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UNDERSTANDING THE NEWS RELEASE
Everything You Need to Know
Most companies would happily pay a king’s ransom for good
publicity. In crisis situations, when survival may be at stake, the
price of a fair hearing, not to mention favorable news coverage,
can be far higher than payment for a mere monarch.
Surprisingly, a basic tool for gaining positive publicity in
good times and bad is the humble news release.
Press releases, invented in the late 1800s when the only news media
were in print, presented apparently conventional news stories that
offered the viewpoints of the organizations that distributed them.
Despite early press skepticism, editors and reporters
quickly accepted releases for what they remain today: a free
news and information source that media can use as they
wish, including facts, quotes and other information, usually
heavily edited, in their stories to add content and color.
The traditional format, a couple of pages with double-spaced text
using wire service spelling and punctuation standards, provided
editors adequate space for editing the text on paper and helped
typesetters follow the flow of individual pages while setting
up copy for print. Many organizations now also send releases
to key stakeholder audiences such as employees, suppliers,
government agencies and investors. Nearly all companies
and organizations feature releases on their web sites.
FORM AND FUNCTION
There’s more to a well-crafted news release
than just format and content. Releases
that generate consistent responses involve
knowledge, skill and serious, critical
thinking, elements of the same strategic
planning shaping successful organizational
plans for reaching vital goals and objectives.
Veteran PR practitioners, teachers and
scholars, including Larry Litwin of New
Jersey’s Rowan University, New York
consultant Jim Lukaszewski, the late
writer and journalist Phillip Ault and many
others have written extensively about news
releases. Drawing from their work, let’s
go through the elements, one by one.
First, some nomenclature; it’s now a news
release, not a press release. Today’s
media are more varied and complex than
newspapers and magazines that rely on
printing presses. Electronic and digital
media have dominated news markets for
years, with more information and larger
audiences than those in print. Calling
CNN or an internet blog the “press” is
inaccurate, and may insult the people
who decide what news to distribute
through these networks each day. Also,
release distribution today is almost always
electronic. Even print media use digital
systems for communication, writing,
layout and printing. While this makes
formatting requirements less rigid, it’s still
important to meet editors’ expectations.
PUBLICITY PITCH
Next, before lots of people see your news
release, you must persuade a small group
of people to read it. Before you actually
prepare a release, you can pitch the idea
with a couple of editors, but be sure you’re
well prepared. News and copy editors are
the first and most critical audience for any
news release, and they must decide to use
your story idea. A bad pitch can be ruinous.
For more advice, check out the Bad Pitch
Blog at badpitch.blogspot.com. If your idea
is well received, the release also needs
to capture editor interest, so content and
writing style are critical. Also, releases
almost never get into print as written.
Editors cut them down, in some cases
selecting just a few pertinent sentences to
incorporate into an article or column. Still, a
few sentences are better than none at all.
FROM THE TOP
A word about timing, if you’re promoting
a meeting or event, distribute the release
ahead of time, but make sure you tell
recipients when to publish it. This is
important to control information for
scheduling or competitive purposes. If
there is no reason to delay, indicate “For
Immediate Release.” If delay is needed,
most editors are cooperative and will hold
information as long as other competing
news outlets don’t have permission to
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print stories early. A typical instruction
is “Hold for Release Until, Monday,
Sept. 29, 2014, at 1:00 p.m., EST.”
Because releases are created news
stories, it’s important and useful to
include a headline. Make sure the headline
encapsulates the release’s purpose in
just a few words. Headline writing is
not as easy as it looks. A great headline
will draw the reader into an article.
After the headline comes the dateline,
usually containing the location and date
of an event. Datelines traditionally show
a city in capital letters. Some states or
country names stand alone, consult the
Associated Press (AP) Stylebook for details.
TEXT IS NEXT
Nothing will turn off an editor more quickly
than a great headline followed by poorly
prepared copy. Since first impressions are
long-lasting, the release’s lead sentence
is critical. Make it direct, to the point and
feature the most important and interesting
aspects of the story. For example, “Boeing’s
new aircraft and innovative technologies
attracted thousands of customers, partners,
government officials and media attending
the Paris Air Show.” That sums it up.
Look again at the lead just quoted. It is a
single declarative sentence in active voice
with 20 words. The words contain just
two or three syllables. Avoid passive voice
as much as possible, and use transitive
verbs that convey action from subject to
object. Invariably, good lead and more
generally good release writing relies on
simple declarative sentences that get the
point across quickly without taxing the
reader’s patience or brain power. Mike
Gething, a long-time editor and writer for
IHS Jane’s, the aerospace and defense
publisher, says, “Put the most important
information in the first paragraph, expanding
on factual details in subsequent ones.” A
good way to check the flow of a release is
to read it out loud to yourself or someone
else. Does it make sense? Does it sound
natural and conversational? If so, the
writing probably meets the test. Short
sentences also make for short paragraphs.
Believe it or not, numerous paragraph
breaks make a page easier to read.
