11 essential steps to writing a compelling media release for your business

For startups and businesses, writing an engaging media release can be a powerful tool for securing coverage of your business, products, and services. Writing a media release is part art and part science, so how can you get it right? PRs Anthony Caruana and Kathryn Goater, Co-CEO’s, Media-Wize share their top tips.

PR pros are experts at crafting a media release that gets past a journalist or editor’s delete key. The following tips will help you to craft your own and help you understand why a PR presents information in a certain way.

Media releases follow a structured format and set of guidelines that effectively communicate news or information to the media and your target audiences. A well-crafted media release can help you gain media coverage and reach a wider audience.

11 steps to write a great media release

1. Make sure it is newsworthy 

Before you start writing your media release, it’s crucial to understand its purpose and if this is the best tactic to apply. In some cases, a media pitch or byline article might be more suitable (we will cover those in future articles).  A media release shares newsworthy information such as the launch of a new product or service, a funding injection, new senior hires, new customers or partners, or event information. A great media release is concise, factual, and written in a news-style format that’s no more than two pages long. Additional information can be attached as a media backgrounder, such as full company information, customer testimonials or product overviews.

 2. Know your target audience and who you are trying to reach 

Focus on your target audience and write the media release to resonate and connect with them. Knowing who you want to reach will help you tailor your message and choose the most appropriate media outlets. Consider daily newspapers, trade media, TV, and radio stations that cater to your audience’s interests. 

3. Create an impactful headline

Write a compelling headline that captures the essence of your story. Keep it punchy and attention-grabbing. Avoid overly promotional language, make sure it conveys the news value and is simple to understand at a glance.

4. Start with a dateline

Begin your media release with a dateline that includes the location and the release date. This provides context and helps journalists understand the timely relevance of your information.

5. Don’t bury the lede 

In the opening paragraph, provide a concise summary of the most important information. Answer the holy grail of who, what, where, when, and why questions in one to two short sentences. Make sure the reader immediately understands the significance of your story.

6. Compose the body of the release

The body of your media release expands on the key details and facts. Provide supporting facts and statistics, and background context. Include quotes from relevant individuals, such as key spokespeople or experts. Quotes should add a human element to the release and help convey the importance of the news. Enclose quotes in quotation marks and attribute them to the appropriate source.

Keep the language simple and avoid jargon or excessive technical language. Keep the most important information at the beginning and less crucial details towards the end. And remember to not be promotional and don’t make any claims you can’t qualify or substantiate. Many companies have found themselves in legal hot water by making claims saying they’re the biggest, best or fastest. If you want to highlight a deal value, then state the number, and don’t use adjectives.

7. Signal the end

Place “###” at the bottom of the release to signify the end of the body copy.

8. Add a boilerplate

A boilerplate is a brief description of your company, who you are and what you do, that remains consistent in each media release. Include a brief one to two paragraph “about” section at the end of the media release, providing a short overview of your company or organisation including a hyperlink to your website. This is particularly helpful for journalists who may not be familiar with your organisation.

9. Add media contact information

Include contact information at the end of the release so journalists can easily contact you if they want more details, clarification or to set up an interview. Provide a name, phone number and email address. Ideally you will have a PR representative trained to handle the liaison act as your representative to follow up, co-ordinate interviews, dispatch and monitor coverage. When the release is dispatched make sure spokespeople are available and ready for interviews.

10. Proofread carefully 

Carefully proofread your media release for grammatical errors, clarity, and accuracy. A couple of good ways to ensure errors are picked up are to read the release aloud and to change the font before sending. Changing the font makes your brain recalibrate and see the words as new which helps to identify spelling and grammatical errors you might have missed. Ensure that your release conforms to Australian English spelling and style conventions. Watch the use of ‘z’ and other Americanisms.

11. Include engaging images 

A picture is worth a thousand words and journalists favour stories with good visuals. If you have assets you can leverage, embed a link into the media release to high quality images (min 300 dpi jpeg) for them to access and download. This can include images of your products, spokespeople and team.

By following these steps, you can design a compelling media release to maximise your chances of gaining media coverage and reaching your target audience.

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