Go on, say something interesting...
The art of writing press releases
Basic rules
Tell me something I don’t know... but something
I would want to know
Good stories travel...
Will it interest people
outside your building?
If not, pin it on a noticeboard
Sigh...
Company A is delighted to announce it has secured a contract with Company B...
But we’re not going to tell you how much it’s worth...
What it will involve...
Nor if it will create new jobs
… and sigh again
Company A is delighted to announce that it has acquired Company B
But we’re not going to tell you why...
Certainly not how much for... nor what it meansfor our staff.
Before I pressdelete...
Don’t just say what’s
happened...
Explain the significance of the news for your
business and your workforce...
Maybe even your industry... maybe your town.
The past is a foreigncountry…
Don’t assume we know what you do...
In the mainstream media, journalists are laymen and so are our readers...
Jargon is a barrier to understanding
Hmmm… this could make a story
Size isn’t everything...
But give us a sense of scale...
Are you a £300k, £3m, £30m turnover business?
One-man band, a dozen, or scores of staff?
But where’s the pithy quote?
Don’t just be “delighted”...
Tell us (and our readers)
why this makes a
difference
You’ve got our attention... and reasons to give
the story prominence
But what about stormy weather?
Bad news has a habit of finding its way into thepublic domain...
We’ll never make things up... we aim to be fairand accurate
But if only one side of the story is talking... it doesn’t make it easy to be balanced
Dib-dib-dib…
Be prepared...
If you don’t want to be interviewed... prepare a
statement.
There’s always a reason... always an
explanation.
So who do I send it to?
The editor?
The newsdesk?
The specialist
reporter?
It’s not rocket science
You’re a savvy reader…
What stops you turning the page?
What questions would you ask of that business?
Think context – both for the facts and the comment
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