Media Relations &
News Releases
Review so far (from Lecture 3)







Who are the media?
What media do we want to target?
Why do we need to target specific media?
How do journalists work?
What makes the news?
What’s newsworthy?
How to get covered in the media?
Next step
How to make a good news story
 How to build news releases
 How to build a publication profile and a
media list

The news release selection
process

Editor John Smith on a Monday morning
How to build a news release - in
the news or in the bin?

Editors receive up to 100 (150 not
unheard off) news releases a day (might
be sieved through by PA first)
What makes a good news
release?
Substance & good, appropriate writing
 Must contain news and not be just
background info
 Despite this, all too many news releases
sent to editors start like this…

The no-news news release

“Wilbur & Co is a well established
engineering company that has been
making hydraulic breaks in Glasgow for
58 years. They are based in Kirkwood
street where…..”

All background and no news story in sight
at all
Keep the story simple & clear
The story that you want to cover needs to
be obvious in the first sentence
 Editor/journalist needs to be able to
immediately see what the story is all
about in the first paragraph
 Don’t try to cram in too much
 Decide what the story is and make it clear

Problem scenario

“Wilbur & Co, which has just opened a
new factory in Cumbernauld, has
appointed Ms Julie Smith as the first
female Managing Director to launch a
new range of hydraulic brakes.”
Too many stories…
The problem with this opening sentence is
that we have confusion - this contains
three different stories right away

The new female MD
The new factory
 The new set of breaks


What can we do instead?

Think about the media you are targeting which of these story angles would find the
editor most important:
Engineering weekly - new hydraulic brake
Women’s magazine- story on female MD
The Herald - new factory opened with new jobs
Best to write multiple releases
The story has to be complete
A good story needs to answer all the
questions rather then raise more
 You need to provide all the info an editor
needs
 They need to know immediately what’s
happening and to whom!

This includes
Title, first name & surname of all people
mentioned - no initials

e.g. Ms Julie Smith, not J.M. Smith
Always provide the position each person
mentioned holds - who they are
e.g. managing director

Provide full names of organisations etc
before abbreviating them to initials
Exceptions are organisations that are
known by their initials such as the BBC

E.g. The Scottish Canoe Association
(SCA) is holding their annual …..
Always explain the context
Although it may be clear to you why this
news release is a superb news story, it
may not be immediately clear to others/
editors
 Fine balance to be struck - provide
enough info without overloading the news
release with too much background info

Example: Wilbur & Co

Wilbur & Co has announced profits of
£150,000 for the last financial year
This in itself is not such a big story, a
modest profit for a little know company
So, we need some context here!

Wilbur & Co have announced profits of
£150,000 for the last financial year only 18
months after the factory was completely
destroyed by a devastating explosion.
Now, this is completely different! Suddenly, there
is a bigger story. How can this company be
making profits such a short time after disaster
struck, etc

Wilbur & Co have announced profits of
£150,000 for the last financial year only
18 months after the factory went into
receivership.
There is another great story here. How
could this happen? Was previous
management terrible, some dodgy
dealings going on etc.
A story needs to stand up!

Journalists often receive news releases that
would make good stories if only there were
more facts to go on.

Example: Wilcott Safety Ltd, Glasgow, has won
a £1m order from a major Canadian insurance
company.


This could be a good story, major investment, foreign
investor, etc
But who are they? Need to provide the name, if the
client doesn’t want to give the name, it’s no story.
How to build a news release
“Given how many millions of news
releases are produced and pumped out
by press offices every year, it is amazing
how many are totally rubbish: badly
written, wrongly targeted, and destined for
the waste bin.”
Paul Richards (1998) How to be your own
spin doctor

The main aim of a news release has to be
grasped within 10 seconds.
 Editors need to move through the bumph
very quickly looking for the nugget of gold
amongst a pile of sand!

