A press release is a written announcement by an organization of a newsworthy event, idea, product, or service aimed at generating publicity through news media coverage at no cost. It should answer the basic questions of who, what, when, where, how and why in the first paragraph to give journalists the gist. The release should be tailored to the specific journalist or media outlet, provide context in subsequent paragraphs, and end with contact information and ### to signify the end. Press releases should use an active voice, be grammatically correct, and grab attention while explaining the newsworthiness.

1. IN A NUTSHELL
how to write pyrotechnical press releases

2. Hi! I’m Frederik, a marketer and
copywriter.Textbooks and industry
articles sometimes get a bit lost in
jargon when explaining key ideas.
That’s why I created nutshells: to
explain technical concepts in a way
that’s simple, straightforward, fun,
and easy to remember.

3. Today’s topic:

4. A PRESS RELEASE
is an organization’s written announcement of a newsworthy
event, idea, product, or service to the news media.

5. PUBLICITY
is the press release’s goal. Organizations hope that the
news media will run a story based on the release, thereby
generating (positive) awareness at no cost to the
organization.

6. THE FIRST THING
to know about press releases is that members of the press
are not members of your marketing staff or extensions of
your sales force.

7. THE SECOND THING
to know is that press releases are not direct sales pitches for
your product or service, because reporters are not your
paying customers.

8. SO USE FACTS.
Not emotional appeals. Not marketing fluff. Not little white
advertising exaggerations. Facts. Period.

9. HOWEVER,
press releases do involve persuasion – the goal is to
persuade journalists that whatever it is your announcing is
worthy of news coverage.

10. YOUR STORY
is therefore critical, because journalists want to deliver
news that 1) engages their readers, and 2) sells their
newspaper or magazine.

11. So how do you write a press
release?

12. YOUR TITLE
should be short, informative, and attention-grabbing.

13. SUBTITLES ARE OKAY,
just don’t repeat what you say in the title. Use a subtitle to
provide a brief context or to add just a bit more detail than
what can fit in the title.

14. START YOUR 1st
paragraph with the city and date related to your
announcement.

15. YOUR 1st PARAGRAPH
should answer the basic questions: who, what, when,
where, how, and why. Journalists should get the gist of the
announcement here – in case they don’t read anything else.

16. PROVIDE CONTEXT
for your 2nd (and 3rd) paragraphs.This can involve insightful
quotes, explanations, and historical backgrounds. Be
concise and precise.

17. TO WRAP IT UP,
finish with boilerplate information about your company
under the ABOUT [YOUR COMPANY NAME] heading. Be
descriptive about what makes you distinctive and credible.

18. DON’T FORGET
to include your website URL and media links. And feel free
to include an image.

19. LENGTH -
press releases range in length from 300 to 800 words. I
suggest aiming for 400-450 words.

20. AT THE TOP
of your release, identify the person who will be the media’s
contact and provide contact information. Alternatively, you
can provide contact information after the company
description.

21. YOU CAN ALSO SPECIFY
at the top of the release whether it’s for immediate release
or embargoed until a future date.

22. END
your press release with ### centered on the page.This is
an industry standard sign for “THE END.”

23. What else should you know about
press releases to make them
pyrotechnical?

24. JOURNALISTS
are busy.They get a lot of eMail. The best way to stand
out is to be relevant, so take the time to do some research
about the journalist and his/her news organization.

25. SERIOUSLY. RESEARCH.
When I worked as a cultural columnist and art critic, I’d get
press releases about baby products. Delete!

26. TAILOR YOUR RELEASE
to the needs of the journalists and news organizations you’re
approaching.

27. BE ACCESSIBLE.
Assume you’re writing for a lay audience, so lay off the
technical gobbledygook.

28. BE CLEAR
about why your event, idea, product, or service is newsworthy.
Why should anyone care? Just because you have something to
sell doesn’t mean it’s newsworthy, so think carefully.

29. CONSIDER
some good rules of thumb as the foundation for press releases
that will set off publicity fireworks.

30. THE ACTIVE VOICE
should be used instead of the passive voice.

31. WRITE WELL.
Grammatically correct your sentences should be.

32. GRAB A DICTIONARY.
Check your spilling.

33. DIG DEEPER …
For more on press releases and public relations, visit:
prweb.com
aboutpublicrelations.com

34. Do you have an idea for a nutshell? Is there a challenging
concept you would like me to explain in everyday language?
Send your suggestions to frederik_sisa@yahoo.com.
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