Learner's Permit
A news release is a powerful publicity tool that can drive traffic to your company’s Web site and help build your brand. That’s why it’s important to write a news release that will catch the media’s eye. Before you get started, it’s important to check with your compliance department about how or whether news releases can be used for your business.
Basic Components
A news release consists of several important format elements including a headline, body (with summary paragraph), company information and media contact information. This information should be written in third person (they, theirs, them), rather than first person (we, ours, us).
The headline should grab the media’s attention and not sound sales-driven. It should be a clear, compact version of the key points in your news release. Ask yourself whether your headline would interest the media outlet to which you are pitching.
The body of the news release should include a dateline (release date of the news release and the city it came from), summary and relevant details. The summary should be one paragraph of about three or four sentences. The first sentence is the lead, or the main idea, and the next few sentences expand upon it. The lead is meant to give readers a quick rundown of the news release in as few words as possible. The body also should include a quote from someone involved in the subject matter of the release. Quotes make it easier for journalists to complete an article without having to do an interview if time is crunched.
After the body of the news release, you should include a background, or “about” section (sometimes called boilerplate), that can be used repeatedly in your news releases. It provides important information about your company, such as what the company does, where it is based, when it was founded and/or types of clients.
Lastly, you should include media contact information with your name, phone number, fax number, e-mail address, Website address and company address (or the contact details of whoever should be contacted with follow-up questions). This section is crucial in case journalists want additional information about the news in your release, want to interview people in your company or need to clarify information.
Helpful Hints.
Stick to the Facts and Avoid Frilly Language. An extremely self-promoting news release with frilly language may be ignored by journalists. Your job is to convince the audience to keep reading by creating an effective yet quick read that grabs their attention and is free of excessive information. Be sure to include the “who, what, where, when, why and how” of the news you are writing about. The most important facts should be placed at the beginning of the news release, followed by the less important information. Specify the Release Date. A news release without a release date is presumed for immediate publication, which is why it’s important to specify. If the news release can be published immediately, type “IMMEDIATE RELEASE” in all caps directly above the headline. If it’s embargoed, put “EMBARGOED UNTIL…” with the date. Also include “embargoed” in the e-mail subject and body of the e-mail to avoid it being overlooked. Proofread Your News Release. Make sure your grammar and punctuation are correct. Journalists will quickly notice errors in your news release, which can make you appear unprofessional. Double check all names and facts in your news release to ensure they are correct when published. The news release should be as concise, readable and accessible as possible so media outlets can use it with minimal revision. Make It Easy to Open. If you are attaching the news release to an e-mail, it’s also important to paste the content into the body of the e-mail. If an attachment does not open, a busy journalist may disregard the news release altogether.