Putting together a press release How you write a press release can make the difference between it seeing the light of day or not. Get the angle right, make it short and factual – and your chances will increase greatly.
For the PR professional, writing a media release is second nature but, quite rightly, for others it may not be so easy. They key advantage of using a PR such as ours, is that we can identify opportunities and have a database of influential media in all sectors.
If you decide to go it alone, here are a few key points to remember.
• Write your first paragraph. This is the most important part of the entire release. You have just five seconds in which to grab the news editor’s attention. As a general guide, you should be aiming for fewer than 25 words in that opening paragraph.
• Make sure you address the five w’s in your release. What, who, why, when, where?
• Use quotes in the present tense. They add immediacy and credibility. A quote from the CEO about the importance of an event or product holds much more weight than a passive sentence. Sub-editors will not change quotes but they may change your copy.
• Not too long. 300 words approximately. It should fit on one page.
• Always use a person’s full name, not initials –eg John Durning, not J. Durning. And get the spelling right!
• Send the release in plenty of time.
• Include a photo opportunity where possible.
• Include contact details with phone numbers, including mobile. Journalists often work outside normal hours, so ensure your key spokesperson is available on one or more of these numbers at all times.
Put thought into your press release but don’t agonise. It doesn’t have to be a Pulitzer Prize piece. Or give us a call.
- John Durning, Durning Public Relations, PR & Media Adviser, Christchurch, New Zealand; ph 64-3- 365 2579; email john@durning.co.nz
To learn more about this author, visit John Durning's Website.
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John Durning
(Visit John's Website)
DURNING PR
PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MEDIA ADVISERS
Durning PR was established in 1985 by John
Durning, a Fellow of the Public Relations
Institute of New Zealand.
John Durning, FPRINZ, APR, managing
director.
Double PR industry award winner. Two
decades plus in communications, having
been a newspaper journalist for 10 years,
including five years with The Press before
establishing Durning Public Relations in
1985. A member by examination of the
Public Relations Institute of New Zealand.
Specialty areas: commercial, sport,
industrial, finance sector, tourism,
property.
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