Essential elements of a news
release
A news release is essentially a news story
written to arouse the interest of a specific
news organisation / publication
 It consists of three main parts:

The headline
 The introduction (called “intro” by journalists)
 The body of the story

Further elements
It can also contain:
Notes to the editors at the bottom of the page.
This can contain background information about
the company, issue or product that is not vital to
the story, but might help the journalist to
understand the wider issue
Appended documents such as product
information sheets / company information
sheets

First step: Write the body of the
news release
To do this you have to select the right
facts to answer the famed W- questions
What
is happening
Who
is doing it
Where
is it taking place
When
it happened or will happen
Why
is it happening

Intro paragraph




All these questions have to be answered in the
intro of the story
The first paragraph encapsulates the whole
story and entices the journalist to read on by
concentrating on the most newsworthy
elements
From the five W’s the strongest angle might be
what and who; or where & what
Where is important because it will quickly tell
the journalists whether it’s on his / her patch
Intro paragraph
The first paragraph should be short &
snappy
 One or two sentences, maximum 30
words
 A good way of getting a feel for it is to
take a newspaper and read a few opening
paragraphs.
 Try to style your opening paragraph on
that

Intro : examples

Airport capacity in Scotland (what &
where) is at a breaking point due to the
failure of past governments to address the
problem (why), according to an article
Consumer Policy Review (who) published
today (when).
Example 2: Gobble & Belch


Gobble & Belch a food processing company
have decided to launch a new range of baby
foods for discerning infants in a test market in
London & South East. It will be called Gourmet
baby. The company’s research revealed that
the modern baby likes a range of subtle
flavours. Gobble and Belch plans to have its
first three products in the range out for
Christmas. They are launching their food range
today, 24 October 2006 at Harrods in London.
Flavours included Salmon & Asparagus; Caviar
& Lime; Honeyroasted Pork & Parsnip
Intro: Gobble & Belch

Gobble & Belch, a food manufacturer,
(who) is launching its new range of baby
food (what), Gourmet Infant, today (when)
at Harrods in London (where). This comes
as research shows that modern babies
have sophisticated palates.(why)
Don’ts - common mistakes!!!!

Do not put background info in the first
paragraph that should come later or never
Example:
Gobble & Belch, the London food manufacturer
that was founded 83 years ago by the great
grandfather of today’s managing director is
launching a new range of baby food

Don’ts - common mistakes
Describe the thinking that has led up to the
launch of the new product before delving into
the news
 Example:
Gobble& Belch has been researching the market
into baby food. After an extensive study the
company felt that there should be a greater
range of flavours available to mothers to buy for
their babies. Research has shown that……As a
result the company is launching their new range
today.

Different intro versions
for different papers



Mothers chose the recipes for Gourmet baby, a
new range of tinned baby foods launched this
week by Gobble & Belch.
Gobble & Belch this week launched a test
market of Gourmet baby, its new range of
tinned baby foods, in 800 supermarkets in
London and the south-east
Kent was chosen by market researchers to test
Gourmet baby, a new range of tinned baby
foods, launched by Gobble & Belch
Writing the body of the news
release
Once you have written the first paragraph
you will find it much easier to do the rest
of the story.
 Subsequent paragraphs should then
expand on aspects of the 5 W’s with less
important information and quotes coming
further down the text

Use the inverted pyramid shape
Intro: answer all W questions
Further detail on W’s
Quote
Quote
Further considerations for the
main body of the release
Quotations should be short and punchy.
 Nothing crucial should be buried in latter
stages of the body text
 Journalists often complain that there was
something useful buried in the fifth
paragraph after 200 words - that’s too
late!





