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Writing a great media release
Written by: Catriona PollardArticle Overview: Developing and distributing a media release is one of the most effective ones of telling your story to the media. A media release can contain information such as the work your business is doing, a new product release, the signing of a new contract or commenting on industry issues and trends.
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Free Download - What makes a great website By Catriona Pollard |
Writing a great media release
Developing and distributing a media release is one of the most effective ones of telling your story to the media.
A media release can contain information such as the work your business is doing, a new product release, the signing of a new contract or commenting on industry issues and trends.
The main rule is that all releases have to be newsworthy. If a release isn’t newsworthy, then it simply won’t get picked up. What makes items newsworthy differs greatly from one publication to the next or even from one section to the next. News is something new, up-to-the minute and of interest to the readers.
Following are some guidelines for good press releases:
• The lead paragraph is the most important and should provide a ‘hook’ for the journalist. It should contain who, what, when, where, why, and how.
• Write in the inverted pyramid style. After the lead paragraph, each remaining paragraph should be less important that the one preceding it. That way the editor can trim your release from the bottom.
• Write in short sentences, short paragraphs and use keep the information simple and to the point. Try to keep the release to one page.
• If you read an article in the paper, you will see they always include quotes. So you should give them the quotes to use. Attribute them to a particular person in the organisation and ensure they are newsworthy.
• A good press release has no typographical or grammatical errors.
• Head the release with “Media Release” and date it clearly.
• Use a catchy headline. Editors receive hundreds of releases a day and a good headline catches their eye and ensures they realise the contents quickly.
• At the end of the release add “For further information, contact. . . ” The contact details should include name, telephone number including an after hours number. The editor must have somebody to call to answer questions or to be interviewed.
Article Tags: Catriona Pollard, CP Communications, journalists, media, media release, PR Tips, Public Relations Sydney, writing for public relations
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About the Author: Catriona Pollard RSS for Catriona's articles - Visit Catriona's website Catriona Pollard believes that PR is an essential element to the success of any business – large or small or micro. She established her PR company, CP Communications to drive business success by using the power of PR and marketing. CP Communications provides specialist media, traditional and online PR strategies that achieve positive media coverage, increased brand awareness and improved sales results. . For more information go to http://www.cpcommunications.com.au or more PR tips go to http://www.PublicRelationsSydney.com.au Click here to visit Catriona's website Get the most from a media interview Get the LinkedIn advantage Blogging the essential PR tool Create buzz with social media competitions Features of a PR campaign |
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