Getting Started
News Releases (or Press Releases) are the most common ways of communicating information about our activities to the public and, fortunately, they are the easiest to master.
Newspapers are the most accessible of all the different types of media available to us; the best way to get your story into print in a newspaper is to do part or all of the editor's work for him or her.
A newspaper's resources may be limited in the sense that reporters are not always available to cover every story. Plus, no reporter is an expert in every field of human endeavor. Particularly in cases like ours, where many of the stories are a bit esoteric, editors tire quickly of callers with lengthy explanations about their "news." Many also conclude quickly, perhaps too quickly, that if the story is all that complicated, the paper's readers will not be that interested.
News releases help solve these problems and, even more importantly, they help to assure that your story will be told the way you would like it to be told. But if you've never written a news release, where do you begin?
The first thing students learn in a basic journalism class is the "five Ws," Who, What, When, Where, Why. Simple as they sound, just as they comprise the basic elements of a news story, they also form the foundation of an effective news release. The facts are key to an effective release.
Styles vary for different types of news releases. Remember to target your message to the media. Local newspapers will often carry announcements of activities, meeting dates and the like. Radio and TV are more dynamic and interested in "breaking news" or human interest stories that appeal to a broad audience. As we are looking at a "basic" release, let's concentrate on a release for a local newspaper.
Structure
The news release consists of four parts: 1) the heading; 2) the opening sentence or paragraph; 3) the body of the story and; 4) the press contact.
The heading should simply communicate to the editor that the paper or papers he is holding constitute a news release, so the words, "News Release" should appear right at the top of the first page. (Incidentally, whether you prepare your release on plain paper, on a club letterhead or your personal stationery is not important. But if it's not on club letterhead, be sure to indicate your title, which lets the editor know you're in a position to be issuing a news release on behalf of the organization).
You might follow that up with information on when it would be appropriate for the editor to use your release. Depending on the circumstances, you could say "For Immediate Release" or "For Release on (Date)."
You should give the news release a title which the editor might decide to use as the headline for your story, for example, "AMATEUR RADIO CLUB ELECTS OFFICERS" A dynamic title with a good "hook" can improve the chances of your story getting published. The sample above could also say, "HAMRAD AMATEUR RADIO CLUB ELECTS FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT".
The opening sentence or paragraph (also known as the lead) is the most important part of the news release because this is where you must catch the editor's (and the reader's) attention. Get this part right and the rest of the story will write itself. Let's give you an example and then work backwards to explain this:
"At its annual reorganization meeting on June 1 at the Hilton Fire House, the Hamrad Amateur Radio Club elected new officers for 2004-05 and for the first time, elected a woman to lead the organization."
This sets out the "meat" of the story and tells the reader what he can expect as he reads further. It tells "What," the annual meeting of the Hamrad club; "When," on June 1; and "Who," that it elected new officers. It also provides a "hook," the fact that the group elected its first female president.
In the body of the story, you need to finish up your "Five Ws" and begin to deal with these in more detail. For example:
The Hamrad club, comprising over 80 federally-licensed Amateur Radio operators in and around Amok County, elected Ann Tenna, president; Farad Aye, vice president; Iona Sphere, treasurer; and Mike Rochip, secretary.
All of the club's new officers are residents of Amok County and its members are active in the county American Red Cross disaster service.
Incoming president Tenna said on Tuesday that she expects to continue the club's commitment to providing radio emergency communications to Red Cross.
In the first paragraph of our story, we name the Who's and Where's while the second and third paragraphs elaborate and cover some of the Why. The story covers the event - the club's election of officers -and provides an opportunity for us to tie in what happened with some human interest and public service angles.
Finally, the press contact is an easy but too often forgotten ending. [The contact can also be listed at the top of the release]. It goes something like this:
"For Further Information, please contact Clark Kent, Hamrad Amateur Radio Club, 1234 Metropolis Street, Amok City. Telephone 555-5678."
The purpose, obviously, is to let the editor know whom he should contact for more information. A less well understood reason to include this information is so the editor will be able to check the authenticity of his source. Few editors will publish a story without being able to verify that the source of the story provided is reliable and that the information involved is accurate.
Well, there you have it, a complete how-to guide to writing a news release. As you can see, there is nothing mysterious about this, there are no skills you don't already have and it is all really pretty simple.
Now, take a look at the samples at the end of this chapter and apply what you've learned. They'll give you a head start on your own first release.