Writing a Winning Press Release

Write it right to get it read!

The most important thing to remember when writing press releases is that reporters and editors get hundreds of them and must make decisions about which ones to use. It pays to keep it simple and to the point.

Press Release Must-Haves

Here are five pointers that apply to every press release you write:

1. Stick to Who, What, When, Where, How. That's what reporters want to know. Use that old formula and you'll never go wrong.
2. Get attention with a good headline. Your headline probably won't get used, but it should be calculated to get the reporter's attention. The headline should make it clear right away why the information is of interest to the community and convey a sense of urgency or timeliness.
3. Include important details but leave out the rest. If the reporter decides to do a story, they can call you for more information.
4. Always include a quote. Reporters often pull quotes directly from press releases to use in their stories, so your quote should be attributed to the relevant expert for the topic and capture the key points you want to highlight when sharing this news in case the quote is used without additional context.
5. Always include a short paragraph about your organization and contact information for the person in your organization charged with talking to the media.

Achieving Your Goal

Remember that your objective in sending out press releases is for media outlets to incorporate the information in their publication or broadcast - or even better, to follow up with you to produce a story featuring your agency.

The simpler, clearer, and easier you can make your press releases to read, the more likely it is that they'll be picked up.

You can read sample press releases from the ASPCA to see how sticking to the essentials makes an informative, easy-to-digest press release for media and members of the public.