Review the section entitled “The Format of a News Release” in the beginning of Chapter 6. Choose an existing product or a made up product and write a one to two page news release (not including title and reference pages) announcing the introduction of the new product using the provided format.  The paper: Must be one to two double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.) . Must include a separate title page with the following: Title of paper Student’s name Course name and number Instructor’s name Date submitted Must use at leaste one scholarly source in addition to the course text. Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. News Release Format Unlike a novel, where the plot thickens and the climax comes at the end, the essential points of a news release appear right up front—in the first sentence or paragraph(s), commonly referred to as the lead . The news release lead—like the lead in a newspaper news story—answers all the pertinent questions that a reader might have, specifically: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? In other words, once you’ve read the first paragraph or so in a news release, you know all you need to know about the subject at hand.Everything else is interesting but less pertinent detail. For example, the following is a solid news release lead: Brooklyn, NY, April 28, 2014 —Jay Z and Beyonce announced today that in response to overwhelming demand from their fans, they would depart on a joint “On the Run” tour, covering 16 cities in the U.S. and Canada, between June and August. Inverted pyramid. News release format is that of an upside-down pyramid, where the most important facts come first and less important facts appear in descending order. In about three dozen words, this one sentence answers just about all the primary questions anyone might have about this news event. As the release proceeds, other details—the specific cities, format of the concerts, and so on—might be discussed. The public relations writer attacks the release by answering the relevant questions in descending order of importance—the most relevant first, the less relevant next. In this way, news release writing is less writing than it is selecting which facts are more important than others. It is the writer’s job to arrange these facts so that the reader understands immediately the significance of the announcement and then learns about the less essential information in the body of the release. This format is known as the upside-down or inverted pyramid , where the most important items are displayed immediately and the facts dwindle in terms of importance as the release approaches its tip. This wr.

1. Review the section entitled “The Format of a News Release” in
the beginning of Chapter 6. Choose an existing product or a
made up product and write a one to two page news release (not
including title and reference pages) announcing the introduction
of the new product using the provided format.
The paper:
Must be one to two double-spaced pages in length (not
including title and references pages) and formatted according to
APA style as outlined in the
Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)
.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
Must use at leaste one scholarly source in addition to the course
text.
Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the
Ashford Writing Center.

2. Must include a separate references page that is formatted
according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing
Center.
News
Release
Format
Unlike a novel, where the plot thickens and the climax comes at
the end, the essential points of a news release appear right up
front—in the first sentence or paragraph(s), commonly referred
to as the
lead
. The news release lead—like the lead in a newspaper news
story—answers all the pertinent questions that a reader might
have, specifically:
Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?
How?

3. In other words, once you’ve read the first paragraph or so in a
news release, you know all you need to know about the subject
at hand.Everything else is interesting but less pertinent detail.
For example, the following is a solid news release lead:
Brooklyn,
NY,
April
28,
2014
—Jay Z and Beyonce announced today that in response to
overwhelming demand from their fans, they would depart on a
joint “On the Run” tour, covering 16 cities in the U.S. and
Canada, between June and August.
Inverted
pyramid.
News
release
format
is
that of
an

4. upside-down
pyramid,
where
the
most important
facts
come
first
and
less
important facts
appear
in
descending
order.
In about three dozen words, this one sentence answers just
about all the primary questions anyone might have about this
news event. As the release proceeds, other details—the specific
cities, format of the concerts, and so on—might be discussed.
The public relations writer attacks the release by answering the
relevant questions in descending order of importance—the most

5. relevant first, the less relevant next. In this way, news release
writing is less
writing
than it is
selecting
which facts are more important than others. It is the writer’s
job to arrange these facts so that the reader understands
immediately the significance of the announcement and then
learns about the less essential information in the body of the
release. This format is known as the upside-down or
inverted
pyramid
, where the most important items are displayed immediately and
the facts dwindle in terms of importance as the release
approaches its tip.
This writing format—with facts first, so that no reader will be
confused as to what you wish to tell them—works not only in
news releases but also in letters, emails, memos, blogs, and
virtually any type of writing where clarity and understanding
are most important (in other words,
most
types of writing!). In this way, rather than being a “deadletter,”
as some might suggest, the news release is the most critical and
valuable format a public relations writer can learn.
News
Release
Style
As public relations writers are professional writers, the news
release copy they produce should follow professional style
guidelines. The most common style that news releases follow is

