Traditional Press Releases
The classic press release has been around for decades. It's still the workhorse of virtually all public relations campaigns, helping companies get the word out about their products and services.
When a journalist receives a press release from a company, she may use it in a variety of ways — or not at all. For example, she may decide to do a feature article based on the release, or use some of the information in another story she is developing. She may also contact the company and request additional information or an interview with a key contact.
In some cases, an editor might choose to publish the press release in its entirety — especially if it is a good story. This hardly ever happens in consumer magazines, but it does occur more frequently in trade and professional publications.
There are only minor distinctions between a press release, a media release, and a news release. For all practical purposes, they are interchangeable terms.
A press release is typically one to two pages in length, although there are exceptions. It's usually written just like a news story, with a headline on top followed by several supporting paragraphs and a sprinkling of subheads as needed. This is intentional. A company wants the release to look like the news and get “picked up” by a publication.
The Expected Format
Unlike most other projects that copywriters handle — where there is a lot of elbowroom for creativity — press releases have an established format. You have to follow the rules. Reporters expect to see a press release that looks like one, and if it doesn't it will probably be ignored. Here are the general formatting guidelines:
In the section above the headline, the company name and address should go on the left side with the date on the right. The words “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” should also appear in this section. In some cases, however, a company may not want the news released to the public until some future date and is trusting the editor to keep the secret. So something like “EMBARGO FOR RELEASE UNTIL NOV. 16, 2007” might be written in this section instead.
The location of where the story is originating — called the dateline — should appear below the headline at the start of the first sentence of the first paragraph. This is a throwback to an age when press releases were distributed via teletype machines. These days there is no good reason why this formatting rule still exists. Call it a time-honored tradition!
Next comes the main guts of the press release, the body copy. Journalism 101 teaches that a good news story or feature article addresses the 5 Ws: who, what, where, when, and why. Your press release should convey the same thing. Present the facts in a compelling manner, or tell a great story. Make sure the content is relevant and important to the audiences of your target publications.
Press releases often are distributed electronically by media distribution companies that may have their own preferred formatting guidelines. Make sure you know what these are so your release complies.
A final paragraph usually contains a boilerplate description of the company. In some press releases this may be separate from the main body copy but still located at the end of the release.
Many press releases end with “###,” “END,” or “-30-.” Again, another quirky press release thing.
Here is an example of a typical press release:
DH Communications Wins Gold MarCom Creative Award for Web Site/e-Zine Copywriting
Dianna Huff, President of Boston-area B2B marketing communications copywriting firm DH Communications, has received a Gold Award from the MarCom Creative Awards for her work with a client's e-newsletter.
Huff's winning entry was for the e-newsletter, “Particle Matters,” which she writes for her client, Boston-based Cabot Corporation. The semi-monthly e-newsletter features articles and news about Cabot's fine particles. (Fine particles are found in many products, including tires, cell phones, glass roof enclosures, and cosmetics.)
“My client, Cathy Beckman, eBusiness Manager for Cabot, and I are very pleased with ‘Particle Matters,’” states Huff. “When she first approached me last year about doing an e-newsletter, she wasn't sure how we would cover the company's many business units and hundreds of product lines. We also knew we wanted fresh, original content, versus content derived from press releases, something we've been able to achieve with each issue. Cathy gets over 100 new subscribers a month and has a very low opt-out rate. She considers it a great success and is as thrilled by this award as I.”
The MarCom Creative Awards is an international competition that recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communications practitioners. There were 4,613 entries from throughout the U.S. and several countries. Entries receive the prestigious Platinum Award, a Gold Award, or an Honorable Mention. The Gold Award is presented to those entries judged to exceed the high standards of the industry. Approximately 16 percent of the entries received the Gold Award.
DH Communications, Inc. is a full-service marketing communications firm offering B2B marketing communications copywriting and consulting. Dianna Huff, who has won three other awards for her work, is also a MarketingSherpa Contributing Editor.
What if the editor has questions? Contact information for the release is located at the very bottom. For example: “For more information, please contact Jane Smith, public relations manager, at _______.” Other information can also be located here, such as the availability of pictures, background information, and access to experts for interviews.
PR Writing Primer
Here are some tips to help get your press release noticed by the media:
Promote the news value. While you may believe a new product should be front-page news, an editor might have a very different opinion. When assessing whether a topic is really news, ask yourself: Will readers be interested in this story? Is it timely? Relevant? Unusual? Does the topic affect many people? Does it have a lasting importance? Is it truly new, better, or different? How will it affect someone's life, career, or business?
Include quotes. Always quote key personnel and others involved in the story to make it more credible and interesting. Quotes not only makes the piece more interesting to read, but they also may help editors decide to use the statements in a related story.
Write in the third person. Never use “we” or “I” unless it is part of a quotation.
Think like an editor. Would you reprint the press release in your magazine or trade journal? Will the information captivate your readers?
Prove all claims. If possible, quote third-party experts, research reports, surveys, and other supporting evidence. Editors love this kind of information, and it will make your press release seem more unbiased.
The most successful press releases are written with a style and content that is similar to the publications they are targeting. For your writing to be more effective, do some research beforehand.
