Press Release Tips

Being Makaton Friendly is a great opportunity to promote your organisation and what Makaton means for you and the people you work with. You might like to celebrate your achievement by contacting the local press. Here are some tips for creating a great press release:

  1. Grab attention with a good headline, something that will stand out, for example being the first Makaton Friendly organisation in your area.
  1. Include photographs but make sure you have permission to use them or invite the local press to visit and see you in action.
  1. Keep it short and concise.
  1. Include your contact details so reporters know how to get in touch for more information.
  1. Include quotes wherever possible, ideally from customers or users of your services and someone senior if possible that uses Makaton at your organisation.

And, don’t forget to let us know if you get some press interest, we are happy to help and spread your news story far and wide!

These notes may be helpful to send tonewspaper editors when sending them your press release

The Makaton Friendly scheme aims to recognise organisations or businesses that currently use Makaton in a simple, informal way to make Makaton users feel welcome and enable them to access services within their community.

Makaton develops speech, language and communication skills. Using Signs (gestures) and Symbols (pictures), people can tell someone what they want, make choices and join in. Makaton gives someone their voice.

Makaton enables meaningful communication, encourages an environment which can optimise communication skills and pre-empts communication breakdown. At a higher level Makaton demonstrates language structure and develops literacy skills.

Makaton users include people with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders, physical and sensory disabilities. It is used extensively in the UK in many different settings by families and professionals, and can be adapted for a wide range of abilities and levels of use.

Makaton is used both in the UK and in many countries across the world. Signs are selected from the sign language of the deaf community in the country where Makaton is to be used to ensure that they are culturally acceptable.

For more Information please contact Terri Lazzari Sales and Marketing Manager 01252 606760 or For further information please see our main website makaton.org