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Have a newsworthy “hook”: Use your press release to make a timely announcement. |
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Put your name, contact information, release date and “immediate release” near the top of the first page or up front in the body of the e-mail for reporters’ easy reference. |
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Cover the “who-what-when-where” (and sometimes “why-how”) in the lead (first paragraph). |
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Include the most important information first and put the rest in descending order of importance (called the “inverted pyramid”), so editors can cut the story from the bottom up if needed without removing the most crucial information. |
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Reference the Associated Press Stylebook to make sure you write the way journalists do. |
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Keep paragraphs short: One to three sentences work great. |
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Write objectively, meaning attribute comments and editorialized remarks (opinions) to an official or organization, either through direct quotes or paraphrasing. |
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Put more at the bottom of a page when a hard copy release continues; the page number and a one- or two-word topic description at the top of the next page; and
-30- or # # # at the end of the release. |
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Keep the release length to the equivalent of two pages double-spaced (or shorter). |
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Proof, proof and proof again: Typos, misspellings and grammatical errors will hurt the chances of your story being covered. |
