News Release 101

1. #OUJ3700
News Release

2. News release
why write one?
• It can be cost effective.
• News articles impact purchasing
decisions and enhance SEO.
• Third party endorsements are a big
deal. In some cases, a really big
deal.

3. THREE TYPES OF NEWS RELEASES
• Announcements
•Personnel
•Product
•Financial
• Spot announcements: Response to
problems that you didn’t cause. We have to
close school because of snow.

4. THREE TYPES OF NEWS RELEASES
• Reaction: When an event or situation
impacts the organization
•Bad news: Comment, don’t cover up bad
news
•Local news: Localized news gets covered
more often

5. PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL
NEWS RELEASE: STEPTS 1 & 2
1. Letterhead: Print the first page on
organization letterhead
2. Contacts: Please add relevant PR
contact information

6. PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL
STEP 3
3. Headline
•Factual
•Active present tense
•Devoid of hype
•Most important information first

7. PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL
NEWS RELEASE: STEP 4
4. Dateline
•City of origin
•Date
•Is this for immediate release or
“embargoed”?

8. PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL
NEWS RELEASE: STEP 5
5. Lede or Lead
• Most important paragraph. It lays the
foundation, draws in the reader and sells the
story.
• Summary Lead
• Most important item first.
• Think about your commitment statement.
• Think about why a viewer or gatekeeper would
care.

9. PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL
NEWS RELEASE: STEP 6
Inverted Pyramid Diamond

10. PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL
NEWS RELEASE: STEP 7
7. Boilerplate/Tag: A brief paragraph explaining
who the organization is and what it’s all about.
•Include a short, clear description.
•You can work off a company’s mission
statement. Don’t use if verbatim.
•If you win awards, let people know.
•Let people know where they can learn more
and continue the conversation.

11. WHAT ABOUT QUOTES?
• Use them.
• Quotes should have adjectives and
emotion.
• Know the process of quote
approval.

12. Things not traditional, and you should
bring them to the table
• Tagged photos.
• Tagged video, ideally through your YouTube
channel.
• Suggested tweets and Facebook posts.
• Suggested Instagram or Pinterest messaging .
• Ideally, a reporter shouldn’t have to lift a
finger to create content from your news
release.