The Nitty Gritty Of A Press Release
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The Nitty Gritty Of A Press Release
Who. What. When. Where. Why. How.
Does that take you back to fifth grade? These six little words are
extremely important for your business's public relations campaign. They're the fundamentals of a good press release.
Remember that a press release should be short and to the point. A
reader should get everything he needs in the first paragraph (including who, what, when, where, why and how), and the meat should come from the rest.
Who is the business making the announcement? What do they do? Give
a brief overview of your company, including a single sentence that describes what service or product you provide.
What: What is the news? If you won a government contract, don't use
flowery language to say so. Just say it.
When: When did the news occur, or when will it happen in the future? If your news is a special event, make sure you include the date and time of the event so interested readers can attend.
Where: You'll include your business' location in the date line of your press release.
August 7, 2007 – Washington DC
If this sufficiently covers the “where” of the news, that's fine.
However, if the news is about your company's participation in a semiconductor conference in China, focus on China in the copy.
Why: Why is this news relevant? Why do readers care about your recent
donation to the Humane Society? Make the news have purpose so that it doesn't get lost in the sea of press releases that go out daily.
How: How is this news happening? If you're investing one million
dollars into a college scholarship fund, but forget to mention you got the money from a research grant your company won, the news falls flat. Keep it interesting as much as possible.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Carma Spence-Pothitt |
