PRESS RELEASE
Guide to Writing Successful Press Releases
Press Releases are all about developing a persuasive communication within the framework
of a traditional news story format. Editors will quickly trash media releases that make
promotional appearances. Instead, press release writers must think like a reporter. Media
releases must follow journalistic style in order to be given any kind of consideration. How
do you accomplish this task? Here's a barebones guideline.
1. The Headline: In about ten words -- or less -- you need to grab the attention of the
editor. The headline should summarize the information in the press release, but in a way
that is exciting and dynamic; think of it as a billboard along a highway -- you have just a few
words to make your release stand out among the many others editors receive on any given
day.
2. Opening Paragraph: Sometimes called a summary lead, your first paragraph is critical.
This paragraph must explain “what, when, where" the story. This paragraph must
summarize the press release, with the following paragraphs providing the detail. The opening
paragraph must also contain the hook: the one thing that gets your audience interested in
reading more -- but remember that the hook has to be relevant to your audience as well as to
the news media. A hook is not a hard sell or a devious promotion -- it's just a factual
statement.
3. The Body: Using a strategy of inverted pyramid, the body of the press release should be
written with the most important information and quotes first. This inverted pyramid
technique is used so that if editors need to cut the story to fit space constraints, they can
cut from the end without losing critical information.
4. The Closing Paragraph: Repeat the critical contact information, including the name of
the person, his or her phone number and/or email address. About your company. Your
press release should end with a short paragraph (company boilerplate) that describes your
company, products, service and a short company history.
Press Release Tips and Guidelines:
Stick to the facts: Tell the truth. Avoid fluff, embellishments and exaggerations. If you feel
that your press release contains ‘Buy Me’ means promotional material, it would be a good
idea to set your press 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.
Present news content: Please make sure that you answer all of the "W" questions, who,
what, where, when, why and how to ensure a complete press release.
PR length: The standard press release is 300 to 800 words and written in a word processing
program that checks spelling and grammar before submission.
Headline length: The ideal headline is 80 characters long. (Max 170)
Lead length: The lead sentence contains the most important information in 25 words or less.
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."
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
Mixed case NEVER SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE IN ALL UPPER CASE LETTERS.
This is very bad form. Even if your release makes it, past PR Web's editors (most unlikely), it
will definitely be ignored by journalists. Use mixed case
Follow a Standard Press Release Format
Make sure your press release looks like a press release. The following can be used as a
template for your press release:
Headline Announces News in Title Case, Ideally Under 80 Characters
The summary paragraph is a little longer synopsis of the news, elaborating on the news
in the headline in one to four sentences. The summary uses sentence case, with standard
capitalization and punctuation.
City, State, Month 1, 2006 -- The lead sentence contains the most important information in 25
words or less. Grab your reader’s attention here by simply stating the news you have to
announce. Do not assume that your reader has read your headline or summary paragraph; the
lead should stand on its own.
A news release, like a news story, keeps sentences and paragraphs short, about three or four
lines per paragraph. The first couple of paragraphs should answer the who, what, when,
where, why and how questions. The news media may take information from a news release to
craft news or feature article or may use information in the release word-for-word, but a news
release is not, itself, an article or a reprint.
The standard press release is 300 to 800 words and written in a word processing program that
checks spelling and grammar before submission. This template is 519 words.
The ideal headline is 80 characters long. Include the most important news elements in the
body of the release. Use title case in the headline only, capitalizing every word except for
prepositions and articles of three characters or less.
The rest of the news release expounds on the information provided in the lead paragraph. It
includes quotes from key staff, customers or subject matter experts. It contains more details
about the news you have to tell, which can be about something unique or controversial or
about a prominent person, place or thing. Typical topics for a news release include
announcements of new products or of a strategic partnership, the receipt of an award, the
publishing of a book, the release of new software or the launch of a new Web site. The tone is
neutral and objective, not full of hype or text that is typically found in an advertisement.
Avoid directly addressing the consumer or your target audience. The use of "I," "we" and
"you" outside of a direct quotation is a flag that your copy is an advertisement rather than a
news release.
Do not include an e-mail address in the body of the release. The final paragraph of a
traditional news release contains the least newsworthy material.
In the last paragraph, include a short corporate backgrounder, or "boilerplate," about the
company or the person who is newsworthy before you list the contact person’s name and
phone number.
