How to write a press release

How to write a news release

General Guidelines

1. Print or copy each news release in a consistent format.

2. Make sure the information is newsworthy and factual.

3. Ask yourself, “How are people going to relate to this and will they be able to connect?”

4. Use simple, clear, and concise language and sentence structure.

5. Provide as much contact information as possible: Individual to contact, address, phone, fax, e-mail, Web site address.

6. Use active verbs – nouns and verbs drive a story: for example, “Credit union officers signed the contract Thursday,” not, “The contract was signed by credit union officers Thursday."

7. Avoid technical terms, especially in your opening paragraph. If you do use them, be sure it’s part of the story where you have the space to define or explain them.

8. Quote qualified sources within the credit union - a direct quote can add a human element to technical information or add an element of authority to an official statement.

9. If you email a news release, remember to make the file name a brief description of the release's topic. The media receives hundreds a day, so a file name of "ABCCUgrandopening" receives more attention than "newsrelease" or "document 1".

A samples news release appears below:

For further information contact:

John Smith

(888)555-5555

For Immediate Release (or when to be released)

(HEADLINE)

Columbus, OH (Date release sent) – Make sure the first 10 words, the most important, is a summary of the entire release. This may be the only paragraph that a reporter or editor reads, so it must grab their attention, include key details, and use concise and simple language.

Second & Third Paragraphs - Later in the release you will want to share the finer details. Who is involved? What is taking place? Where did it occur? When did it happen? How did it happen? (If you know why.) How did the situation or event unfold?

“Be sure to use an appropriate quote and cite the person who said it after the quote,” said Bobby Q. Johnny.

Fourth, fifth and remaining paragraphs should contain information or facts in order of decreased importance.

When the story has been sufficiently told, stop writing. A good news release is judged by the quality of information, not its length.

End the release with “- END -” or “- 30 -” or “- ### -”

*If the release has more than one page, type “- more -” centered under the last paragraph of each page but the last. At the top of the second (and third, etc.) page, type a one or two-word name for the release and the page number, such as “2-2-2”.

Source

The Ohio Credit Union League is a state trade association whose mission is to foster
the success of credit unions, and the credit union philosophy, in Ohio.

e-mail the Ohio Credit Union System
The Ohio Credit Union League,
10 W. Broad St., Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 336-2894, (800) 486-2917, Fax: (614) 336-2895
© 2003 The Ohio Credit Union League