing technology skills to underemployed members of our community. The academy is a non-profit 501c(3) organization that fosters community revitalization through education and technology training.
### (### lets the reader know that it is the end of the article - it harkens back to the days of teletypes and news wire services - you took a ruler and ripped the page off wherever you saw a ### ) |
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PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For More Information, Contact: [DATE], 200X
[Name of internal media rep] [Name of Comany] [Phone number] ( ) (voice) [Phone number] ( ) (fax) [e-mail address]
[Headline Goes Here, Initial Cap, Bold] [CITY, St.]. - [Date], 200X - [Text goes here, double spaced, indented paragraphs]. If the press release is more than one page long, use the word: --more-- centered at the bottom of the page, then continue the page on the next page with a brief description of the headline, and page number like this: [Shortened headline] - Page 2
[Your last paragraph should be a company boilerplate, which is a brief description of the company, and any information you want readers to know about it, such as what type of business it is in, what its annual sales are, where it is headquartered, where branch offices are located, the number of employees, etc.] [At the end of the release, put the three pound signs centered at the bottom. This lets your reader know they've come to the end.]
# # # |
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and the style and format all press releases should follow.
First of all there is a certain format for writing press releases so writing "press release" or "news release" on top of the page is not necessary. Release information. The release information is when you want the information to be released by the media - either write "For Immediate Release" or if it's for a later time write the date of when you do want it to be released. Contact information -These are the people who should be contacted by the media that receives the release. This information is usually listed just below the release information. Include the names, titles, telephone numbers, email addresses, web site addresses, corporate addresses, fax numbers, and in some cases, home numbers of your company contacts. The name and telephone number of the contact person at your public relations agency, if you have one, can go below the other contact information.
Headline - Your press release should have a headline briefly stating your main point of the press release. Headlines can be catchy but not gimmicky. The headline should include your company name. The headline should be positioned below the contact information. It should be centered on the page and in boldface. Dateline -Includes city and state of where the company is located and the date of the release. The dateline usually goes in the left margin directly below the headline and begins the first paragraph of the body text. If the press release is being distributed at a convention, write the name of the convention city. Body text- this is the story. The first paragraph should answer the questions who, what, when, where, why and if applicable how. If your press release is timed for a trade show include the name of the show and your company's booth number in the lead paragraph. In the following paragraphs, give more information relating to your story. This paragraph should include any relevant information to your products or services. If you have a unique product include benefits of why your product or service is unique. Add at least one quote in the story. Quotes can be from staff members, industry experts, satisfied customers, and the designer. Positioning statement- the last paragraph of your press release is a short paragraph summarizing your company. (Although in some cases information on your company is all what the press release will be about.) The name of the company, when founded, location of headquarters, a short description of the company (e.g. leading manufacturer of aprons ... ), key products the company offers, education and some background of the lead designers are what should be included in this paragraph. If the company is a division of/ subsidiary of/ or affiliated with another company or person state so.
After the positioning statement restate the contact information. Pictures You can include pictures, copies of pictures, and slides of your collection with your press release. If all you have is sketches that is fine. Make sure to include contact information on the back of pictures so it won't be lost if it gets separated. Putting this information on a sticker in the back of the photo is best, typing or writing can show through.
Press releases have to be between 1-2 pages long since reporters will not read longer ones. Use 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper with company letterhead. Expensive, heavy paper is not necessary. Color paper is also not a good idea, since it turns reporters off. Use 1-1/2 or double spacing to make it easier to read Use only one side of the paper. Use a minimum of one-inch margins on each side of the page. Indent the paragraphs ten spaces Center headlines and use a bold typeface to make headlines stand out. Capitalize the first letter of each word in the headline except for such words like "a" "an" "the" "of" "to" "from" You can also draw attention to certain sentences by highlighting them. If there is more than one page write the word more between two dashes on the bottom center of the page. Like this: -more-
Begin the second page with the same heading as the first. At the top of the second page, type 2 of 2. To indicate the end of a press release, print three number symbols ### or -30- centered on the bottom of the last page. Now with the Internet, press releases can be emailed to a lot of companies. E-mails should be aligned to the left. If the last paragraph on the first page will not fit on the first page begin the whole paragraph on the second page. Do not break it in the middle and carry it over onto the next page.
Use short sentences (20 words or less) and short paragraphs (five lines or less) Average length of a press release is usually 500 words After you've written your release: Proof read! Check your spelling, grammar, and typing. After writing the press release wait at least 24 hours then edit it at least twice. Have someone else edit it for you as well. Read the release out loud, this will help you edit out more mistakes and refine your language.
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http://www.newsbios.com/journalist_comments.htm
see also
We recently posed this questions to several journalists: "What has been your greatest challenge when dealing with the PR profession?"
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