8.5 Press Releases

12 May 2009


Press Releases

No doubt when your club is successful you'll also want to tell everyone else about it. The best way of doing this is to create Press Release and distribute it to your media. It's worth drawing up a list of the contact details for local newspapers, radio and TV stations; usually you should send your press releases to their News Desks. A press release template can be downloaded from the Resources panel.

 

 

Writing and Issuing a Press Release

Journalists are sent a huge number of press releases, and many of them end up going straight in the bin. This may be because the press release is irrelevant or badly put together

Two golden rules to press releases are:

  • Make sure you have genuine news - a new service, a new office opening, results, etc. Looking through the papers and listening to the radio will give you an idea of the kind of stories, journalists are interested in
  • Keep press releases short, ideally one side of a typed A4 page. It is fine to include additional materials, such as leaflets, but keep it relevant. Remember, if the journalist is interested, they will contact you for more information

 

 

Content

  • Date - the date you issue the release
  • Embargo - if you do not want the story covered until a certain date/time, you can put an embargo on it, in which case you must make this clear on the releases - e.g. Embargo: 5pm DD/MM/YY. Be aware however that embargoes can be broken by accident not just by intention
  • Heading - a short headline summarising the story
  • First paragraph - the most important facts should be included in the first paragraph. Newspapers often cut the information to make it fit the space available, and this is likely to be from the bottom up, so vital information could be left out if it's not at the beginning of the release. Answer as many of the "W" questions - what, when, where, who, why and how - as you can in the first paragraph
  • Second paragraph - provide more detail or further information in the second paragraph, including any of the "W" questions you couldn't fit into the first paragraph
  • Quote - a quote can explain the importance of the story in clear language, or it can add a new dimension such as the personal side of the story. Quotes may also be very useful in other ways - e.g. identifying the spokesperson of the NGB, or as a means of endorsement by a supportive individual or organisation, thus adding to the NGB's credibility. However, don't use quotes just for the sake of it, they must bring extra value to the release
  • Additional paragraphs - if you have more information, add further paragraphs but don't write more just to make the release look more important
  • Contact details - the contact name, title, day, time and out of hours telephone number should be included in clear, bold print at the end of the release. Email and website addresses should also be included where possible

 

 

Checklist For Issuing a Press Release

The following checklist should be placed beside the NGB fax machine and used as a final checklist before you send out every press release:

  • Is the release printed on NGB paper?
  • Is the release dated?
  • Is there a headline?
  • Is an embargo necessary?
  • Are the most important facts in the first two paragraphs?
  • Have the "W" questions been answered - what, when, where, why, who and how?
  • Are the facts, spelling and grammar correct?
  • Have you got someone to proof read it?
  • Is there a contact name and telephone number for further information?
  • Is the layout simple and clear?
  • Have you checked the newspaper and radio deadlines?
  • Have you checked an updated listing for recipient contacts?