Contact:
Mary Smith, director of public relations
XYZ Company
555-555-5555
Guide to Writing Successful Press Releases
Press Releases are all about developing a persuasive communication within the framework
of a traditional news story format. Editors will quickly trash media releases that make
promotional appearances. Instead, press release writers must think like a reporter. Media
releases must follow journalistic style in order to be given any kind of consideration. How
do you accomplish this task? Here's a barebones guideline.
1. The Headline: In about ten words -- or less -- you need to grab the attention of the
editor. The headline should summarize the information in the press release, but in a way
that is exciting and dynamic; think of it as a billboard along a highway -- you have just a few
words to make your release stand out among the many others editors receive on any given
day.
2. Opening Paragraph: Sometimes called a summary lead, your first paragraph is critical.
This paragraph must explain “what, when, where" the story. This paragraph must
summarize the press release, with the following paragraphs providing the detail. The opening
paragraph must also contain the hook: the one thing that gets your audience interested in
reading more -- but remember that the hook has to be relevant to your audience as well as to
the news media. A hook is not a hard sell or a devious promotion -- it's just a factual
statement.
3. The Body: Using a strategy of inverted pyramid, the body of the press release should be
written with the most important information and quotes first. This inverted pyramid
technique is used so that if editors need to cut the story to fit space constraints, they can
cut from the end without losing critical information.
4. The Closing Paragraph: Repeat the critical contact information, including the name of
the person, his or her phone number and/or email address. About your company. Your
press release should end with a short paragraph (company boilerplate) that describes your
company, products, service and a short company history.
Press Release Tips and Guidelines:
Stick to the facts: Tell the truth. Avoid fluff, embellishments and exaggerations. If you feel
that your press release contains ‘Buy Me’ means promotional material, it would be a good
idea to set your press 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.
Present news content: Please make sure that you answer all of the "W" questions, who,
what, where, when, why and how to ensure a complete press release.
PR length: The standard press release is 300 to 800 words and written in a word processing
program that checks spelling and grammar before submission.
Headline length: The ideal headline is 80 characters long. (Max 170)
Lead length: The lead sentence contains the most important information in 25 words or less.
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."
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
Mixed case NEVER SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE IN ALL UPPER CASE LETTERS.
This is very bad form. Even if your release makes it, past PR Web's editors (most unlikely), it
will definitely be ignored by journalists. Use mixed case
Follow a Standard Press Release Format
Make sure your press release looks like a press release. The following can be used as a
template for your press release:
Headline Announces News in Title Case, Ideally Under 80 Characters
The summary paragraph is a little longer synopsis of the news, elaborating on the news
in the headline in one to four sentences. The summary uses sentence case, with standard
capitalization and punctuation.
City, State, Month 1, 2006 -- The lead sentence contains the most important information in 25
words or less. Grab your reader’s attention here by simply stating the news you have to
announce. Do not assume that your reader has read your headline or summary paragraph; the
lead should stand on its own.
A news release, like a news story, keeps sentences and paragraphs short, about three or four
lines per paragraph. The first couple of paragraphs should answer the who, what, when,
where, why and how questions. The news media may take information from a news release to
craft news or feature article or may use information in the release word-for-word, but a news
release is not, itself, an article or a reprint.
The standard press release is 300 to 800 words and written in a word processing program that
checks spelling and grammar before submission. This template is 519 words.
The ideal headline is 80 characters long. Include the most important news elements in the
body of the release. Use title case in the headline only, capitalizing every word except for
prepositions and articles of three characters or less.
The rest of the news release expounds on the information provided in the lead paragraph. It
includes quotes from key staff, customers or subject matter experts. It contains more details
about the news you have to tell, which can be about something unique or controversial or
about a prominent person, place or thing. Typical topics for a news release include
announcements of new products or of a strategic partnership, the receipt of an award, the
publishing of a book, the release of new software or the launch of a new Web site. The tone is
neutral and objective, not full of hype or text that is typically found in an advertisement.
Avoid directly addressing the consumer or your target audience. The use of "I," "we" and
"you" outside of a direct quotation is a flag that your copy is an advertisement rather than a
news release.
Do not include an e-mail address in the body of the release. The final paragraph of a
traditional news release contains the least newsworthy material.
In the last paragraph, include a short corporate backgrounder, or "boilerplate," about the
company or the person who is newsworthy before you list the contact person’s name and
phone number.
Contact:
Mary Smith, director of public relations
XYZ Company
555-555-5555
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