Preparing Effective News Releases

Basic principles

Purpose of a news release: Above all, news releases must contain news. If they do not, no one will read them or report on them.

New releases should tell a story, convey information, summarize facts, and figures about a program or issue, or an event for which you seek media coverage. If written well, a new release can be an effective tool to attract the attention of journalists and editors to a story, issue or event for which you seek media coverage. However, a news release is a one-way tool. By itself, it is rarely sufficient to convey your message in satisfactory detail.

When to issue a news release?

Only when you have news or a statement that you want to provide quickly to a large number of media outlets.

Before a press conference or other news event, not after.

Style and formatting:

Write in the format and structure of a news article. Many media will publish it without any editing;

Use a catchy headline. Think “front page”. Don’t be formal, bureaucratic or academic. Editorialise, be expressive, intriguing;
The Lead: Like news stories, the news release lives or dies by your lead sentence (or paragraph). It’s your bait to “hook” your reader. That means you literally have only seconds to win or lose— hook them or lose them. To be a winner it must be crisp, unambiguous, sharply focused, accurate, basically objective, have some “punch”;
Always use compelling numbers, sums of money in the lead sentence when possible. If the sum of money involved is not significant, there must be some other element that qualifies as news;
Example: the lead sentence of a release issued by the Economy Ministry should read: “Economy Minister, Ktota Shtota announced today a 5 billion Naira program to support small business development in Nigeria.” This should be followed immediately by a strong quote, attributed to the Minister.
If you do not have the voice of the Minister-newsmaker, you must write anonymously-- “The Economy Ministry today announced a 5 billion Naira program to support small business development in Nigeria.” It is less compelling, but the sum of money may be enough to attract media interest.
Cite the Minister or other top ‘newsmaker’ as the source of the news whenever possible. That is always more powerful than writing in third person (see the example below);
Always include a lively, positive quote by your Minster, chief expert or a respected third party that validates the main news. An on-issue, colourful, punchy quote can save a reporter time and often makes the difference as to whether the story runs or not. A well-phrased quote can also spare officials in your Ministry/Agency follow-up calls from reporters. Voice’ can also help the reporter decide the angle—your angle—on the story;
Providing written quotes also helps avoid inaccuracies in the media. That is especially important on sensitive issues where careful wording is critical;
Remember-- You can write the quote as long as the person you attribute it to approves it.
Use the inverted pyramid structure - the title and the lead paragraph should tell the main news. Supporting details, an explanation of the context for the news and the quote come in the second and third paragraphs. The quote can come immediately after the lead paragraph if the quote is very strong and ‘on-issue’. End with a short, boilerplate sentence about the Ministry’s role in the program, policy or event.

Attracting media attention requires not only an excellent lead, but a news angle. Answer the main question?— “So what?”

In the first paragraph, answer all (or most) of the 5 “W’s”: Who? What? When? Where? Why/How?
Write like a news story. It increases your chances of the story being picked up.
Use simple, understandable language, not academic or bureaucratic jargon.
Write in short sentences.
Keep it brief, positive and upbeat.
Use strong, colourful verbs written in the active tense where possible. Verbs make sentences easier to read, more compelling and shorter.
Avoid adjectives. They tend to raise questions or suspicions and signal subjectivity.
Use the present/active tense whenever possible, especially when you present specific details about a project or program. Makes the copy read better. Past tense means events are “past”, not fresh, less newsworthy.
Explain any technical terms if you absolutely must use them.
Double-check for misspellings, mistakes, incorrect punctuation and unclear writing.

Focus your thoughts by asking yourself what you are trying to achieve by releasing this news. What you think is interesting is not always what a journalist finds interesting. Always think of your public when writing your news release.

Formatting

Releases should be only one page, maximum two. Longer is overkill and risks the “trash bin.” If it is two pages, print “more” at the end of the first page.

