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March 2009

So, you have a great product or service and you want to start ‘getting the word out’. Where to begin? It seems like a mammoth task, but if we take it step by step you’ll be able to create some buzz. In the last PR article I wrote in The Mompreneur, I talked about The Hook – identifying something about your business that is relevant, interesting, unique – newsworthy. Now you need to take that hook and express it in a press release to your target audience.

A press release is not as intimidating as it might seem. For all intents and purposes, a press release is a document
written for specific journalists to encourage them to announce something claimed as having news value – the hook. It is important to note that a press release is different from a news article. A news article is a compilation of facts developed by journalists and published in the news media, whereas a press release is designed to be sent to journalists in order to encourage them to develop favourable articles on the subject.

But why do you need a press release? The press release is the best way to get your information out to your target audience via the media. It provides a credible, unbiased third-party who is talking about you and your business. The release provides the media with all the information they need. It makes their job easier and it provides you with a platform to say anything you want about your news – provided it is factual. It is your time to shine.

This next part may seem a bit technical, but a good press release makes all the difference in the world. Journalists are sent press releases each day by the dozen. They are looking for specific things and if your release doesn’t measure up, they won’t even look at it, let alone consider writing anything.

Before we get into the mechanics of the release, here are the guidelines to keep in mind when creating the release:

Know your audience. It is important to know which media you will be sending your release to. Lifestyle media have a different style than business media or fashion media. This will influence what you write about in your release and how you write it.

Make sure your information is correct and free of errors. This is so important. A press release represents you/your company and you only get one chance to make a good first impression.

The information must be newsworthy. The “news” will depend on your product or event and who your media
audience is.

Always have the most important information at the top of the release. This will make it easy for the journalist to scan the information first and not have to read the whole thing before getting to the point.

A press release should not be more than a page, but if you need more space, two pages is fine in a clean typeface, either single or 1.3 spaces in between lines.

Ok, now let’s get started. A press release consists of nine parts: the release time, headline, sub-headline/summary,
dateline, opening paragraph, a quote, supportive paragraphs, boiler plate and contact information.

Release time
This appears at the top of every release. It is very important because it tells media whether or not the information can be made public or if it is to be held for a few days before it can be made public. Generally, if it is ready to share with the public “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ” will appear at the top left hand corner; if it isn’t ready, but you need media to have the information ahead of time, it will say “UNDER EMBARGO” and the release date will follow.

Headline
This is the title of the press release. It is short and to the point. It captures the main idea of the release and should grab the interest of the reader right away. Try not to use too many “playon-words”. You might think you are being clever and cute, but in actual fact you are diluting the news.

Sub-headline or summary
This follows the headline and gives a bit more information, but still needs to be tight and to the point. Here is an example of a headline and sub-headline:

COMPANY X IS SET TO EXPAND IT’S DISTRIBUTION ACROSS CANADA

3,000 Jobs Will Be Created Over The Next Five Years

Dateline
Before you even start to write the press release, a dateline must appear first. It will contain the date the release is being distributed and it will have the city in which the release is coming from.

Opening paragraph
This is a quick overview of what you want to talk about – it will contain the who, what, where, why and how in a few short sentences. This will immediately follow the dateline. Media don’t have a lot of time so you should capture all the main points in the headline, sub-headline and opening paragraph because in most cases, that is all they will read to decide if they want to do anything. The rest of the release adds the detailed information.
Here is what the release should look like so far:

COMPANY X IS SET TO EXPAND IT’S DISTRIBUTION ACROSS CANADA

3,000 Jobs Will Be Created Over The Next Five Years

June 3, 2008 (Calgary, AB) – Company X is proud to announce today that it will be expanding its distribution centers to include not only Halifax and Toronto, but also Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver over the next five years. With three more centers, 3,000 jobs will be created boosting the economy by 25 per cent. The expansion will start in Calgary in early fall.

The quote
Generally you don’t want to have too many quotes. The best place to put one is right after the opening paragraph or
following the second paragraph. It should be from the owner or the person who is most involved. They will be the individual that media will ask for if they want to do an interview later. It shouldn’t be too long, but it should be meaningful and add some inside perspective. The quote would be formatted like this:

“These are very exciting times for us,” says first name/last name, title, company. “We have worked with many strategic partners to get the green light to expand and now that we are, the influx of jobs and access to our products will be widely felt and beneficial in the communities in which we operate. We couldn’t be happier. “

Supportive paragraphs/body
This is the meat of the release. It elaborates on the lead paragraph with facts, background, stats and anything else that
is relevant. Keep in mind that even as you write the next few paragraphs, the most important information should be at the top and the least important towards the end.

Boiler plate
This is a paragraph that provides background information about you or the company. It helps the journalist to get to know you better.

Contact information

At the end of the release you will need to have the name, telephone number, and email address of the person that media can follow up with if they want more information or to speak with someone. You will also want to include your web site address if you have one. If you have images you want them to know about, you would mention it here. The contact line will look like this:

For more information or to speak with our representative, please contact:

Closing
You will want to let media know that the release is done and that there isn’t another page to follow. The following symbols ‘###’ or -30- are what are used at the end of the release. Make sure you also number the pages of the release if there is more than one.

Review
Make sure you review your press release for grammatical errors, spelling errors and missed words. It is helpful to also
have someone else look at the release since they will provide fresh eyes and a clean perspective.

Chantal Lewis, owner of C Communications, has over 13 years of experience working in the Public Relations industry. She has successfully completed numerous PR mandates for both large and small organizations across Canada through strategic and creative planning and execution.
chantal@c-communications.ca
www.c-communications.ca

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