How to write a press release

Journalists get a lot of press releases – and this sums up how most of them feel about it: “For decades I started my mornings weeding through the press releases in my inbox, one finger hovering over the ‘delete’ key and ready to strike.” Neil Hayes, writing here: Journalists’ Advice on How to Write Press Releases They’ll Actually Read

Or this: “Press releases are an efficient way to get news out to reporters, but often the language used is very dense and tedious to get through. I sometimes read an entire press release and can’t pull out the key takeaway.” Samantha Murphy Kelly, quoted in What Journalists Really Think Of Your Press Release.

Quote This Woman+ knows both sides of this story: the frustration of the overwhelmed journalist AND the frustration of sending out a press release and not seeing a result.

Here are our tips for writing a press release that will help a journalist to do their job:

Understand your audience (a journalist, an editor, a radio producer)...

Publications and the people who work in them are very busy. Keep things simple, and give all the information.
Only send a press release when you have something concrete to share. Don’t send a press release “just because”—you’ll ”get labelled as a time-waster.
Media companies, and their staff, want content that helps them sell more publications or get more clicks on their website or more listeners to their station. That means they need content that their readers will truly care about. That might be very different from what you think is important!

Before you start writing…

Decide who you want to reach. Is your issue local, regional, or national? Are you aiming for a radio station or a community newspaper or an online news site? Match your press release to the kind of reports they carry – a community newspaper wants news about that community, while a national website wants news that appeals to a broad range of the population.
Research the publication to see the kinds of content they carry and what their audience is – match your news or issue to that.
Search their website to find a contact email address.
People in news organisations get lots of email. Your subject line must be clear, simple, and interesting. Don’t say, “A press release about an event”; rather say, “Community to meet to discuss unemployment – details.”
Find a story angle that will interest the publication’s audience. The angle is the “hook,” the thing that makes your press release interesting.

What you need to know about the angle of a story

The angle of a news report is the main point, the thing that people want to know first, the thing that actually happened:

President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a speech to the nation that… (not President Cyril Ramaphosa made a speech to the nation.)
The South African men’s soccer team has won the …… (not The SA men’s soccer team are competing in a tournament.)
Researchers have made a breakthrough in finding a vaccine for TB …. (Not Researchers are working on a TB vaccine.)
The community in XXX town now has running water because…. (Not: The community has been fighting for a long time to get water.)

To find the angle:

Ask yourself: if I phoned a friend, what is the first thing I would tell them about this? Use that as a place to start.

Remember: You are thinking about the publication’s audience and what they are interested in, not what you think is important.

Your press release must be…

Newsworthy (what happened or will happen?)
Relevant (for example, if it happened in Gauteng, it may not be relevant to people in the Eastern Cape).
Current (send it today if the event happened today).
Interesting and engaging.

Examples of newsworthy content include…

Making a strong statement
Sharing new information
Winning a major award
Partnering with a famous person or charity
Hosting an event
Success stories

Writing the press release…

Use simple language. Write the way you speak to family and friends: Journalists hate technical jargon.
Check for all errors (grammar, facts, and spelling of names). Have someone else check it too.

Things you can add…

A photo. Make sure the background is clear, not messy, and get the names of the people in the photo. Don’t send an image unless you took it yourself or you own it (you paid a photographer to take pictures for you).
A biography. Brief info on the main person can be very helpful.

Sending a press release…

Send your press release to media outlets whose readers would be interested in your news. Don’t send news about a food festival to a sports publication!
And don’t send a press release about the environment to someone who writes about health. Do your research before sending.
Time sensitivity: If your news is about an event happening soon, send the release in advance. You can use an embargo (meaning media can only publish it after a certain date/time) but only do that if it is truly necessary (for example your organisation has published a book and the publisher has a schedule for marketing it.)
Social media: if the story gets published, share it on social media
Measurement: Track where your news is published (in print, on TV or radio, and online). See how people engage with it online.
Celebrate if your news is used! See what worked well and use that knowledge for future press releases.

Press release checklist

Go through the list before you send that email!

Have you defined your target audience?
Have you defined your target publication or publications?
Do you have a contact email address?
Have you identified the angle?
Have you written an email subject line?

Does your press release include:

A date
A headline
An indication of embargo if needed
A strong clear first sentence
A body with all the details
A quote for a key person
Your contact information at the end
A photo

Image: Bank Phrom, Unsplash