Go on, say something interesting...

The art of writing press releases

Basic rules

Tell me something I don’t know... but something

I would want to know

Good stories travel...

Will it interest people

outside your building?

If not, pin it on a noticeboard

Sigh...

Company A is delighted to announce it has secured a contract with Company B...

But we’re not going to tell you how much it’s worth...

What it will involve...

Nor if it will create new jobs

… and sigh again

Company A is delighted to announce that it has acquired Company B

But we’re not going to tell you why...

Certainly not how much for... nor what it meansfor our staff.

Before I pressdelete...

Don’t just say what’s

happened...

Explain the significance of the news for your

business and your workforce...

Maybe even your industry... maybe your town.

The past is a foreigncountry…

Don’t assume we know what you do...

In the mainstream media, journalists are laymen and so are our readers...

Jargon is a barrier to understanding

Hmmm… this could make a story

Size isn’t everything...

But give us a sense of scale...

Are you a £300k, £3m, £30m turnover business?

One-man band, a dozen, or scores of staff?

But where’s the pithy quote?

Don’t just be “delighted”...

Tell us (and our readers)

why this makes a

difference

You’ve got our attention... and reasons to give

the story prominence

But what about stormy weather?

Bad news has a habit of finding its way into thepublic domain...

We’ll never make things up... we aim to be fairand accurate

But if only one side of the story is talking... it doesn’t make it easy to be balanced

Dib-dib-dib…

Be prepared...

If you don’t want to be interviewed... prepare a

statement.

There’s always a reason... always an

explanation.

So who do I send it to?

The editor?

The newsdesk?

The specialist

reporter?

It’s not rocket science

You’re a savvy reader…

What stops you turning the page?

What questions would you ask of that business?

Think context – both for the facts and the comment