How To Write a Press Release

This guide to writing a press release was prepared for the Book Council by Kate Camp.

Anyone can write a great press release. The most important thing to remember is keep it brief.

In general, your press release should not be more than one A4 page. Use big-ish type (at least 12 point) to make it easy to read when it comes off a fax.

Head up your page with "Media release for immediate use" and the date.

Write a headline that says what your release is about, and makes it sound interesting. Your headline should never be more than a single line.

If I was sending a press release about a chicken crossing the road I could try the following….

(For tabloid newspaper)

CRAZY CHICKEN CREATES CROSSING CHAOS

(For local newspaper)

LOCAL CHICKEN HITS THE ROAD

(With national angle)

TAUPO CHICKEN IN NATIONAL ROAD RACE

A good press release is a series of paragraphs, each of which is only one or two sentences long.

Paragraph one expands on the headline.

Local Taupo poultry personality Ima Chicken is to compete in the country’s toughest chicken road race.

Paragraph two gives the date, time and venue.

The annual Tegel Taupo Chicken Speed Trial starts from the lakeside chicken house at 9 am on the 1st of April 2001.

The next few paragraphs give background and explain why the event is worth covering. They often include direct quotes – quote yourself if there is no one else!

The race has been run each year since 1994. It follows a course around lake Taupo passing numerous spots of local interest..

"No race is tougher on poultry," says race coordinator Fluffy Duck.

"Contestants must be in the peak physical condition to survive the gruelling 150 kilometre course."

"We are expecting top poultry athletes from around the Pacific who will join the local favourite, Ima Chicken."

Depending on the nature of your event you may wish to provide more background information.

For literary events this may include further biographical details of a writer, the titles of their books, and awards they have won. It is sometimes best to include this on a second page.

Remember, all vital information should be in the first page. Most journalists will never get to page two, or even paragraph two.

Your press release should end with a phone number and name to contact for more information. Make sure it is a number where someone can be reached – if they call and you’re not there – end of story.

The most important points to remember about your Press Release are:

• Keep it brief and include the most important facts first.
• Check and recheck all the details including date, time, venue and the spelling of names.
• Wherever possible, follow up your Press Release with a phone call.

A sample Press Release follows.

For more information about dealing with the media, see our How to Deal with the Media page.

Sample Press Release

Tegel Taupo Chicken Speed Trial Fluffy Duck: Coordinator 34 Webfoot Lane Taupo Phone / Fax: (07) 777 7777 Mobile 025 777 7777

MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE USE 20 March 2020

TAUPO CHICKEN IN NATIONAL ROAD RACE

Local Taupo poultry personality Ima Chicken is to compete in the country’s toughest chicken road race.

The annual Taupo Chicken Speed Trial starts from the lakeside chicken house at 9 am on the 1st of April 2001.

The race has been run each year since 1994. It follows a course around lake Taupo passing many points of local interest.

"No race is tougher on poultry," says race coordinator Fluffy Duck.

"Contestants must be in the peak physical condition to survive the gruelling 150 kilometre course."

"We are expecting top poultry athletes from around the Pacific who will join the local favourite, Ima Chicken."

The start of Taupo Chicken Speed Trial is open to the public. There is no charge for admission.

The event is sponsored by KRC and Regel.

For further information contact race coordinator Fluffy Duck on 025 777 7777.

Ends….