How to Write a Press Release
Saturday, April 21st, 2012Whether you’re a small business owner or a politician, it is handy to know how to write a proper news release in the case that you even might have an announcement that is news-worthy enough to share with the media, your company’s stakeholders, the community in which your business operates, etc. I’m often asked if there is a formula or structure that should be followed when writing a write a press release. The answer is yes. Below is a simple “how to write a press release” guide that you can follow to write an effective “news worthy” release.
Writing a News Release – Tips and Techniques
What Exactly is a News Release?
A news/press release is a written statement created for media to pull information and facts from when reporting their story. The terms news release, press release and media release all have the same meaning: They are made and issued when a business, organization or individual wants to make an announcement to the media.
What occasions are appropriate for issuing a news or press release?
Press releases are created and issued when a company or individual wants to make an important announcement. Some examples of what might qualify the need for a news release include: announcing new products and services; a grand opening; company milestones; changes in personnel; recent awards; growth of an organization; etc.
How to write a news release:
Start with your news angle: Ask yourself what makes this announcement news worthy or why should anyone care about this? Is your news the first or largest of its kind? Is it an innovative new way of doing things? Is there something surprising or unexpected in your news? Once you have identified that, you have your headline.
State the Facts in the form of the five W’s (who, what, when, where, why): Within the first paragraph, you will want to state the most important of details – what’s happened, why it happened, who it happened to, when it happened and where it happened. The order of the five W’s would vary based on the announcement.
Quote(s): You will want to include at least one quote from a high-profile member of your organization related to the announcement. In the case of a university news release, appropriate sources for quotes would be: the Dean of the school, the student involved in the news, the head of the department that is involved in the news story, etc. The first quote should generally be towards the top of the news release with other quotes towards the end.
You are a resource: At the end of your news release, offer the media more details upon request, such as interviews, images, background materials, etc. Items such as images don’t need to be included in your news release. Simply include a note stating everything is available upon request works well. When sending photos, give clear direction to the media for photo captions and photo credits.
News Release Structure:
Headline:
Start with a headline: Your header should be in bold font, centered in the middle of the page and concise (one or two lines of text).
1: Date and 5W’s: The city and date are listed before the paragraph begins. Following the dateline will be the most important facts of your news (the 5 W’s).
Vancouver, BC – (DATE)- Vancouver-based Public Relations agency XYZ Public Relations is acquiring ABC Marketing, which will make it Canada’s largest PR and Marketing agency. The announcement was made today in a news conference held in Vancouver. The acquisition will be completed in Spring 2012.
2: Quote: The second paragraph is usually a good place for a spokesperson quote. It’s good to consider how the news makes the person leaving the quote feel. i.e. “This acquisition has been carefully considered for nearly a year now and we’re confident this move will help us to better serve our clients and grow the brand,” says Joan Smith, CEO of XYZ Public Relations.
i.e. “The acquisition has been in the works for nearly a year and we’re confident it will help us to better serve our clients and grow our brand,” says Joan Smith, CEO of XYZ Public Relations.
3& 4: More background: How this happened, why is it significant, who does it impact, why people should care etc. How will the business grow after the acquisition? How will administration and human resources handle employee retention during the transformation?
5: References: Your release should end with a paragraph that offers the media more details upon request, such as: interviews, pictures, background materials, etc.
6: Company Boilerplate: Include information on the business. This can be a link or a longer paragraph.
7: Your Contact Info: Include: name, title and contact information.
James Anderson is a Vancouver public relations expert, who’s does PR advisingfor severalVancouver PR agencies. For more information visit http://yulupr.tumblr.com/