How To Write A Press Release (Page 3 of 4) in pdf

Tips on writing press releases…

•

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

caps 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 them to buy a product? If so,

include information on where the product is available. Do you want them to visit your Web site to

enter a contest or learn more about your organization? If so, include the Web 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 e-mail, 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 e-mail, 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. Please don't

type a release on letterhead, scan it, and e-mail a jpeg of the scan. That's a waste of your time and

the editor's. Just type the release into the e-mail message.

•

Use your headline as the subject line of the e-mail. If you've written a good "grabber" headline,

this will help your message stand out in the editor's e-mail 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 Web site. Blasting the

How To Write A Press Release Page 3

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