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Promotional Tools
News or press releases can be an invaluable tool for gaining positive publicity, keeping your company's name in the public eye, and providing the public with information that builds a sense of good will.
Even if you don't feel a need to send any releases to local reporters, maintaining a news release archive on your Web site is an excellent way to demonstrate productivity, activity and achievement. If your company appears busy, people will assume you must be great at what you do.
So how do you get started writing a news release? Here's a template that will help.
News Release Template
For immediate release
Media Contact: Joe Williams
(206) 555-3333
Fax: (206) 555-3334
joew@zyx.com
NEW SERVICE MANAGER ANNOUNCED AT LOCAL INTERNET COMPANY
Everett, WA -- July 2, 2001 -- zyx.com announced earlier today that Julie Brown has accepted the account service manager position at Everett's largest Internet service company. zyx.com will introduce Brown to company employees during a welcome dinner at Lucella's Italiano at 6:30 p.m., July 5.
"I'm so excited to be moving back to the area," Brown says. "I grew up in the area, and I'm looking forward to using my knowledge of this city and its people to help zyx.com expand even more."
Brown was graduated by the University of Washington three years ago then moved to Portland, where she worked for a large technology firm as a sales manager. As the account service manager at zyx.com, Brown will have the opportunity to work with both the technical side and the customer service side of Internet business.
-more-
Second page will contain additional information and details.
###
Don't Overlook
"For immediate release" lets reporters know your news release is ready to be used immediately. In the past, media contacts would sometimes postdate the release, in which case the publication would not publish the information until the specified date. This convention is rarely used anymore.
Media contact information should always appear in the upper right-hand corner below the company letterhead. Always give name, telephone numbers and e-mail address of a media contact in case reporters have questions.
You can include more than one name and list home phone numbers, cell phone numbers, and company address. Whatever you do, make sure reporters can contact you easily.
The headline should be in bold, capital letters and should summarize the main point of the news.
The location and date of the news release gives reporters a reference point.
One or two quotes in a news release make it stronger. Quotes are easy for reporters to use, add a sense of validity to the piece, and help the release appear more newsworthy.
The ### symbols. at the end of the final page is a convention that tells the reporter there is no more content. Often, pages become separated and reporters will need to know whether they have the entire press release or only a portion. If you have more than one page, type -more- at the bottom of those pages.
Company letterhead should always be used, whether it's especially for news releases or not.
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