21st Century Sales

How to Write a Media Release

What is newsworthy?

What you feel is newsworthy and what the person representing the media thinks is important are often worlds apart.  PR expert Bill Stoler recommends that anyone writing a media release "think like a reporter".

Here are some things to consider when writing your media release from PR Web:

• Is your news "newsworthy?" The purpose of a media release is to inform the world of your news item. Do not use your press release to try and make a sale. A good press release answers all of the "W" questions (Who, What, Where, When and Why), providing the media with useful information about your organization, product, service or event. If your media release reads like an advertisement, rewrite it.
• Start strong. Your headline and first paragraph should tell the story. The rest of your press release should provide the detail. You have a matter of seconds to grab your readers' attention. Do not blow it with a weak opening.
• Write for the Media. On occasion, media outlets, especially online media, will pick up your press release and run it in their publications with little or no modification. More commonly, journalists will use your press release as a springboard for a larger feature story. In either case, try to develop a story as you would like to have it told. Even if your news is not reprinted verbatim, it may provide an acceptable amount of exposure.
• Not everything is news. Your excitement about something does not necessarily mean that you have a newsworthy story. Think about your audience. Will someone else find your story interesting? Let's assume that you have just spent a lot of effort to launch a new online store. Announcing your company's opening is always an exciting time for any business, but the last thing the media wants to write about is another online store. This is old news and uninteresting. Instead, focus on the features of your online shopping experience, unique products and services. Answer the question, "Why should anyone care?" and make sure your announcement has some news values such as timeliness, uniqueness or something truly unusual. Avoid clichés such as "customers save money" or "great customer service." Focus on the aspects of your news item that truly set you apart from everyone else.
• Does your media release illustrate? Use real life examples about how your company or organization solved a problem. Identify the problem and identify why your solution is the right solution. Give examples of how your service or product fulfills needs or satisfies desires. What benefits can be expected? Use real life examples to powerfully communicate the benefits of using your product or service.

If you are reporting on a corporate milestone, make sure that you attribute your success or failures to one or more events. If your company has experienced significant growth, tell the world what you did right. Show the cause and effect.

• Stick to the facts. Tell the truth. Avoid fluff, embellishments and exaggerations. If you feel that your media release contains embellishments, perhaps it would be a good idea to set your media release aside until you have more exciting news to share. Journalists are naturally skeptical. If your story sounds too good to be true, you are probably hurting your own credibility. Even if it is true, you may want to tone it down a bit.
• Pick an angle. Try to make your press release timely. Tie your news to current events or social issues if possible. Make sure that your story has a good news hook.
• Use active, not passive, voice. Verbs in the active voice bring your press release to life. Rather than writing "entered into a partnership" use "partnered" instead. Do not be afraid to use strong verbs as well. For example, "The committee exhibited severe hostility over the incident." reads better if changed to "The committee was enraged over the incident." Writing in this manner, helps guarantee that your press release will be read.
• Economics of words. Use only enough words to tell your story. Avoid using unnecessary adjectives, flowery language, or redundant expressions such as "added bonus" or "first time ever". If you can tell your story with fewer words, do it. Wordiness distracts from your story. Keep it concise. Make each word count.
• Beware of jargon. While a limited amount of jargon will be required if your goal is to optimize your news release for online search engines, the best way to communicate your news is to speak plainly, using ordinary language. Jargon is language specific to certain professions or groups and is not appropriate for general readership. Avoid such terms as "capacity planning techniques" "extrapolate" and "prioritized evaluative procedures."
• Avoid the hype. The exclamation point (!) is your enemy. There is no better way to destroy your credibility than to include a bunch of hype. If you must use an exclamation point, use one. Never do this!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Get Permission. Companies are very protective about their reputation. Be sure that you have written permission before including information or quotes from employees or affiliates of other companies or organizations. Any dispute resolution will favor the other company, meaning that your press release may get pulled.

