Word of the Week: press release

After joining PRSSA my freshman year, I kept hearing all this talk about press releases. Being totally new to the public relations and communications field, I had no clue what one was.

Even when I joined Creative Consultants my sophomore year, it was always “press release this” and “press release that.” The confusion was unbearable.

For all the PRSSA-ers out there who are also clueless about this word, I’m going to explain it to you. You deserve it.

One source defines a press release as, a public relations announcement issued to the news media and other targeted publications for the purpose of letting the public know of company developments.

I think that’s a pretty good definition, but let me give an example.

You (insert name here) work in the communications department for the Underwater Basket Weavers of America. One of your scientists has developed a new thingamabobber-glove that prevents underwater basket weavers’ hands from getting pruny in the water. They still allow the same kind of finger movement you would have if you didn’t have a glove on. It lets them weave for hours! Cool, huh?

SO, your job is to let the media (TV stations, journalists, radio stations and bloggers) know about it.

Enter: press release.

You draft a document to e-mail to your target media (maybe special marine reporters or the Underwater Basket Weavers Magazine) about this exciting new development.

The press release contains a few key details:

1. A headline: Short and sweet, but it also needs to contain the major details.

“More Time to Weave: New Glove Revolutionizes Underwater Basket Weaving”

A note: There are tons of ways to write a headline. There is never a right or wrong one. Using precise language will help make one more understandable than another.

2. A dateline: This is important. It gives the city where the release is coming from, and it also gives the date. When you use AP Style, there are certain cities that stand alone on the dateline.

For example, a press release from Atlanta would look like this:

ATLANTA, July 10,2008–Start your lead here…

Since UBWA’s headquarters is in Tallahassee, the dateline would look like this:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., July 10, 2008–Start your lead here…

3. A lead: This a one or two sentence description that repeats what was in the title and is the first paragraph of the press release.

“Scientists at the Underwater Basket Weavers of America have developed a revolutionary glove to prevent water damaged hands while retaining regular hand movement and agility.”

4. Background: The next part is very important. You must be concise and informative. Here’s a tip from PR enthusiast, Kevin Dugan (@prblog), that he suggested to me on Twitter: “a news release is NOT a pitch. it supports the pitch and should contain, uh, news!”

There you go. The background paragraphs (usually two) are where you give more facts about the glove: who developed it, how long did it take, how many trial and errors, what it’s made of, a quote from the UBWA spokesperson or scientist and a quote from an underwater basket weaver who has worn the glove.

Remember, you’re not asking the reporter (or whoever) to write about it. The press release contains information he will need if he decides to cover it.

5. A boilerplate: Cool word, huh? The boilerplate is the paragraph with general information about Underwater Basket Weavers of America. It’s usually the same on all documents. Most companies have a Word Doc. or something that has it written.

“The Underwater Basket Weavers of America (UBWA) is a non-profit organization that strives to increase awareness of the sport of underwater basket weaving as well as provide a network for its members. Started in 1989 by Bubbles McGhee, UBWA is headquartered in Tallahassee, Fla. and distributes a weekly newsletter and a quarterly magazine. Nationwide, UBWA has over 25 members and manages three underwater basket weaving centers.”

So, there you go. That is a BRIEF overview of the traditional press release. Don’t you see how it can be helpful? If you have all the information in there, journalists will be very happy with you-especially if you correctly use AP Style (but we’re UGA students, and our professors expect nothing less than perfection).

A Twitter friend, Mike Toner (MikeToner), wanted me to add, “the press release doesn’t have to be a traditional looking, static document anymore. Hyperlinks are helpful for both consumers and journalists.”

This may have you wondering, but we’ll get to that later. If you want to be an over-achiever and look ahead, this might be what he’s talking about.

That’s pretty much it for our first word of the week (theme music, please). If you have any questions, post ‘em! I’m hoping we’ll get some wonderful PR professionals to follow our blog, and they might be able to help answer your questions.

Update: I received more Twitter responses when I asked for hints when writing a press release. Here’s what I got. Thanks everyone!

	the_spinmd @katlady maybe some advice in here for your post: http://tinyurl.com/66mcem about 3 hours ago from twhirl in reply to katlady
	swhitley @katlady @MikeToner I recommend the articles by Brian Solis in PRX Builder’s sidebar on today’s releases (http://www.prxbuilder.com) about 3 hours ago from web in reply to katlady
	mentzdog @katlady It’s important to keep it “newsy.”Hold your ground when marketing types want to make it more “bold”-stick to the facts. about 3 hours ago from twhirl in reply to katlady