Promotional Tools
More Tips on Writing News Releases
By John Doe

On any given day, reporters and editors at print publications receive hundreds of press kits and news releases from businesses, organizations and corporations that want to place stories.

Most of these bits of news will never make it to print, and the reason is simple: useless release content combined with poor writing skills.

The following guidelines and hints will increase your chances of seeing your company's name in print.

When you're ready to write, take a look at our template that outlines the specific conventions used in a standard news release.

What Editors Like

Localized stories. Promoting Julie Brown to service manager of zyx.com is not news. However, if zyx.com happens to be your town's largest Internet service company or if Julie Brown is an alumna from your town's university, it is news. Reporters are interested in local stories because they are relevant to readers and unique to the publication coverage area.

Concise writing.

News writers use what is known as the inverted pyramid. The most newsworthy information is imparted immediately and the rest of the text provides details. The first sentences in your news release should immediately answer who, what, when, where and why.

Editors and reporters don't have time to read through your five-page release to figure out what you're trying to say. Add details later but put all necessary facts at the beginning. Also, your release should be no longer than two pages. If an editor or a reporter is interested in more details, he or she will call you.

Human-interest stories.

If one of your employees volunteers as a firefighter or if your company recently put together a fund-raiser to buy books for the local library, write about it.

People love to see feel-good tidbits in the paper, and if your company or somebody working in it can help people feel happy for a few moments, an editor will find room for your story somewhere.

What Editors Hate

Fluff.

If your company recently purchased a new company vehicle, nobody will care. Unless it's something unique, such as the Oscar-Mayer Wienermobile, it won't make the news. Winning an important account, hitting a sales record and participating in a local charity event are newsworthy topics. Redecorating your office probably isn't.

Superfluous writing.

Be concise, concise, concise. Cut the extra adjectives and the unnecessary prepositions. Silence the passive voice. If you have forgotten what these are, learn.

Check and recheck all spelling and grammar.

Don't rely on your computer's spell-check. Using language correctly will help you more than you could imagine. Don't try to sound smart, just say what you mean and be done.

Advertising.

You aren't selling anything. You're sharing information about your company you think the public might find interesting. A news release is a tool that allows news outlets access to important and interesting events at your company. Reporters will trash anything that looks like a plug for your company or its products.

And Keep in Mind Before sending your news release, you'll want to know precisely who should receive it. Call the local papers and ask to which editor or reporter to address the envelope.

For that matter, ask the editor or the reporter how they prefer to receive news releases: via e-mail, fax or regular mail. The paper might have a specific fax number for the topic or a private e-mail address to filter spam.

Your news release is far more likely to be read if you send it according to the reporter's preferences.

Be ready to talk to the media. If you're sending a news release to media outlets, it means you want media coverage.

If reporters call and no one is available or willing to answer questions or to speak candidly about the company, your news might not be used. Or worse, it might be used against you. Media relations should be a top priority. Be open, honest and available.

If you send your news release via e-mail, it is especially important to put all pertinent information first. Put your contact information at the end so the reporter doesn't have to scroll back to the top after reading the release.

Because reading from a computer is harder on the eyes than reading hard copy, it is especially important to keep your news release short: ideally, 500 words or less. Feel free to make use of bullets, numbers and dashes to organize your release for fast, easy reading.