Double space for ease of reading and making notes

Your release should have a dateline, a strong headline, and your contacts (name, phone, e-mail) for those who would like to get further information or an interview

Things to remember

Include fact sheets, backgrounders, links to key documents, websites and biographical information on the official for context and useful additional information.

After you send out the release, call the reporters or their editors. Confirm they got it, if they have questions, need additional information. Don’t ask if they will publish it-- that often seems pushy. Let them tell you on their own. You will need to check their paper, news reports the next day anyway.

Additional information for the media

You can help reporters by including information that supplements the news release. These are often sent as attachments to the news release or as a list of Internet links:

Fact sheets: Often used for news that involves complicated policies, budget and financial issues or complex, unfamiliar reform programs. Charts, tables and other graphics can be useful in synthesizing the information generally 1-2 pages;
Backgrounders:Provide information about your Ministry’s specific activities, programs, services, history;

Public statements: Used when officials, leadership or public individuals want to publish their position on a specific issue or to correct an inaccurate or misleading news report;
Biographical information about a person such as your Minister, head of an agency;
Glossaries, Questions and Answers, excerpts of speeches, reports, articles, books, possible interview questions.

Distributing news releases

Don’t issue a news release unless you have authority or permission to do so;
Send your news release via e-mail to key people within your Ministry before sending it out to the public. Call to alert them. More people will be aware of the release in case the journalist calls other persons in the organisation. Internal review should not be allowed to delay the release such that media deadlines are missed;
Only one spokesperson should usually be assigned for each topic (or for the Authority). Direct all journalists to that spokesperson;
Always send news releases to all media at the same time so that all reporters have equal notice and all media have equal opportunity—no one gets a ‘news advantage’;
Always send your news release to all mainstream national media—print, broadcast and internet-- and all news services—national and international;
Address the release both to the reporters who cover your Ministry or the issue. Also be sure that news editors receive a copy—they decide what news will run. If the news is extremely specific, it can be more effective to contact just the media outlet/journalist you know is interested in this specific topic and give them exclusivity;
After sending out the press release, call to confirm everyone received it and to answer any questions they might have.

Checklist: What to do before preparing a release
Answer these questions:
1. “So what?”
What makes this news? Why and to whom is this important?
2. What are the key points?. and what is secondary?
3. What facts or research do I have to back up the news? Can reporters, editors check my facts easily?
4. Who can I quote as an authority on the issue?
5. Would a fact sheet or other additional information help explain the issue or improve the accuracy of media’s reporting?

Tips:

1) Read your news release out loud or give it to a colleague to read. Could you read it quickly?

2) Ask yourself or a colleague: “Would I read this if it landed on my desk?” “Can I identify the news?

Checklist: What to do after preparing, but before sending your release
Answer these questions:

Does your news stand on its own? To avoid the release being thrown away, it must offer something new, interesting or unusual. The news has to matter to people or be socially significant. Opinion-makers, famous people, conflicts and money attract attention.
Does the headline convey the purpose of the press release clearly and briefly?
Does the first paragraph contain the key information-- who? what? when? where? why?) Did you also answer how? how much?
Have you anticipated and answered the main questions and possible criticisms? (Don’t try to answer every possible question, it is impossible!)
Do you have a quote from a top official/newsmaker to underscore your news, key viewpoints, explain the logic of events?
Did you provide background facts, data analysis to prevent objections and strengthen your arguments?
Did you comply with the guidelines for formatting, style, content?
Single page (maximum 2 pages), double-spaced; single-sided with margins for editorial comments.
All mandatory elements included-- contact person, telephone number, date/time of the release, header, date and place of event, etc.?
Use the inverse pyramid structure?-- news in the lead then supporting details, other highlights, then secondary details in descending order of importance.
Does your release avoid difficult or unfamiliar terminology, professional jargon, bureaucratese, undefined acronyms or rambling quotes (more than two sentences)? Your paragraphs are short, no more than 3-4 sentences each?
Check your grammar, spelling and punctuation.