Writing Your Own Press Release: A Low-Cost Marketing Alternative

So, you’re thinking about writing a press release, huh? Well, good for you! A press release is a great way to get some good publicity for your company and is essentially low-cost marketing. But, maybe you need a little help, and that’s okay when you consider all of the rules you’ve got to follow to give your release a fighting chance at getting to print. So, how do you write a press release?

Well, first and foremost, the format is important. Not only does it have to read like a newspaper article, but there are some standards press releases should follow. Why? Well, if it’s written like a letter, it’s going to the circular file. You see, editors are busy, and they have little time to go through all of the releases they get. If you follow the conventional format, then there’s a greater chance of it being read.

Now, most press releases are printed on stationery with the name of the organization on it. That’s so whoever you send it to knows where it came from right off the bat. Right below the letterhead, you get a standard header block. The first line simply states “news” in all capital letters, is bold and in a rather large font – usually 28-36 point. That’s so it really stands out. Next, you’ll skip two lines and then put the contact information. You can either put the contact’s position within the organization or leave it off. Then, put the phone number followed by the e-mail for the contact. Skip a line, and in bold and underlined font, write “for immediate release” in all capitals.

Here’s what it should look like:

NEWSContact: Jennifer Bryant
President
Phone: (970) 674-0079
E-mail: jennifer@redrocketmg.com
June 25, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

After that, you get the headline. Now, don’t get too excited: It’s not like the headline you’d find in a newspaper. In fact, this is one of the spots where you won’t follow news-writing standards. Where a newspaper goes for 5-12 word headlines that are punchy and get the reader’s attention, the press release headline should give the details of the event. It should, however, entice the editor to read on. The font should be bold. Here’s an example:

Red Rocket’s Marketing Symposium Set for June 28, 2007.

Next, you better make sure it’s in AP Style. What’s AP Style? Developed by the Associated Press, AP Style is a uniform set of grammar, spelling and punctuation rules most newspapers and newsmagazines follow. You can pick one up at your local bookstore. It’s updated every year, and in fact, the Stylebook is the “journalist’s bible.” Whenever a reporter has a question about spelling something, they go to the Stylebook. For example, do you know the difference between a jeep and a Jeep? Well, the Stylebook would tell you the lowercase jeep is a military vehicle, and the uppercase Jeep is a brand of the Chrysler Group.

But, why does it matter for a press release? Well, it’s not because that’s the only way a journalist can understand text, but because if the press release is well-written, a reporter might simply use it to flesh out their story. And, if it’s in AP style, the reporter doesn’t have to do a lot of work to clean it up for print. It saves them time and increases the chances of getting your press release into the paper. That’s pretty cool, right?

Now, if you’ve ever paid attention to a newspaper article, there are probably some characteristics you’ve seen in common. One of the big ones? How about short sentences and short paragraphs (usually 1-2 sentences)? The reason papers do that's two-fold. One, it’s more accessible – easier to read – to more people. Secondly, if you had more sentences in a paragraph in those narrow column papers use, one 5-7 sentence paragraph would look huge. The average reader would probably be intimidated. Also, the average reader isn’t going to spend a lot of time reading the story. They want as much information as possible in the first couple of paragraphs, and that’s what editors look for in a press release. If you don’t get their attention right away – hook the reader – your press release goes straight to the circular file.

And, that brings us to the lead, the first sentence or paragraph of a news article or a press release. The lead has to be able to get attention right away, and it has to pack as much information in it as possible. It’s not easy to do, but it can make all the difference as to whether or not your piece gets read. So, what makes up a lead? Well, the lead answers the 5 W’s (who, what, when, where and why) and how.

Here’s a sample of a lead:

Fort Collins, Colo. – Red Rocket Media Group will host their first annual Marketing Symposium for all businesses on Thursday, June 28, 2007, between 5 and 7 p.m. at the Fort Collins Hilton Hotel, 425 W. Prospect Rd.

Did you notice before the sentence started the “Windsor, Colo. –” in bold? That’s called the dateline, and newspapers use it to identify where the events in the story took place. You’ll want to use the dateline in your press release, so area media outlets will know where you and your event will take place, too.

So, let’s say the hook worked, and you’ve got the editor’s attention. What comes next? Well, with a press release, the second paragraph of the release will tell the reader a bit more about the event and why they should care. This is also where you’d put the cost of the event and any additional information that people who might want to attend need to know. A little hint: Never lead off this paragraph with the cost. Make the cost sound like it’s not a big deal – unless it’s free.

Here’s a sample:

The Marketing Symposium is open to all businesses that are looking to establish a stronger customer base and increase sales. There is a $10 fee to attend which covers the cost of refreshments.

From there, you have two ways you can go. First, you can get a quote from someone in the organization to give a bit more information about the event. This can be very effective, since reading someone talking specifically about the event can be a great way to interest readers. The other choice is to go straight to the conclusion paragraph. If you go with the quote, you’ll probably want one more paragraph before the conclusion as a transition. If at all possible, you should keep your release to 3 to 5 paragraphs and be sure to try and keep the release to one page – we’ll get to multiple pages in just a minute.

So, how about that conclusion paragraph? Well, again, keep it short. One sentence should be about your company – a boilerplate – and the second should be an invitation for the reader to call you to get more information. Here’s an example:

Red Rocket Media Group is Northern Colorado’s fastest growing marketing company and has created many successful marketing campaigns. For more information on Red Rocket’s Marketing Symposium, call Jennifer Bryant at (970) 674-0079.

With that, your press release is practically done. There’s one more thing to do, though. In the footer of the last page, you should type three italicized pound signs like this:

###

The italicized triple pound signs alert the reader that there is no more information. If, however, you did spill onto more pages, then, in the first page’s footer, you should type – in italics, again – a dash, More and another dash. It should look like this:

-More-

But, why does it matter if you went over one page? Well, in a lot of cases, editors won’t read a long press release. Remember the circular file? That’s where longer releases usually end up.

And, that's a very basic run-down of writing a press release. One last thing remains, and this can be the trickiest: Getting a press release through to the right editor. The best thing to do is look at the paper’s website, but if they don’t have one, call them and find out who should receive it. You don’t want to send a purely business-related release to the paper’s sports editor. Remember: If it goes to the wrong editor, your release may stop right there and never reach the person who might see it as newsworthy. Even if you know who to send it to, you’ve often got to keep hounding them to convince them to run your story.

One last point about press releases. . . . You never want to say “spin” when discussing anything relating public relations with any editor – well, to anyone for that matter. “Spin” is a four-letter word in the public relations field, and all trained public relations professionals avoid the word and its negative connotations. If you tell an editor that the story could be newsworthy depending on how he spins it, he already knows that you’re not a pro, so why should he care to print your story?

After all this, you may not be sure you can write a nice, concise release in AP style or have the nerve to keep calling an editor to pitch your story. If that’s the case, it might be best to call a marketing company to get some help. Red Rocket Media Group, in fact, can put together a sparkling media kit, complete with a dazzling press release that'll knock the editor’s socks off. When you ask us for help with your publicity, you can rest easy, knowing you’ve hired a company that will get results. When you’re ready to see your publicity sky-rocket past the next level, look no further than Red Rocket: Our media relations experts will exceed your expectations.