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> Get Articles > News Releases and Public Relations > Writing A Press Release
Writing A Press Release
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Chuck And Sue DeFiore
coacheshomebusinesssolutions.com
Home Business Solutions
http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com
News releases (also called press releases) are an
important part of a public relations campaign. They are
also an important part of marketing your business. They are
the primary means of "selling" your story to the media. All
press releases are structured the same way. Make sure you
answer "yes" to these key questions when writing your next
press release:
Is it easy to read?
Editors look at hundreds of press releases every day, and
if your news release is difficult to read, they will throw
it out. It should be on plain white paper and printed in
black ink. The main body of the release should be double-
spaced and have at least a one inch margin all around the
edges.
Your letterhead should appear at the top of the first page
to establish your identity.
Have you double-checked your spelling and grammar?
A good press release has no typographical or grammatical
errors. If yours contains such errors you'll lose
credibility; it will have the same effect as a badly
written business letter or resume. The release should be
typed. Print out (or type out) a fresh copy for each
person to whom you will send it. Do not send out poor-
quality photocopies with dark staple marks or blotches.
Did you include the six news elements?
Because all news articles include six basic elements-who,
what, when, where, why, and how - your press release should
also follow the same guidelines. Put the most important
facts in the lead paragraph, with the facts decreasing in
importance as you go down the page. Why? Suppose you send a
press release to an editor who has five inches of space
open in the newspaper and your release runs eight inches
long. Ideally, the editor would trim your press release
from the bottom. Therefore, to make sure the most important
information gets run, put the less important information at
the bottom.
Did you include a contact source?
In the top, right-hand corner of the first page, directly
beneath your company name, there should be a line that
states, "For further information, contact." A name and
telephone number should follow. The editor must have
somebody in your business to call to answer questions or to
be interviewed about your news item. If you can only be
reached during certain hours, specify them.
Have you included a dateline?
The best press releases have a dateline with the city in
which the business is based and the date the release is
written. Every press release needs a dateline so that the
editor can tell when it was mailed. Nobody wants to cover
an old story that has lost its timeliness.
The other morning during my favorite radio talk show they
mentioned this guy who wrote a book about selling water
beds which was coming out next week. How you do think this
guy got the radio stations to talk about this - you got
it - a press release or a publicist who sent a press release.
Copyright DeFiore Enterprises 2002
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