What is it?
A press release is the most common form of alerting media to breaking news, news from a press briefing, the release of a report or other newsworthy events you want them to cover.
Why
The purpose of a press release is to inform the media of news.
Helpful Tips
Keep in mind that media receive dozens if not hundreds, of releases each week. Here are some tips for putting together an effective press release.
- Use the standard press release format, which includes date it is issued and a contact person.
- Include all necessary facts a reporter would need to write a story.
- Write in inverted pyramid style, which means the most interesting information comes first, and least interesting information at the end.
- Include a newsworthy opening sentence to catch the reporter’s attention and to answer the who, what, when, where and why in the first two paragraphs.
- Include a quote from a person in your organization, including their full name and title.
- End with the organization’s boilerplate.
After sending your press release, follow-up with the media outlet to provide additional information or a spokesperson for them to interview. Don’t be discouraged if a reporter isn’t interested in covering your news this time. Keep contacting the outlet and provide them with interesting, newsworthy ideas and valuable spokespeople.
View a sample press release [PDF] .