6. Associated Press (AP) wire service style, referenced in Chapter
4.
Following accepted AP style is important for a public relations
writer. Content, of course, is king, but how a release looks also
plays a role in determining how a public relations person is
assessed. Journalists judge all aspects of what you hand them.
Proper release style, therefore, will help bolster the credibility
of you, your release, and your organization. Using AP style
helps ensure that rewriting is reduced and improves the chances
of the release being used. Releases also must appear attractive
in inviting reporters to peruse them. That means following
certain rules of thumb—among them, identification, release
date, length, headlines, punctuation and spelling, email
protocol, and multimedia releases.
Identification
The name and telephone number(s) of the release writer should
appear prominently in the release, in case an editor wants
further information. The purpose is to facilitate reporter
contact, so all pertinent phone numbers—work, home, cell,
vacation place—should be listed.For online releases, including
contact information at both the top and bottom of the release
reduces the need for scrolling.
In terms of the addressee, no reporter likes to get lumped in
with others, so you should list only one reporter in the “To” line
of the email.
Release
Date
A news release is not a book. Since most news releases are
distributed via email, they should be kept short. A release

7. should be edited tightly, using concise sentences. Paragraphs
should also be short, no more than six lines at most. A single
sentence can suffice as a paragraph.According to paid wire
service PR Newswire, the average print release is 500 words.
Email releases should be shorter than that. Email software such
as Microsoft Outlook includes fixed set limits on the size of
messages received. Long messages will be truncated.ed.
Length
A news release is not a book. Since most news releases are
distributed via email, they should be kept short. A release
should be edited tightly,using concise sentences. Paragraphs
should also be short, no more than six lines at most. A single
sentence can suffice as a paragraph.According to paid wire
service PR Newswire, the average print release is 500 words.
Email releases should be shorter than that. Emailsoftware such
as Microsoft Outlook includes fixed set limits on the size of
messages received. Long messages will be truncated.
Headlines
Headlines should always be included to entice editors into
reading on into the body of the news release that follows. The
headline should be informative enough so that editors can see
quickly what the release is about. Email headlines should be
written in boldface upper- and lowercase and limited to 10
words or less. In addition to headlines,
slug
lines
—established “signposts” such as “more” for copy that
continues and “30” or “####” to indicate the end—are
imperative on print releases. Online releases benefit from
subheads or boldface to make copy more graphically arresting.

8. Punctuation
and
Spelling
Watch
your
language.
Every
day,
public relations
writers
distribute
thousands
of news
releases
hoping
for
media
pickup;

9. a single
misspelling
can
sink
the
most worthwhile
release.
The primary purpose of punctuation is to clarify the writer’s
thoughts, ensure exact interpretation, and make reading and
understanding quicker and easier. Less punctuation should be
one goal. Be consistent in your use of punctuation such as
commas, colons, and hyphens. And try to limit the use of
exclamation points! Spelling, too, is critical. Many words (from
adviser
to
zucchini
) are commonly misspelled. Even spell-check isn’t foolproof, so
always recheck. One misspelling could doom the use of your
release.
Email
Protocol
While you should link releases to the organization’s URL,
attachments are strictly taboo.Reporters will be reluctant to
download any file and face the risk of a virus. Email releases
must balance information with readability. That means that
public relations writers should pay attention to making copy

10. attractive, using bullets, lists, numbers, and other devices that
make a release more eye-friendly and scannable. The same is
true with respect to materials that lend themselves to tabular
form, such as lists and timetables—make them pleasing to the
eye.
Multimedia
Releases
Finally, today’s news release writers must be cognizant of the
power that the computer gives to reach a broader audience and
drive views, principally through the incorporation of
multimedia embeds in releases. Such multimedia releases—also
known as digital releases or smart releases—may include
embedded images or short video or audio files to provide an
added spark to complement the text. Here again, it depends who
composes your primary audience. If your target publics
areYouTube users, than it might make good sense to include
video in your release. If your targets spend more time on
Pinterest, than creating“pinnable” images might make sense. In
most cases, the text content of the release is most crucial
(content is king), but multimedia has an increasing place in the
creation of news releases.
The bottom line on format and style: As a professional
communicator, the public relations writer must ensure that
every release he or she produces is not only newsworthy and
informative, but also properly presented and interesting to read.