Top Ten Rules For Brilliant Press Releases
- Make sure that your message passes the critical “Is it news?” tests:
- Is it topical and is the message timely and relevant?
- Is it going to be relevant to the audience that you are sending it to?
- Is it unusual and will it attract attention?
- Is it Unique? (If it is that is far better than being unusual!)
- Does it mean trouble for someone and will this excite the audience? Or does it mean news of Tragedy, Triumph in the face of adversity or Triumph over Tragedy?
- Where is the human interest?
- Keep it short – on side of A4 is more than enough!
- Make the layout clear and concise – one font, one size of print. Use 12 point and a nice plain style.
- Tell the whole story in the first paragraph; this is vital as it grabs attention. Consider the who, what, when, where, why and how of the issue.
- Use simple language – avoid waffle, avoid piffle and avoid jargon. The ONLY exception to this is if you are writing a technical and industry-specific Press Release.
- Present the document so that it can easily be sent in the body of an email. Never write something that needs to be sent in an attachment – busy people never have time to open them!
- Put in a quote from a spokesperson – these make interesting sound bites for onward transmission. 140 characters or less is ideal.
- Always use a short, attractive headline.
- Include technical details and explanations only as supporting notes.
- Provide 24/7 contact details.
Good Luck!
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