How to Format a Media Release

• Letterhead. Use your business’s letterhead (if applicable)
• Font and layout. Make sure your font choice and size is plain and easily readable.  Times New Roman or Arial in a 12 or 14 point size are good choices. Double space if necessary.
• Media Release. The words MEDIA RELEASE should be at the top of your release, in uppercase letters.
• Timing. Indicate the release timing. In most cases, use FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, if the information can be released right away. Otherwise, use HOLD FOR RELEASE UNTIL ______ (indicate date and time).  Note that this request may not always be honored!
• Target. List the target of your story. For example ATTENTION EDITOR or ATTENTION SPORTS EDITOR or ATTENTION ARTS EDITOR, depending on the subject.
• Headline. List your headline. Print in uppercase letters. Your headline is what makes your release stand out and is the most important point you want to get across. Keep it active, descriptive, and try always to include the name of your organization. Example “ECO-FRIENDLY MANUFACTURER RECEIVES GRANT FOR NEXT GENERATION WIDGET” instead of “Acme Manufacturing receives $1,000 grant”
• Sub-headline. List your sub-headline (if applicable). For example, “$1,000 grant to fund biodegradable flywheel”
• Date and Location. Enter the date and location in brackets at the beginning of your first paragraph. For example, (10 Feb 2010 – Los Angeles, CA, USA). If you are sending your release to national or international media, be sure to include your region and country.
• First paragraph. This is where you clearly introduce the issue or event that you are sending the release about and how it relates to your organization. It is the hook that entices the media to read the rest of your release. This is also the best place to cover the 5 W’s: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and WHY IMPORTANT.
• Second paragraph. Includes a further description of your story, perhaps in the form of a quote from someone of significance. This will increase the interest of the reader since someone else besides you has input about your story.
• Subsequent paragraphs. Includes less important and supporting information.
• –more- line. If the release is more than one page put “-more-“ at the bottom of the page.
• Close. This indicates the end of the media release. Everything listed above the close line is considered suitable for release to the public.  In North America, the symbol "-30-" or "###" is used.  In other countries, other means of indicating the end of the release may be used, such as the text "ends".
• Contact information. This lists the contact person and how the media can get in touch with them for more information. Include a name, title, telephone numbers, and email address as a minimum. Make sure that there is always someone at your business the media can easily and quickly reach for follow-up. News happens very quickly - if a reporter cannot reach someone when they need to, your story might be dropped.
• About your organization. This is where you can briefly describe your organization and what it does (optional).
• Picture. An interesting photo can sometimes increase the chance that the media release will be picked up. If you do send a picture, include a caption with picture details and photo credits.
• Proof read. Proofread your release for accuracy and typographical errors. Give it to someone else to double-check it for you. This is going out to the public and you want it to be perfect. It is very important to have no mistakes.

Hints and Tips on Formatting Your Media Release

• Mixed case. NEVER SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE IN ALL UPPER CASE LETTERS. This is very bad form. Use mixed case.

• Correct grammar usage. Always follow rules of grammar and style. Errors in grammar and style affect your credibility. Excessive errors will most likely cause your media release to be rejected.

• Word processor. Write your press release on a word processor instead of composing online. Writing online will not achieve best results. Take time to do it right. Write, print, proof read. Rewrite, edit.

• No HTML. Never embed HTML or other markup languages in your media release. Your media release may be forwarded to someone who does not use HTML and this will negatively impact the readability of your media release.

• More than one paragraph. It is nearly impossible to tell your story in a few sentences. If you do not have more than a few sentences, chances are you do not have a newsworthy item

• Summary paragraph. Consider including a one-paragraph summary. Some distribution points only receive your headline, summary and a link to your media release. If you fail to include a summary paragraph, you may reduce the effectiveness of your media release.

• Ticker Symbols. Never include ticker symbols of other companies without their express written permission.

Example Media Release

The following is an example from PR Web that demonstrates best practices in writing a media release:

References

Follow these links for more information about creating a media release:

Community Services Council of Newfoundland and Labrador

PR Web