That’s the term for a document written to announce news – it is based on the style of traditional articles in newspapers focused on simply stating facts in short sentences and paragraphs, and starting with a headline.
You need to get the most important information told simply in the first one-two paragraphs. Make sure you answer these questions:
- Who
- What
- When
- Where
- How
- Why
- (and who to contact for more information)
In fact, those “5 Ws (and an H)” can provide a simple framework for you in approaching writing a news release.
A news story begins with a headline, which is a brief subject-verb summary of what the story is about.
Tips: To be taken seriously by the media, keep it short, simple, double check your accuracy in facts, plus check your spelling and grammar. Do not use exclamation marks, words in all capitals, bold face or italics, and keep out opinions unless it’s in a direct quote from someone.
How can you tell if you have included an opinion? Read it back and see if you’ve included superlatives like saying it’s the best, greatest, most unique.
Well, you could but that wouldn’t get used by the media. They sell advertising. They don’t run ads for free. So we won’t send that out either.
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