How to write a press release

(Posted on 21/11/24)

First up, you need a good headline

It should give a clear indication of what the story is going to be about. Summarise the entire story in one short sentence, no more than ten words long, in the present tense. Don’t try and be too clever. Don’t use your company name – focus on what you do rather than who you are.

 

Get the first paragraph right

Press releases are always cut by a journalist from the bottom up, so the most important information needs to be in the first paragraph. The easiest way to start is to ask yourself: Who? What? Where? When? Why? And how? This is all the more important information, so spend your time crafting this.

Remember, press releases are always written in the third person, so it’s ‘Zebra Marketing and Communications has announced today that…’, not ‘We are announcing that…’. Also, an organisation is ALWAYS singular. Never refer to a company as ‘their’, it should always be the company name or ‘its’.

Use statistics and numbers if you can, journalists love being able to quantify what a statement means. So, numbers, such as percentages of growth, amount of investment, etc. are all good.

 

The rest follows on

The second paragraph provides more in-depth information, elaborating on your first paragraph. Next, a quote from one of the key people involved in the story. Such as your client or the charity you have raised funds for. You can also include a quote from someone at your own organisation. This should be someone relatively senior who is involved or at least has oversight of whatever it is your press release is about.

Don’t forget, you must get permission from everyone who is quoted, for their quote and for the use of their name, job title and organisation. Sometimes, it can make sense for you to write the quote on their behalf and then ask them if they are happy to have those words accredited to them. This can be quicker than asking someone to provide you with a quote.

Complete your press release with a call to action. Such as a note of when the event described is taking place, or a link to a website to find out more information.

At the bottom, include contact details for more editorial or press information – full name, job title, name of their organisation, phone number and email address. This contact needs to be someone who is fully briefed on the story and has decision making capability.

You can also include a Notes to Editors section. This is an opportunity to describe your organisation ‘at a glance’ in no more than half a dozen numbered or bullet points. This avoids having to include a lot of explanation over what you do in the body of the release.

Press releases should be short, preferably one side of A4, but definitely no more than 2 sides. Lines should be spaced at 1.5. Check, double check, and get someone else to check for typos and grammatical errors. They’re very easy to miss, especially common traps like your/ you’re, their/ there/ they’re, to/too, its/it’s , are/our, etc.

 

Issuing a press release

Once your press release is written and approved, it’s time to get it ready to send out. A good photo with a clear caption will help your press release achieve more engagement. You then need to sort out your distribution list, which might include local newspapers, trade publications or regional business magazines.

 

At Zebra, we have excellent media contacts and are adept at building relationships with key trade publications. Get in touch if you need assistance with writing and issuing press releases for coverage that counts for your organisation.