8 steps to a successful press release

The easy route to writing a press release.

Before you read any further I have to make a small confession. I chose the number 8 for the title only because it sounds better than 6 or 13 and '39 Steps' was not only already taken but also seemed a little daunting. So, although you will find eight sections below outlining the things you need to do to make sure your press release looks and feels professional (I'm not a bare-faced liar, after all), you need to be aware that there are other things that could be said.

I've also made a couple of crucial assumptions. One: you know what a press release is and why you want to write one. Two: that you know how to gather the information you need to include in your press release. In other words, I'm regarding you as a freelance writer facing the task of creating your first commissioned press release.

What is a Press Release? (This is not a step!)

A press release is really just advertising dressed up as news. It's used by an organisation or company to generate publicity - in printed and electronic media - for an event, activity, or new product/service.

The editors of the web sites, papers and magazines receiving the press releases are happy to use some as the basis for a filler or short piece. The less the original press release reads like a sales pitch, the less work an editor needs to put in to make the story suitable for the readers and the more likely they will use it.

An editor likes to know that what has been sent is a press release. So;

Step 1: Don't call it a press release when it's not a press release

When an editor opens an email with the subject line 'Press Release', they don't expect to find an essay or an article or a sales letter. The first reaction will be frustration or anger, the second a realisation that the sender is an amateur, and the third will be to look for the address blocker on their email client.

Go to the web site of a large company and find their media or press area. There will probably be a list of recent - and not so recent - press releases. Browse through them to get a feel for how they read and, above all, how they must look at first glance to an editor. Then look at yours. Does it look like a press release?

Remember that an editor is not looking for the news dressed up in fancy fonts and in colour. Given that a large proportion of press releases are now delivered electronically, don't include anything that cannot be displayed in a simple text format. I tend to choose 12pt Courier when I do a press release because it has an old-fashioned typewritten look to it. And if you need emphasis, use italics rather than bold.

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