Media: Press Releases

The press release is the standard format you must use to get your story in the media, and the best way of getting all the information across. Using them with the student media will make you stand out.

Writing your news release

Content

Before you start writing your press release think about:

• What is the story. Why should the media cover this? What is your local or human angle or hook?
• Your message. What are the key points that you want to get across about your campaign?
• Who are your audience? What language should you use to make it appeal to them?
• How can you make it as concise and clear as possible?

Format

To be effective, a press release needs a certain format. It must fit on one side of A4, be in a legible size and font and contain the following things:

• On headed paper, make sure it says ‘Press Release’ at the top;
• Give contact details: the name of the person dealing with the media and a mobile number that will be switched on;
• Date it and give it a snappy title. Make sure the title makes it clear what the story is - don’t make it too obscure and avoid puns;
• If you want photographers or camera crews to attend, mark it ‘Photo Opportunity - Crews welcome’;
• Make it clear when the story is for, usually: ‘For immediate release’. If you need to keep the story secret until a certain date be wary of sending a press release in advance - the media won’t always hold a story if you’ve ‘embargoed’ it;
• Use the first paragraph to outline the whole story in brief. This should explain the headline and the who, what, when, where, how and why. Expand in the second (and maybe a third) paragraph, with extra layers of information in decreasing order of importance. The body of the press release should be structured just like a news story, so that it can be cut from the bottom always leaving the main story intact;
• Stick in a quote from a group spokesperson. The print press will often use this in their story, so make it count. Try to keep it short and punchy;
• If you have a photo, put it in a separate box in the press release and explain what it is of;
• Mark the Release ‘ENDS’ so they know it’s over (sounds obvious, but do it anyway!);
• Repeat the contact details;
• Finally, add ‘Notes for the editor’. This is where you can stick in all those crucial statistics and references to United Nations reports etc. This can be on a separate sheet, but don’t add too much.

Check it and double check it for obvious mistakes. Does it get your key messages across concisely?

Sending it Out

1. Email or fax your press release (using the details you collected in your background research), a week in advance of your event or action. Personalise the email header.

2. Phone up after sending the press release. Say something like ‘I’m just calling to talk about the story…’ Ask if they’re clear on the detail, and whether they want to ask any questions. This is an excuse to tell them how fantastic your story is. If they haven’t received your press release ask if you can send it again.

3. If the press don’t turn-up to your action, take some photos and press release it again afterwards. Put it in the independent press, up on your website and send it to the P&P office.

4. If the press do pick the story up, you could also end up being invited to give an interview. There is more advice on this on our interview pages.