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News Release

News releasewhy write one?

• It can be cost effective.• News articles impact

purchasing decisions and enhance SEO.

• Third party endorsements are a big deal. In some cases, a really big deal.

THREE TYPES OF NEWS RELEASES

• Announcements•Personnel •Product •Financial• Spot announcements: Response

to problems that you didn’t cause. We have to close school because of snow.

THREE TYPES OF NEWS RELEASES

• Reaction: When an event or situation impacts the organization.•Bad news: Comment, don’t cover up bad news.•Local news: Localized news gets covered more often

PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL NEWS RELEASE: STEPS 1 & 2

1.Letterhead: Print the first page on organization letterhead

2.Contacts: Please add relevant PR contact information.

PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL STEP 3

3. Headline•Factual•Active present tense •Devoid of hype•Most important information first

PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL NEWS RELEASE: STEP 4

4. Dateline•City of origin•Date•Is this for immediate release or “embargoed”?

PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL NEWS RELEASE: STEP 5 5. Lede or Lead•Most important paragraph. It lays the foundation, draws in the reader and sells the story.•Summary Lead•Most important item first.•Think about your commitment statement.•Think about why a viewer or gatekeeper would care.

PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL NEWS RELEASE: STEP 6

Inverted Pyramid Diamond

PARTS OF A TRADITIONAL NEWS RELEASE: STEP 7

7. Boilerplate/Tag: A brief paragraph explaining who the organization is and what it’s all about.•Include a short, clear description. •You can work off a company’s mission statement. Don’t use if verbatim.•If you win awards, let people know.•Let people know where they can learn more and continue the conversation.

WHAT ABOUT QUOTES?• Use them.• Quotes should have adjectives and

emotion.• Know the process of quote

approval.

Things not traditional, and you should bring them to the table• Tagged photos.• Tagged video, ideally through your

YouTube channel.• Suggested tweets and Facebook posts.• Suggested Instagram or Pinterest

messaging .• Ideally, a reporter shouldn’t have to

lift a finger to create content from your news release.