News Release Basics

A recent discussion with a professional colleague who works for a leading Search Engine Optimization services company got me thinking about the role of the standard news release in today’s hyper-connected and interactive Web 2.0 world.

For me, it’s been nearly 25 years since I left college to enter the professional world as a public relations practitioner. Naturally, much has changed since January 1984 when I entered Tycer-Fultz-Bellack, then the largest high-tech advertising and public relations agency West of the Mississippi River. But then again, much is still the same (at least when it comes to the foundational aspects of PR).

Although some of my professional colleagues have suggested that the press release is dead, I strongly believe that this is not the case — that the best PR pros see the news release for what it is: a strategic communications tool that can be used to precisely and concisely define and deliver a specific message to one or more audiences.

Clearly, up-to-date communications professionals have learned that news releases can be a strong force for boosting one’s organic (non-paid) rankings within the pages of search engines. This concept of SEO PR has been around for three-to-five years now, and savvy communications pros have adopted the best practices of search engine optimization and marketing and applied them to their news release programs.

But this article is not about SEO news release basics, but rather about press release basics, so here are the five main points I believe anyone should take into account when crafting a news release.

Five Key Points to Consider Before Writing a Press Release

1.     What are you trying to accomplish?

The challenge with many publicity campaigns is that they’re begun with no forethought as to what the overall goals and/or objectives are for the effort. That’s like pulling the trigger on a gun and then taking time to aim the firearm after the bullet has already left the barrel — not very effective.

Is the goal to inform or to persuade? To elicit a specific immediate response? Or are you trying to prepare individuals for some future action?

Regardless of the intended outcome, one must first understand how a specific news release fits within the overall goals of your business or organization. Additionally, you should not begin any news release without first comprehending how a release will fit within the overall marketing goals and strategies of your organization.

2.     Do you understand what makes something newsworthy?

I’ve jokingly explained to my friends that sometimes some executives feel that anything they or their companies do is newsworthy. Heck, it’s almost as if they say, “I know, the company dog had puppies.  Let’s write a news release.”

And yet, that may be a bit unfair to those executives (or to the company dog), because in truth, a dog having puppies might be newsworthy — depending upon the dog, the dog’s owner(s) or other circumstances.

Case in point, if a dog owned by the President of the United States had puppies, that would be international news. Right? Right!

Similarly, some journalists/media outlets might be interested (emphasis on “might”) in reporting on new puppies being born to your company’s pet dog depending upon the other circumstances surrounding the dog, the puppies, the company and a host of other factors.

I recognize that I might be a bit over the top with this point, but the point is valid nonetheless.

That’s why I wrote about the idea of “A,” ”B” and “C” news releases on this blog in May 2008. The concept was valid then and it’s still valid now, which (in turn) ties into the next point. 

3.     Who are you trying to reach?

Not every press release deserves to get covered within the pages of the Wall Street Journal, on CNN or even on your hometown radio station. And yet some execs believe that everything they say or do is front page material or should lead the evening news.

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but chances are, that’s not the case. A good PR pro recognizes when he or she has a good story idea, and they’ll be adept at targeting each story to the best journalist and media outlet.

In fact, the same story idea will often warrant different versions of the same announcement, in order to better fit the requirements of the final audience and the media outlets serving them.

4.     One main idea is best.

The best ads, direct mail pieces, brochures, news releases, commercials and more each have one thing in common: One thing.

Specifically, the best communication efforts focus on one idea, one message, one concept. They are not repositories for every Tom, Dick and Harry feature and/or benefit you can think of.

Consider the iPod, Apple’s ubiquitous portable music player. The main concept behind the iPod is that “everyone can enjoy their choice of music anywhere with an iPod.” [Naturally, Apple's now introduced video iPods, as well as the iPhone. But first and foremost, the iPod is a portable music player.]

Sure the iPod is cool-looking, easy to use, as is iTunes. And you don’t have to buy an entire album if you don’t want to, you can just buy one or two songs. And you can listen to music you already own on an iPod as well.

Each of these points and more are correct, but that’s not the point.

The ONE point is that anyone (including you) can have fun listening to the music you want to listen to, anytime and anywhere you want to listen to such music with an iPod.

It’s really that simple, that basic. And as a result, it’s WAY powerful.

The best news releases do the same thing — they focus on ONE message. Everything else is noise.

5.     Answer the Five Ws and the one H: (Who, what, where, when, why & how)

If you’ve worked as a journalist or studied journalism, you already know this. But every journalistic piece ever created (and hence every news release too), should answer six critical questions:

• Who?
• What?
• Where?
• When?
• Why? and
• How?

The order of the answers to these six questions will sometimes change to fit a particular story, and other times a question will be answered multiple times. But every press release will answer each of these questions or it will fail.

The best ones package up the most important answers all nice and tidy like as close to the beginning of the release as possible. (Naturally, this will not be the case if a journalist is writing a feature story; hence, the same rule applies if you’re writing a feature press release.)

But if you’re putting out a time-sensitive news announcement, then you’ll be using the concept of an inverted pyramid with the most important points up front and the least important pieces of information at the end.

Look for News Release Basics, Part 2 in the near future for a few pointers on the mechanical aspects of crafting a successful press release.