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How to Write an Effective Press Release
1. Choosing When to Issue a Press Release
- Press releases should only be issued when needed.
- The key uses of press releases are when introducing a new product or announcing an award, information about a person within your company, a new location or an expansion.
2. The Introduction to the Press Release
- The press must know where your release is coming from. Therefore, it is essential that the top of the press release is properly labeled
How to Write an Effective Press ReleaseBegin by putting your company's letterhead in the top left- hand corner. On the right, put "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE."
- Below this, be sure to put the contact person, complete with address, telephone number, and e-mail address, so that the press knows where to go for more information.
- The headline should come next, and it should stand out, in capital letters and bold typeface.
- Finally, begin the actual text by writing the location where the news occurred, as well as the date.
3. Writing the Text
- Begin your press release by covering the "5 W's," who, what, where, when and why, in the first paragraph.
- After covering the details of your specific information, address the broader issues. How does this new event or product affect the industry as a whole?
- If possible, add a quote from your company's president or a customer.
- Always conclude your press release with key information about your company. This information can be reused in press releases.
- Finish the press release with "-end-," so that your reader knows the text is complete.
- Keep in mind that a press release is not an ad. Stick to the facts of your event or product, and keep it brief.
4. Key Tips
Get your press releases published by...
- Sending them to the right people to ensure that they are actually used
- Double-spacing text and providing wide margins to make your releases easier to edit.
- Focusing on features and benefits when issuing press releases on products. More detail and fewer superlatives are better.
- Finding out if the editor prefers color or black and white photos.
- Considering the needs of different types of publications.
- Remembering daily newspapers have different deadlines than monthly magazines, and business and trade magazines have different needs than consumer publications.
5. NGA Publications Specifics
- When sending press releases to Glass Magazine, AutoGlass, or Window & Door, follow the tips outlined above and, if sending camera-ready photos, send them in color on non-textured photo paper in 5x7 or 8x10 format or as first generation 4x5 transparencies. If the photos are electronic, we prefer a 4x5 size or larger at 300 DPI saved in a TIFF, JPEG, or EPS file format.
Source: Improve Your Marketing, 2002.
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