Press releases that actually get printed

Most press releases are read for a few seconds and deleted. The reason is almost always the same: they announce something rather than report something.

The test before writing

Would a reader of that publication find this interesting if it were about a company they had never heard of?

If yes, there is a story. If no, there is an announcement, and no amount of writing will convert one into the other.

What counts as a story

The right-hand column can occasionally become a story if there is a real angle. A new appointment is not news; an appointment because a business is opening a second site and hiring forty people is.

The structure

1. First sentence: the news. What happened, who it affects, why it matters. No company name at the start unless the company is the news.
2. Second paragraph: the detail. Numbers, dates, places.
3. Third: a quotation that says something. Not "we are delighted". Someone stating an opinion or a fact.
4. Fourth: context. Why now, what it means, what happens next.
5. Then: contact details and a short company description.

The last part is where most releases start.

Practicalities that decide whether it is used

Send to a named person. Find the journalist who covers this subject at that publication. A general address is read by nobody in particular.

Subject line as a headline. The editor decides from the subject line. Write it as if it were the published headline.

Body in the email, not attached. Attachments are frequently not opened. Paste the release into the message.

Photographs available and good. A usable high-resolution photograph substantially increases the chance of publication, particularly in regional media where photographers are scarce. Offer them; do not attach 12 MB of files unrequested.

Contactable. A named person, a mobile number, and actual availability. A journalist working to a deadline who cannot reach you moves on.

Timing

Avoid Monday mornings and Friday afternoons. Mid-morning Tuesday to Thursday is the usual advice and it holds.

For local weeklies, understand the production cycle and send at least four days before the deadline.

Following up

One short message or call, adding something rather than asking whether they got it. If there is no response, there is no story for that publication, and pursuing it costs the next opportunity.