Avoid using marketing superlatives.
Adjectives like “new and improved,” “best
ever,” “the greatest” and “amazing” are
hackneyed, and most people don’t believe
them anyway. “Excessive marketing
language only creates more work for editors,
who may be tempted to eliminate your core
message while they’re trimming out the
fluff,” says Elan Head, special projects editor
for MHM Publishing. Don’t try to fill the lead
with every important fact. It is OK to address
who, what when, where and why in a couple
of paragraphs. Amy Butler, senior Pentagon
editor at Aviation Week, emphases this
point and adds, “The why you care bit is
important; otherwise, we may not care!”
A good approach to writing copy is the
inverted pyramid, a method that flows
from general to specific, making broad
statements first, then boring down to
individual facts that support more general
points. Editors like this structure because
they can cut copy easily if space constraints
apply without affecting the accuracy
and validity of material they use from
the release. Gething explains: “Craft the
release so that a journalist or editor can
cut sentences from the bottom upwards,
without losing anything from the story.”
Deal exclusively with facts. Make sure
you can back up every factual assertion
in a release. Unsupported conjecture can
damage credibility and is a sure formula
for losing coverage if it’s discovered. Also,
if there’s a local angle for the home town
media, use it. Significant local coverage
often will generate further interest from
regional or even national news outlets.
VOICES OF AUTHORITY
Releases usually contain quotations from
organization leaders or people pertinent to
the story. Editorial comment and opinions
fit best within quotation marks. People are
entitled to voice opinions, promote their
products and services to customers and
simplify complex issues with analogies and
examples. Quotations should be read out
loud to ensure they sound natural. Simple,
conversational language makes people
seem friendly and approachable. Attribute
quotes to people appropriate to the story
in the release. It’s not necessary to quote
the CEO if he or she has nothing to do
with the release topic. Finally, make the
quote substantive. Vacuous comments
that don’t add to the substance of the
release take up space. Many times,
release writers make up quotes. That’s
fine, but be sure to clear these comments
with the people quoted. Most folks will
readily approve well-written quotations.
THE STYLE FILE
Clear, concise writing also can be elegant
and help to define an organization’s
reputation, especially among the
media. Most editors prefer to use the
AP Stylebook as a guide for grammar,
spelling, abbreviations, punctuation and
sentence construction. The AP Stylebook
has been the bible for newspaper and
magazine writers for decades and it
differs in many important respects
from other standard formats such as
the Chicago Manual of Style. BDN has
developed a complete guide for applying
AP Style to Aerospace and Defense
writing. See the PR Toolkit for details.
SHOW AND TELL
A picture is worth a thousand words,
and including an appropriate photo with
a release can really help. Once again,
Gething offers good advice. “If enclosing
or attaching an image, offer a high-
resolution (300 dots per inch) version or a
web site link to download the photo with
a fully-detailed caption. Remember, not
every journalist is a subject-matter expert,
so a full explanation is very helpful.”
FORMAT FOUNDATION
Although format is not as important now
that releases use digital systems and
can more easily be edited, there are still
many factors that reflect on organizational
professionalism. Double-spaced text is
easier to read than single-spaced text.
Pages with more white space are more
inviting than densely packed pages. Avoid
eye strain with large typefaces. Type
styles are a matter of choice, often based
on personal taste. Editors will probably
change them anyway. In addition, avoid
“widows and orphans,” lines from partial
paragraphs that jump from page to page.
Ending paragraphs at page breaks makes
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reading and editing much easier. If the
release is longer than one page, let the
reader know by centering “(MORE)” at the
bottom of the page. Number pages in the
release with sequential Arabic numerals
at the top left or right of each page. Some
releases place an abbreviated headline in
the page header along with page numbers.
On the release’s last page, indicate the
end with “###” or the more old fashioned
typesetter’s indicator “-30-.” The maximum
release length should be no more than
three pages. Two pages are even better,
and the absolute best is a single page
Use a brief, standard paragraph at the
release’s end to describe the issuing
organization. Known as “boilerplate,”
this paragraph usually contains three
or four simple declarative sentences.
Finally, if contact information is not
included in the release’s masthead, be
sure to include the name, office and cell
phone numbers, email address and, if
available, web site for each individual
designated as a contact. Typically, a phrase
such as, “For More Information, Contact:”
identifies contacts for each release topic.
TRUST BUT VERIFY
PR professionals can research, write,
review, edit and distribute releases
directly or through distribution services.
At the same time, organization leaders
should never delegate full responsibility
for news release management without
a final check. Releases can have an
enormous impact on an organization’s
reputation with stakeholders. If releases
contribute to positive images among
important support groups, it is clear they
also can affect successful achievement
of organizational goals and objectives, a
critical issue for long-term growth and
success. Accuracy is paramount.
ABOUT BDN AEROSPACE MARKETING
As the world’s premier aerospace marketing
agency, BDN works with clients to brand and
market their products and services.
Understanding the News Release bdnaerospace.com