Media release

This guide is intended to help activists identify the key elements needed to produce a successful news release.

This is a must. Your headline is going to be the first thing the recipient journalist looks at; if it doesn't look interesting, they will probably discard it. Keep the headline short, but add a couple of action words. The headline should encapsulate the central point of your news item. You will probably also want to mention the sponsoring organization (you) briefly. For example, rabble wanted to publicize the Activist Toolkit in a media release, the title might look something like this:

In this headline we have the newsworthy item (the online tool), who it is coming from (rabble) and the target audience (activists).

The first thing that should appear is the date and place of origin (or the relevant location being talked about) of the release. Put your lead (what makes this newsworthy) in the first paragraph. Follow it up with several sentences that develop the lead, including the purpose behind this news and what the news actually is. Finally, be sure to outline any context, history and personalities involved, as well as the impact this news will have on the intended audience.

Although you will have a contact person with a prepared set of talking points that journalists can get in touch with, it is a good idea to include some statements that a reporter can use as a sound byte. This will increase your exposure, as some journalists might not bother to call you for a followup, but would perhaps run a small newspiece if the information was provided in the initial release. It will also help if you are unavailable for any reason if/when they do try to contact you. For example:

“Toolkit developer Justin Saunders stated that the new feature 'will greatly expand the collaborative possibilities of rabble's website for its membership'”

Press releases should generally be one page in length. Multi-page documents with research, references and images should be able to summarize your message clearly on a separate, single page; this is what recipients are going to look at. Keep the page clean, written in standard sized lettering and plain text; don't use strange looking, 'artistic' fonts. You may think it looks cool, but those on the receiving end will almost certainly disregard it. The goal here is to get your message read. Let your salient points do the talking, not your presentation.

In order to determine where and to whom you need to distribute your press release, you should return to your initial considerations – particularly the intended audience and which type of media you are targeting. If you know your audience and the type of media you are interested in, you should be able to generate a list of media outlets and key contacts to disseminate your news release to. These will likely include newswires (CP, Reuters, AP, CUP etc.) and the major media outlets. Send your release as early in the day as possible.

When dealing with mainstream media organizations, the three established methods of distribution are mail, fax and e-mail (mail may still be useful particularly if you have a multi-page document – see formatting above). When using these methods, you should always be sure to follow up and make sure the intended recipients have received the news release.

In addition, emerging telecommunications(mobile) technology and online media (social networking sites like Facebook, sharing sites like YouTube and collaborative new media sites such as rabble itself) provide additional outlets. When using these methods, you should be sure to provide a contact point such as a website with a 'pressroom' area that these users can easily access and share with others.

Comments

Submitted by justin saunders on May 5, 2009 - 3:20pm.

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Submitted by StevenStaples on May 22, 2009 - 10:44pm.

While this guide provides a great primer on writing a press release, from my experience the press release is not always the best way to win media attention.

The press release is used when one is attempting to make news. That is, create a media story where one did not exist before. For instance, a press release is used to announce the release of a new research report in the hopes that it will catch a reporter's or editor's interest.

But trying to "make news" is the most difficult way to win media attention. You can gain much more media coverage by trying to insert your view into a story that is already being written.

This requires a good media list that includes phones and email addresses. Personal relationships with reporters are always a good thing to have when you need to move quickly.

Here's an example. Say you hear that the government has made an announcement related to your field of work. Reporters are writing their stories right now, and they will be looking for knowledgeable, engaged people to provide commentary.

When this happens you don't have time to sit down and start writing a 300 word press release. It's much better to send a short, informal email or make a quick call to newsrooms and reporters covering the story. The email quickly signals that you have a comment, are an authority or otherwise have a stake in the story, and are prepared to deliver it in front of a camera right away.

The email is a wonderful tool for media relations. Not only is it fast and is often delivered right to a reporter's Blackberry, but it is OK to be informal.

Of course there is no single perfect or guaranteed approach to winning media coverage. But as technology and the demands on reporters has changed, so can our approaches.

Submitted by StevenStaples on May 22, 2009 - 10:49pm.

Recently I wrote about ways that you can get your view in an article that is being written about a breaking major news story. Below is a good example of how FAS promoted its speaker to journalists covering a story. I highly reccomend this type of approach as a way to get your view in the news, without trying to go to allthe effort to "make news."

------ Forwarded Message
From: FAS News Room <mamarelo@fas.org>
Reply-To: <mamarelo@fas.org>
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 08:40:07 -0400
To:
Subject: Expert Available: Plot Thwarted to Acquire Anti-Aircraft Missiles




Federation of American Scientists www.FAS.org

Expert Available for Interviews
CONTACT: Monica Amarelo 202-454-4680 mamarelo@fas.org

Four men were arrested on Wednesday night on charges of plotting to bomb

two synagogues in the Bronx and to use antiaircraft missiles to shoot down

planes at a military base in New York, 60 miles north of New York City. Arms

Sales Monitoring Project Manager Matt Schroeder is available to discuss the

alleged plot to shoot down a U.S. military aircraft with an antiaircraft missile,

and the acquisition and use of these missiles by terrorists around the world.

Read his bio here: http://www.fas.org/press/experts/schroeder.html. [5]

To unsubscribe, please click here. <http://lists.fas.org/listman/unsubscribe.php?M=120139&C=2b93449f4e3aa0a951b56497339f5ab9&L=46&N=241> [6]

Submitted by admin on June 18, 2009 - 11:38am.

hey stephen ...

you should write another article about 'making news' for media attention etc and then link it from this article with a bit of a description etc ... :)