Breakdown of post:
- What is a press release and what it is used for?
- Headlines
- Length
- What content is essential?
- Quotes and contact details
- How to submit it
A press release is a short summary of a news event that is
sent to the media with the hope of it ending up in the papers. Usually press
releases are sent in their hundreds to journalists where they’ll read through
them and pick up which sounds like the most newsworthy item. If yours gets
selected it’ll be edited a bit then put into print where, hopefully, it’ll
reach your target audience. Press releases can be written for various
promotional purposes such as advertising an event, meeting, service, product or
personal promotion. Scheduled events and meetings usually get more attendees by
advertising the fact that there is actually something to attend and, since
local newspapers have local readers, writing a press release is likely to
attract the right audience.
Writing press releases are a fundamental skill to have if
you work in public relations or have a marketing job but it can be a daunting
task if you’ve never done one before. It can be especially daunting if you’re
not used to the constrictive word count and very direct approach to the subject
that is typically demanded of press releases. Below I’ll cover the main
components of a press release and offer advice on how to tackle each part based
on my own experience of writing and reading them.
Headlines
A headline is going to need to be short and snappy. People
who write press releases always describe the headline as needing to ‘pop!’ and that’s
a fair way to describe what you’re trying to do; the title needs to stand out. A
headline is the first thing the journalist will read when they look at your
press release so it needs to be interesting enough to make them continue
reading. If you’re going to use a pun make sure it’s tasteful and not too
cheesy or cliché as it’s more likely to elicit a groan then a smirk. Your
headline, whilst short and concise, will naturally need to have good grammar
and good punctuation. Hopefully these are qualities you’ll extend to the entire
article. A headline, and the content, should always be written with the reader
in mind and not the organization. It should never be self-promotional; rather,
it should focus on why the readers want to be involved.
There are plenty of agencies that should keep this in mind
as, quite often, it may include something that starts like this: “SuperCorp’s
innovative new products …” by which point it’s either rendered the journalist
face down in his keyboard or it’s been deleted from his emails permanently. If
it sounds like its sales hype then nobody will want to read it. Why? Because
its sales hype and all of us rebuke the idea of being force fed something we
don’t want. Similarly, if what you’re promoting has anything to do with
technology then you should keep the techno-babble to a minimum. Nobody wants to read an article with a
headline like, “ZyXEL
ventures into 2-Bay Media Server with the Launch of NSA221” (this one is real, courtesy of http://www.1888pressrelease.com)
Length
Press releases are designed to be short and direct so that
the editor and audience can quickly understand the supplied information. With
this in mind, you need to know what pieces of information are essential and
simultaneously what is irrelevant enough that it should be omitted entirely. If
you don’t know the difference then you’d end up wasting chunks of space on bits
of information that is deviating from the core message.
Generally, a press release needs to be around 300 to 500
words, no more than a page, but can be combined with notes directed to the
editor which gives more information. This additional information may be used in
the final piece and simultaneously saves time in any extra research that the
journalist may be required to do. Bare in mind that journalists often have very
tight deadlines to work to so the less additional research and time spent on
the piece the better it is for them. Of course, press releases may end up being
too short so if you still have key information to include but you’re over the
word count and you simply cannot cut anything else out, then just continue on.
During editing if the editor finds anything that they consider irrelevant then
it’ll be cut. Remember, it’s much better to have them remove things than having
to re-write entire chunks of an article that isn’t even theirs.
 |
| With enough practice, you too could have this kind of 'pop!' |
What content is essential?
A press release is first and foremost a factual,
well-rounded sheet of information telling people what it is your organization
is providing or hosting and inviting them to take part. As I mentioned above
it’s not all about self-promotion and, though press releases are intended to
promote things, it’s not supposed to be salesy. To keep your press release on
target you’re going to need to include all the key facts, the ‘5 W’s’ are a
good framework to follow here as it gives you an idea of what the readers will
need to know. Say we’re writing about an
event held by a cancer charity, the basic framework of the press release would
include the following information:
- What the actual news is, (the charity is hosting a meeting to determine what kind of support people with cancer would like more of in their local area.)
