News Release / Press Release Primer

1
News Release / Press Release Primer

• Bob Griffin
• New England Institute of Art
• Summarized from Notes from A Master Class

2
News Release / Press Release Primer

• The news release (press release) is probably the
  single most important form of communication
  between an organization and the media, and,
  therefore, between the organization and the
  public.
• News releases account for 70 of all
  communication between PR and editors.
• A busy editor may receive from 25 to 50 news
  releases a day!

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News Release / Press Release Primer

• Editors generally cite three reasons why they
  dont use a news release
• Not interesting too complicated boring
• Too long need to re-write dont have time
• Too commercially oriented too much like an
  advertisement

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News Release / Press Release Primer

• To achieve success
• Recognize WHAT is news
• Use the proper format
• Write effectively
• Simply stated, news is
• anything that interests
• the public.

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News Release / Press Release Primer

• Basically, almost anything can be news to
  someone, somewhere. Your job is to determine
  which news goes where.
• Know your target audience know their reading
  matter, too.

6
News Guidelines

• Since the audience varies and the concept of news
  varies, it is important to realize that some
  people and things are ALWAYS news
• Progress - Software release
• Names (celebrity of any kind) Anna Nicole Paris
  Hilton

• Conflict and controversy - Microsoft Lawsuit
• Disasters - 12/26 Tsunami
• A significant event Shuttle Explosion
• Novelty - Microsoft Wallet
• Current Events - Y2K
• The Future - Almost nothing will guarantee press
  coverage as well as the future

7
News Release Format

• Your job is to help the editor give him what he
  wants is the best possible, ready-to-use format.
• Heres a checklist to get it right the first
  time
• Who the release is from
• Contact name and telephone number
• The release date (For release on ______ For
  Immediate Release)
• Date the release is being mailed
• What the story is about Headline, subhead and
  two sentence grabber inverted pyramid

8
Some mechanical details

• Use 8 1/2 by 11 paper only
• Double space
• Maintain wide margins, left, right and bottom
• Use only one side of paper
• Leave 1 1/2 to 2 inches between letter head and
  headline (gives editor room to instruct
  typesetter)
• Use MORE bottom of page if more than one page
• Use or to show end

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About the writing. . .

• Ask yourself these questions?
• What am I trying to communicate?
• Why is it news?
• Does it make a difference?
• Who cares?
• What do they care about?
• Why do they care?
• What is relationship between reader and writer?
• Is it timely?
• Relevant to the audience?
• Significant?
• Interesting?

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About the writing . . .

• Your writing should be clear, concise,
  interesting, accurate, simple and readable.
• The gist of the story should be in the first two
  sentences.
• Which means that the first two sentences should
  answer the key questions
• What is happening?
• Or, is about to happen?
• Who is involved?
• When is it taking place?
• How did it occur?
• Where?
• Why is it happening?

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A checklist of No-Nos

• Unprofessionalism - spelling, grammar, improper
  format, no contact info, date, titles.
• No news - attempt at free advertising
• Editorializing
• No local angle
• Lack of enthusiasm

• Incompleteness - (dont force the editor to have
  to call)
• Complicated writing
• No photos
• Unsuitability - the wrong story for the wrong
  publication