Writing Press Releases:
A press release is simply a document designed
to disseminate information, but for those who
are unfamiliar with the proper protocol of such
a document, there are sample press releases
available. Sample press releases should be designed
to provide users with a structural base as well
as examples of content and tone. Depending on
the nature of the release, several of these
elements can change. For example, a press release
concerning the selection of an actor to play
the lead in a major motion picture will be different
from a release about a corporate merger.
Getting Started with Writing Press Releases:
Because the format of press releases is so standardized,
all you really need to concern yourself with
in writing press releases is saying what you
have to say in three or four paragraphs. The
lead line--always in all caps--is "FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE." This is followed, two
lines down, with the headline, formatted with
initial caps only. Writing finesse comes into
play here, because the headline is the only
part you can have any confidence that the media
point person will read. It's your opportunity
to grab and keep your audience.
The headline, in turn, is followed by the body
of the press release, the content, which should
run about 350 to 400 words. The body leads off
with the city, state, and date, which are run
into the first line. The concluding paragraph
consists of at most a couple sentences that
serve as a company or organization backgrounder.
The contact information that follows is critical.
Miss any of these and you cook your goose.
Depending on how you plan to get your press
release out, you may want to contact local newspapers,
television, and radio, or you might want to
reach a much larger audience. Sample press release
websites often have a huge list of media contacts
to whom they will deliver your release if you
purchase that service from them. Whatever method
of release you use, you must be absolutely certain
that the release is well written and free of
grammatical and spelling errors.
Sample press releases should advise you to include
a succinct, yet interesting, title for your
release. The title should contain salient details
about the content of the press release. Like
a newspaper article, your press release should
next indicate the location and date of the release
at the beginning of the first paragraph of the
content. Again, like a newspaper story, your
first paragraph must catch the reader's attention
and include the who, what, when, where, and
why relating to the item at hand
