Ontario Home Economics Association
  • Home
  • About OHEA
    • What is a P.H.Ec.
    • How To Become a P.H.Ec.
    • Membership Benefits
    • Board of Directors
    • Contact Us
  • News
    • Cookbooks >
      • The Vegetarian's Complete Quinoa Cookbook
      • P.H.Ec. Authors
      • Homegrown
    • Media >
      • OHEA Highlights
      • Care for the Caregiver
      • Links/Resources
      • Videos
  • Branch Associations
    • THEA
    • Branch News
    • Affiliated Associations
    • Student Branches
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Food Literacy
    • Resources
  • OHEA COURSE
  • Join Us
    • Students
    • Categories of Membership
    • Privacy Statement
    • Awards and Scholarships
  • Members
    • Membership Renewal
    • Member News & Announcements
    • Mentorship Program
    • AGM
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs

How to Write a News Release 101

4/30/2018

0 Comments

 
By: Kelly Pedro of Shanachie Communications
Picture
When I first transitioned from daily newspaper reporting to freelance writing I kept hearing: “Does anyone send out press releases anymore?” What they really meant was: “Do press releases get you earned media attention?” Either way the answer to both questions is yes. With newsrooms shrinking and putting more pressure on journalists, they’re turning more than ever to press releases for story ideas, new story angles or a source for a story they’re already working on. Want to get a journalist’s attention with a press release that stands out? Here are the do’s and don’ts of sending a news release that will get you or your client earned media attention.

DO:

Think like a journalist
This sounds obvious, but is actually harder than it seems. Most business owners or communication specialists think about their business first when putting together a news release, which is a mistake. Think about what makes your release worthy — where’s the news? Then put that at the top of your news release (or, better yet, your headline).

Keep it short
Journalists are a busy bunch and a news release that goes on for pages is unfocussed and just annoying. Your best shot at getting a reporter to read your news release is to keep it one page — this ensures you’re focused on one idea or key theme.

Send the news release to one or two specific reporters
Lighting up every reporter and editors’ inbox with your news release may seem like a great idea, but actually tells the media outlet that you haven’t done your research — and is more likely to fall through the cracks. You should pitch your story — essentially what you’re doing with a news release — to a specific (and relevant) reporter. Is your news release a business story? Send it to the business reporter. An education story? The education reporter. An entertainment story? You get the idea.

Include after hours contact information
Journalists don’t work business hours — news happens all the time. You’ve worked so hard to get your news release attention do you really want it to end up in the recycling bin because a journalist couldn’t reach you at 6 p.m.? Include a contact number where you can be reached after 5 p.m. in case a reporter calls after hours.

Add bells and whistles
Check out how the media outlet dresses up their news stories. Do they have infographics or fact boxes? If so, try to provide one or both of these elements in your news release. A simple “by the numbers” box often works well. Bonus marks for adding headshots of whoever is quoted in the release.

DON’T:

Call to follow up unless you’re offering an exclusive
Yes, I know this is standard for many communication people. You send a news release but want to make sure it didn’t end up in the journalist’s spam folder so you call to check, right? Wrong. Journalists are juggling multiple stories a day and don’t have time to answer a call to make sure they got the release. Unless something about the story has changed — or you’re offering them an exclusive story or interview — don’t call.

Don’t, don’t, don’t use jargon
Words or terms that are tossed around in your industry often don’t fly in news reporting. That’s because journalists write and report for a general audience, not a niche one. Simplify the language in your news release and leave the jargon for your B2B communication or your next white paper.

Send your news release as an attachment
Want to get your news release into the trash bin ASAP? Send it as an attachment. No really. If you want your news release read by a reporter, copy and paste it into the body of the email so the reporter doesn’t have to wonder if you’re sending them a virus masked as a news release.

Name everyone who ever touched the project/survey/data you’re sharing
Sure you want everyone to get their due, but listing off six of seven names in the news release is not going to impress a reporter. Keep it simple. The same goes for photos. Have you ever seen a photo with 12 people in it? It’s not great. If a media outlet calls to set up a photo or asks you to send one, keep it simple. Pick one or two spokespeople and agree that they’ll be in the photo or quoted in the story, no hard feelings.
​
Don’t send a news release on Friday evening
When it comes to news, timing is everything. Sending a news release on a Friday ensures you won’t get any media attention. Most of the paper for Saturday is already done by then. Don’t send your news release out when there’s already a major story going on — it’s unlikely there will be any reporters free to cover it (or notice). The best bet for getting media attention is sending your news release out in the morning on a slow news day like Monday.
Remember, every business has great stories. Find them, write a crisp, jargon-free news release, send it out at the right time to the right reporter and you’ll more often than not get earned media coverage.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.


    Picture

    The Ontario Home Economics Association, a self-regulating body of professional Home Economists, promotes high professional standards among its members so that they may assist families and individuals to achieve and maintain a desirable quality of life.

    Categories

    All
    ACHES
    Agriculture
    Award
    Board Of Directors
    Branch Associations
    Conference
    Contest
    Family/Relationships
    Finances
    Food Literacy
    Foods And Nutrition
    Homegrown
    Interviews
    Mentorship
    New PHEcs
    Nutrition
    Obituary
    Outreach
    Professional Development
    Recipes
    Sponsors
    Student Member
    Sustainability
    Through The Years

    Archives

    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    May 2020
    April 2020
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    April 2015
    July 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012

    RSS Feed

About OHEA
Job Postings
                                 Subscribe to our mailing list
News and Events
Food Literacy in the News
                        Unsubscribe ​from our mailing list
Blog
Links/Resources
                                                           Contact Us
Copyright © 2018 Ontario Home Economics Association (OHEA). All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • About OHEA
    • What is a P.H.Ec.
    • How To Become a P.H.Ec.
    • Membership Benefits
    • Board of Directors
    • Contact Us
  • News
    • Cookbooks >
      • The Vegetarian's Complete Quinoa Cookbook
      • P.H.Ec. Authors
      • Homegrown
    • Media >
      • OHEA Highlights
      • Care for the Caregiver
      • Links/Resources
      • Videos
  • Branch Associations
    • THEA
    • Branch News
    • Affiliated Associations
    • Student Branches
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Food Literacy
    • Resources
  • OHEA COURSE
  • Join Us
    • Students
    • Categories of Membership
    • Privacy Statement
    • Awards and Scholarships
  • Members
    • Membership Renewal
    • Member News & Announcements
    • Mentorship Program
    • AGM
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs