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How to Find the Right Style for Your Press Release. Don't be fooled into thinking press
releases are a one-size-fits-all deal. Find the right style for the client and the occasion
you're promoting. You will need Immediate significance Short punchy headlines Catchy
and bold prose News wire, e-mail, or courier Media alert and boilerplate (optional). Step
1. Compose a straight news press release if your press release is of immediate significance.
Without superlatives, emphasize who, what, when, where, why, and how, and use the third-person
point of view like a good journalist. No matter your approach, always date the release with
an informational tag in boldface capital letters: "For IMMEDIATE RELEASE." Step 2. Tell the
story in a short, punchy headline and avoid cuteness. Editors will call if they're curious
about something you provided. Use a subhead to succinctly detail the heart of the story
to save them time. Step 3. Use catchy and bold prose for events that require timely,
urgent attention. Maximize the impact and use a news wire or e-mail, or even an overnight
courier, to get it to them the same day as the event. Step 4. Generate publicity with
executive appointment bulletins by focusing on how this promotion will impact the market
in general. Emphasize the market trends related to the press release and transform the piece
into a general interest news story. Include a "boilerplate," a block of standard prose
describing your company, at the bottom of the page. Step 5. Take your ego out of any
release, even if you're creating excitement with your prose. No matter the style you choose,
journalists aren't interested in you, your selling technique, or your company -- only
in a good story. So, give them one! Did you know Ivy Lee created the first press release
in 1906 when he convinced the Pennsylvania Railroad to distribute a public statement
when 50 people died in a train wreck.