It's the Press Release & not a Story
Conventional press release headlines are present-tense and exclude "a" and "the" as well as forms of the verb "to be" in certain contexts.
The first word in the press release headline should be capitalized
Most headline words appear in lower-case letters, although adding a stylized "small caps" style can create a more graphically news-attractive look and feel. Do not capitalize every word.
Creating attractive headline just needs to attract few of the strongest words from the press release, the next step is getting a logical and attention seeking statement with a better visibility in search engines that gets identified easily during the search or surf. Write the press release body copy. The press release should be written as you want it to appear in a news story. Start with the date and city in which the press release is originated. The city may be omitted if it will be confusing. The first sentence normally grabs the attention of the reader gives a brief idea of what the reader is going to view ahead. The text you prepare for the release should be intact, should not contain very long sentences. Avoid using jargons and fancy language. Normally the first 2 paragraphs sum what the news is! The latter paragraphs explain them in brief. Communicate the 5 Ws and the H. Who, what, when, where, why, and how. Then consider the points below if pertinent.
What is the actual news?
Why this is news.
The people, products, items, dates and other things related with the news.
The purpose behind the news
Your company - the source of this news
Length- not more than 3 pages
The selection of news for the press release is determined on the basis of the content of the news and the strength of it.
The contact details must be limited and specific only to the current press release. The contact details must include:
The Company's Official Name
Media Department's official Name and Contact Person
Office Address
Telephone and fax Numbers with proper country/city codes and extension numbers
Mobile Phone Number (optional)
Timings of availability
E-mail Addresses
Web site Address
Signal the end of the press release with three # symbols, centered directly underneath the last line of the release. This is a journalistic standard.
If the press release is for immediate release, you may write "IMMEDIATE RELEASE" in all caps on the left margin, directly above the headline. If the release is embargoed, put "EMBARGOED UNTIL..." with the date you want the story released. A release with no release date is presumed to be for immediate release.
The timing of the press release is very important. It must be relevant and recent news, not too old and not too distant.
A follow-up call can help develop a press release into a full story.
Use your headline as the subject line of the e-mail. If you've written a good "grabber" headline, this will help your message stand out in the editor's e-mail inbox.
Craft each release to target a specific media outlet and send it to the specific reporter who covers that beat. This information can usually be found on the outlet's Web site. Blasting the identical press release to multiple outlets and multiple reporters at the same outlet is a sign that you are taking shortcuts rather than targeting a specific market.
Avoid jargon or specialized technical terms. If accuracy requires the use of an industry-specific term, define it. The press release should conclude with a short description of your company, including where your company is based, what products and service it provides and a brief history If you are creating a press release for more than one company, provide information for all the companies at the end of the release. Also include contact information, both phone number and e-mail, for each company's spokesperson.
Conventional press release headlines are present-tense and exclude "a" and "the" as well as forms of the verb "to be" in certain contexts.
The first word in the press release headline should be capitalized
Most headline words appear in lower-case letters, although adding a stylized "small caps" style can create a more graphically news-attractive look and feel. Do not capitalize every word.
Creating attractive headline just needs to attract few of the strongest words from the press release, the next step is getting a logical and attention seeking statement with a better visibility in search engines that gets identified easily during the search or surf. Write the press release body copy. The press release should be written as you want it to appear in a news story. Start with the date and city in which the press release is originated. The city may be omitted if it will be confusing. The first sentence normally grabs the attention of the reader gives a brief idea of what the reader is going to view ahead. The text you prepare for the release should be intact, should not contain very long sentences. Avoid using jargons and fancy language. Normally the first 2 paragraphs sum what the news is! The latter paragraphs explain them in brief. Communicate the 5 Ws and the H. Who, what, when, where, why, and how. Then consider the points below if pertinent.
What is the actual news?
Why this is news.
The people, products, items, dates and other things related with the news.
The purpose behind the news
Your company - the source of this news
Length- not more than 3 pages
The selection of news for the press release is determined on the basis of the content of the news and the strength of it.
The contact details must be limited and specific only to the current press release. The contact details must include:
The Company's Official Name
Media Department's official Name and Contact Person
Office Address
Telephone and fax Numbers with proper country/city codes and extension numbers
Mobile Phone Number (optional)
Timings of availability
E-mail Addresses
Web site Address
Signal the end of the press release with three # symbols, centered directly underneath the last line of the release. This is a journalistic standard.
If the press release is for immediate release, you may write "IMMEDIATE RELEASE" in all caps on the left margin, directly above the headline. If the release is embargoed, put "EMBARGOED UNTIL..." with the date you want the story released. A release with no release date is presumed to be for immediate release.
The timing of the press release is very important. It must be relevant and recent news, not too old and not too distant.
A follow-up call can help develop a press release into a full story.
Use your headline as the subject line of the e-mail. If you've written a good "grabber" headline, this will help your message stand out in the editor's e-mail inbox.
Craft each release to target a specific media outlet and send it to the specific reporter who covers that beat. This information can usually be found on the outlet's Web site. Blasting the identical press release to multiple outlets and multiple reporters at the same outlet is a sign that you are taking shortcuts rather than targeting a specific market.
Avoid jargon or specialized technical terms. If accuracy requires the use of an industry-specific term, define it. The press release should conclude with a short description of your company, including where your company is based, what products and service it provides and a brief history If you are creating a press release for more than one company, provide information for all the companies at the end of the release. Also include contact information, both phone number and e-mail, for each company's spokesperson.