Writing a press release

If you are going to use the news media, decide whether to send a press release or if it would be better to invite journalists for a face-to-face briefing or interview. Press releases are good for announcements and when you want to give the journalist some text to base their story on. Interviews and briefings are suitable when you are dealing with a complicated issue and want to make sure the journalist understands. 

Remember that journalists and photographers are busy people. They’ll be reluctant to leave their offices unless they’re sure it’s worth their while. Your role is to make your story irresistible, and then to sell it to them in a press release. Even if you are planning to invite the journalist for an interview, it’s useful to go through the press release process to focus your thoughts and make sure you’ve covered everything. And if the journalist asks you to send background details in advance, you’ll have some information ready to hand. 

Journalists want stories in an easy-to-understand format. The press release is the standard format used to provide this information to journalists – there are certain conventions on putting together a press release. 

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