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Writing a Press ReleasePress releases today are written to demonstrate to an editor or a reporter the newsworthiness of a particular person, event, service, or product so that information can be communicated to the public via the media. Since editors or reporters of news documents receive countless press releases each week, it is necessary to know how to create a good press release that will not be overlooked. Before writing a press release, keep a few things in mind: First, stick to the information that is newsworthy, do not include personal accounts or opinions. Second, pick an angle that makes the press release timely, possibly tying it to current events or social issues. This can help creating a good hook for your story. However, avoid fluff, embellishments and exaggerations, because journalists are skeptical of stories that are too good to be true, and it can also end up hurting your credibility. When writing the press release, make sure that it is written from a journalist’s perspective, so never use "I" or "we" unless it’s in a quote. Keep it concise and do not use flowery language; wordiness distracts from the point. Avoid jargon; the best way to communicate your news is to speak plainly, using ordinary language. Also avoid hype tactics like using exclamation points and upper case letters, which are embellishments that can hurt your chance of getting read by the editors and reporters. Using active voice will help keep the reader interested. Make sure all grammar is used correctly in your press release; bad grammar will not help get your press release considered by editors. Lastly, do not include your e-mail address in the press release for your own benefit, so you can avoid problems such as receiving SPAM. Keep in mind that many publications will directly reprint a press release, as long as it is written in a professional news style, such as AP or Chicago styles. These styles have general guidelines for abbreviating words, writing numbers and capitalizing names. The first thing anyone will read is the headline, so an active headline will grab attention. Use a short, active, and descriptive headline to make your release stand out. The body of the press release will be a few paragraphs long, and it will provide answers to Who, What, When, Where, Why and How about your news. Putting the most important information at the beginning will help the reporter tell what the press release is about. The next paragraphs backs up whatever claims were made in the headline, by including critical details, a summary and quotes. Including quotes from key staff, customers or subject matter experts will help put your news into perspective. The body should conclude by restating the key points of your news release. Keeping the release to one to two pages is good, anything longer than that says you are not getting to the point. The last paragraph of the press release is known as the company boilerplate. It describes your company, products, service and a short company history. If you are filing a joint press release include a boilerplate for both companies. End a press release with either "###" or " -30-" typed across the center of the page, three lines below the end of your text. If a release has greater than one page, type "-more-", centered at the bottom of the pages preceding the final page. Press releases should be printed on company letterhead. If this is not feasible, adding the company logo is essential. The companies name, Web address, location address and phone number should be printed clearly at the top of the page. The press release contact persons name and numbers should also be underneath the wording. An example of a standard press release format is found at: Examples of good press releases can be found searching the archives on <a href="http://www.prweb.com" target="_blank">www.prweb.com</a>. Some other helpful Web sites on writing successful press releases are: |
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