- Where the event is located, (including not only an address but perhaps some simple instructions if it is difficult to access, i.e.: go through the lobby and into room A, next to the dining rooms.)
- When it is being held, (the time and date, also include how long it may go on for)
- Why it is being held, (to increase awareness, gain members and receive feedback)
- Who is holding it or who it is aimed at (a local cancer charity aimed at survivors of cancer),
These 5 W’s are designed to tell everything the reader needs
to know about the event that will take place without requiring any further
information. Once you have your framework you can then fluff things up and fill
in the blanks. If you have certain speakers attending then it’s good manners to
mention them, also, if you are being sponsored then you should give them a
quick little mention too.
As a final note on content you should be aware of the tense
you’re using when writing your press release. I’m writing this in the first
person because I, me, am addressing you, reader of blog, on an
internet-personal basis. Press releases are not written from the first person
perspective in the same way a news article is written in a third person. You
should always be writing your press releases with an impartial voice of
somebody describing something they’re uninvolved in.
Quotes and contact
details
Something else to consider is whether or not you want to use
quotes in your press release, if you’re being commissioned to write a release
then it may be the case that you’ve been asked to include certain quotes. To
begin with, quotes need to be written in a high quality manner as they cannot
be edited once your release is sent off. You should ensure that your quotes are
realistic and meaningful; they should be adding something to the release and
not simply existing to add a sense of authority.
If you are using quotes then it is very important to ensure
that whoever said it is available for an interview. If you don’t already know
then you should definitely ask them and, whilst you’re there, ask them how
they’d prefer to be contacted. If they agree to give an interview then it’s
recommended you put their preferred contact details in the ‘notes for the
editor’ section to save any unnecessary back and forth communication. On a
related note make sure you, as the author of the press release, have also put
your contact details in the release somewhere; preferably a phone number and an
email address. It’s fairly unlikely they’ll send you a letter or come over to
your flat for a chat if you put down a street address. I’d advise you do this
because if the journalist or editor reading the press release has any queries
then they’d have to actively hunt you down which is a waste of everybody’s time.
How to submit your
press release
When your press release is finally written you’ll want to
send it to their newsdesk. Sometimes you may be able to send it to individual
journalists of the appropriate department; health correspondence, arts correspondence
and so on depending on which applies to you. If you can do this then go for it
but also send it to the news desk. I’d recommend emailing it not in a PDF
format as it means they’d have to convert it to edit the damn thing and that
can screw up the formatting of the document. This can be very annoying so just
send it in a normal, rich text style document with a simple font and nothing
glitzy or fancy. Secondly, when you send the press release in put the title of
the article in the subject line bar so they know what it is they’re opening.
This is especially helpful if they’ve lost it and need to find where it’s sunk
in the endless stream of emails.
Once you’ve submitted it, preferably on a Sunday night if
that’s close by as journalists often go in late to prepare for the next working
week, follow it up with a call. I don’t mean email them, wait two hours then
start ringing asking if they’ve read it yet. Call them two or three days after
you’ve sent it to ask how it’s progressing, sometimes, they may say they
haven’t seen it yet or that they didn’t get it, send it to them again if this
is the case. It’s unlikely they’re trying to fob you off, unless your press
release is genuinely coma-inducing, it’s probably just that it’s got lost in
the mountain of emails they get every day. Don’t take it personally and don’t
be angry at them; maintain polite professionalism at all times. If, over the
telephone, somebody says that they personally will look at it then it’s a good
idea to get their name just for future reference.
Lastly, give them plenty of
time before the event/meeting actually occurs so they have time to prepare it.
If you’re sending in your press release three days before the event happens
then prepare to be disappointed. After that, there’s not much else to do but
wait, whilst maintaining contact, and see what happens
