May
15
How do I send out a press release?
Filed Under Media & Journalism
neoliminal asked:
How do I send out a press release? What information and format are used? What tips can you give me to make it compelling?
CLAUDE
How do I send out a press release? What information and format are used? What tips can you give me to make it compelling?
CLAUDE
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5 Responses to “How do I send out a press release?”
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Here’s one I sent to the local newspaper and they contacted me for an interview:
Contact Information:
Dean R. Davis
Group Home Page:
Group email address:
Website:
Moderator email:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (Tuesday, December 20, 2005)
“New Freecycle™ Group for Bonita Springs”
BONITA SPRINGS, FLORIDA – Due to the relentless ecological disaster that our fragile planet has been subjected to, there is a growing need for alternative methods of recycling on local and global levels. The Freecycle Network™ was originated in May of 2003, in Tucson, Arizona, by Deron Beal. Beal, the founder and executive director of Freecycle envisioned an organization that could motivate residents of the Tucson area to save the desert landscape from being taken over by landfills. The network has grown into 3,252 communities, and 1,833,856 members around the world. This amazing movement is probably the most effective project ever conceived for worldwide ecology.
This unique program provides individuals and non-profits an electronic forum to “recycle” unwanted items. One person’s trash can truly be another’s treasure. Items that would normally be thrown away now have a way of reaching those who can get extended use out of them through the Freecycle network.
Naples Freecycle and Fort Myers Freecycle have both been in force since March 2004, leaving a significant geographical gap between these two groups. Bonita Springs Freecycle has recently become accessible to local residents through the Yahoo!™ Groups section of the Internet. The local owner of the Bonita Springs Freecycle group, Dean Davis, has volunteered to moderate and maintain the web group. Davis, who has been writing a book about creative recycling, has taken on the challenge of starting this new group. These groups are dependent on the participation of local residents who are motivated by generosity and concern for the environment.
Another winning attribute of this Freecycle program is the immediate availability of “Free Stuff”. There are many needy souls and non-profit organizations that can benefit by participation in the program. There are strict rules that must be followed for members to maintain their membership to assure safety and etiquette in the community. Local residents are invited to join by following this link:
Our community, because of the large number of visitors, demands that a system of alternate recycling be in place for the benefit of local residents as well as our seasonal residents. If not, we may have to start ripping up golf courses and turning them into landfills.
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The idea is to create a press release that new media will want to pick up and publish. so, it needs to be new, compelling and if possible show the benefit to people about what your business can now do for them.
You could send yours out on PR Newswire, purchasing the segments of the media that you wish.
You should also have a list of contacts at each of the publications that you feel might be interested in your press release- and of course, send it to them.
Realize that it’s not the media’s job to publicize your company- so you have to write something that makes them want to pitch it for you.
First you have to contact the papers you wish to take your release. is it something that the papers could also come and take a picture of like an evcent as they like pictures too. Most papers cannot promise when they can enter it as some big breaking news will get the space.
When i write them for work i always have to put at the top a
Title
Acvtual request for example page 3 or what’s on page.
date
Your full name and contact details.
It must be written in a clear way. have an introduction a middl;e (where the main information is put) and then the end, like for more information visit blaa blaa blaa.
Always send it via email if possible and use a clear font like ariel and make it a 14 size print. Highlight the heading.
It should not be too lengthy and get to the point as readers will not then read on to the main part.
Well I hope this helps.
Good luck. Cjay
A press release can be either electronic or old-fashioned mail, and sometimes both are best. A press release should contain the following:
A dateline (the city from which it originates)
A news story written in the journalistic “inverted pyramid” style (more about this in a moment)
At least one quote from a person in a knowledgeable position
Contact information, including e-mail, phone number and address
If possible, a photograph
The one thing you can do to make your press release more compelling is to supply a good photograph, something that will illustrate the subject of the press release. The photograph can be either a snapshot on 4×6 inch paper, a 35mm slide or a high-resolution digital file. If it is digital, it must be at least 1,000 x 1,000 pixels, preferably higher. You can supply the digital photo on CD, as well as an electronic copy of the press release.
When you write the piece, have a strong lead sentence and write paragraphs of two sentences each. All the important information (who, what, why, when, where) should be stacked at the top of the article and you should have your first quote in the fourth paragraph. (This is the “inverted pyramid” style.) Keep the whole thing short, sweet and informative and present it so that your audience does not have to dig the information out — it should be right there.
If your photograph has three people or less in it, each of the people should be identified by name and title, and the activity in the photo should be described. If it is more than three people, describe the activity of the group.
Follow up the press release with a phone call a few days later for maximum effect.
Good luck!
As a former newspaper editor, and now a web editor, I get press releases via email all day long. Here’s an accepted format for the top of your release:
***************************************************
News Release
Contact: xxx-yourname-xxx
555-555-1234
For Immediate Release
“Title of your short but sweet release”
***************************************************
Just make sure you have all your contact info on it. Don’t send out a release that’s longer than a page. Don’t ever use all caps. Make sure it’s well written, spell-checked, grammatically correct. Use Associated Press style, basically do everything you can to make sure your press release can be cut and pasted, with the least amount of re-typing that needs to be done.
If I have to re-type a press release, or re-write it because it’s poorly written, it goes on the bottom of the stack and may NEVER see the light of day if things get busy.
Try not to use a bunch of hyperbole. It will all be edited out, and is annoying to edit and to read. Example: “This band is the best band on earth! They are making the best music heard today!”
Make sure your readers know who to contact for more information.
Never use bulleted lists of info, like:
Who: My band!
What: We’re playing a gig!
Where: etc. etc. ad nauseum…
In other words, write it like an article, and not just a bunch of disjointed information.
Hope this helps, and good luck!