How to write a press release

Syed Masood-MD

By Syed Masood, Managing Director Heritage Institute of Management and Communication (HIMCOM), New Delhi

If you are journalism students then you should know how to write a press release or a news release. It is a detailed document which aims to share the newsworthy details of an  organization, government, political party, individual etc with media. Press release is generally shared with the journalists so that they can use the information and write a news story. It is shared with media either in a press conference/meet or through mails and direct meetings.

One question still strikes in young minds that do we need a press release in 2020. Yes, it is required to garners attention & create awareness, building relationships with media, image building, keep an update on what’s happening all around and improving the research power.

One more question comes in young minds that when do you need a news release. It is

Workable channel whenever you want to disseminate the details which is newsworthy. Impact, Immediacy, Recognition, Timeliness, Unusual and Nearness are some factors to be considered before writing a press release.

Things to be kept in mind while writing a release:

Headline should be able to attract the reader. It should be catchy and grab readers attention and clearly tells what the release is about

Where you are and where the news is taking place

Strong Lead: Here you should clearly tell your newsworthy content in a single sentence

Body: This should be easily skimmable information provided in decreasing levels of importance. Here you can add quotes too

Boilerplate: Description about the organization or sector whose release is disseminated

Press Contact: Name and contact details of your media coordinator or pr person