News releases should never be longer than two
pages, in most cases only one.
If you can’t tell the story in two pages, you have
to rethink the bare bones of the story. (Is it
maybe more then one story, do you need all the
information, are you using a scattergun
approach?)
The point of a release is to attract attention in a
competitive market, not to give a
comrephensive report.
If journalists want more info, they’ll call!
Writing the headline




After you have written the main body, you can
move on to the headline.
The intro will give you good direction and focus
your mind on what this is all about
The headline should sum up the essence of the
story
Might be the only part the editor reads - make it
count!
Writing the headline

Keep it short



Keep it simple


Summary & attention grabber.
Ten words max
What’s the central point?
Use short words

Headline writers have to make their headlines fit
the space available. Short words also convey ideas
more simply.
Writing the headline
Put a verb in it
It brings life into the headline and gives the
impression that something is happening

Don’t write: Wilcott & Smith’s new contract
Write: “Wilcott & Smith secures new contract”
Don’t write: Gobble & Belch’s new office
Write: Gobble & Belch opens new office
Writing the headline

Don’t try to be funny or clever
There is nothing worse than a poor pun,
particularly if it’s a weak story
 Most editors will write their own
 If they want a funny headline they’ll make
one up themselves

Some more examples
Smith criticises local authority
development proposals
Better:
Smith attacks council plan
Some more examples
Babies to gobble new food
(Ouch!!!)

Better:
New food launched for babies
Things to avoid when writing a
news release
Puffery
Example: Smith & Co, who have been making
world-famous hydraulic breaks for half a
century, have yet again established themselves
as the leading player in the market by creating
a superb new product.


Basically, puffery are words that lengthen a
story, but don’t get your news release anywhere
apart from the bin!
Puffery Top Ten







Unique
Leading
Fastest
Flexible
Boasting
Easy to use
Popular







World Class
Successful
Breakthrough
Major
Versatile
Key xyz
Vast

Self-praise
Lunch-to-go, the best café in Glasgow, has
extended its tasty sandwiches by adding
a new luxury range. They offer the finest
ingredients in town.
Exaggeration

Thousands of office workers thank God
for Lunch-to-go who helped them to
relieve their lunch boredom by providing
….(as if…!!!)

There is also more subtle exaggeration
which needs to be avoided, always stick
to the facts
The news release format
The format must be consistent and meet
the journalists’ expectations of the info
they need
 Must follow accepted rules of journalism
 Has to be clear and clean
 Has to be in line with the house style of
your own organisation to be easily
recognisable

News release format
A4 paper
 Produced on news release printed paper /
on-line version of this
 Single sided
 The design should be simple, not
cluttered up with too many logos and
awards
 12 point font for text
 Easy to read font

News release format: Layout
1.5 or 2 line spacing, two line spacing is
preferable
 Wide margins, perhaps 2.5 cm to the left
and right and margins at top and bottom,
too
 At the top of the news release, it should
clearly state those two words






The headline should be placed about one third
of the way down
The text should start about half way down
That leaves plenty of room for the sub-editor to
put in his changes / instructions
The first paragraph should not be indented
Subsequent paragraphs can be indented if you
like



Contact details should appear at the top
(briefly) as well as the bottom (full)
Below the contact details at the top there should
be details to whom it is directed eg “For
attention: News Editors”
Contact details should include the name of the
person journalists should phone and that should
include 24 hour contact if possible

So: For the attention of housing correspondents

Or: For newsdesks
Best: include the name of journalists which you
have researched beforehand
E.g. For attention of Julie Smith, Food & Lifestyle
editor

Date or Embargo?




At the top left comes the date the news release
is issued or the date and time of the embargo
that you wish to place on the information in the
release.
Embargoes are used to warn journalists that
info in advance of an event cannot be
transmitted to the public beforehand
Journalists tend to observe this, but they have
no obligation and will ignore it if they see fit
Use embargoes only when necessar.
Photo stories?




NOTICE OF PHOTO OPPORTUNITY should
be given above the heading in Capitals
Heading: should be bold, centred, upper case
and not more then two lines long (the shorter
the better)
“For attention: Picture desks” (that’s where you
should send these)
…and don’t send photo opp invites to radio
newsrooms!
Body text:
Main chunk of the release: should be 12
point, perhaps Times, but could be other
easily readable font, aligned left, arranged
in short paragraphs
Sub headings are only necessary if it’s a
long release, which shouldn’t happen too
often

More follows or ends




At the bottom of the first page you must inform
the journalist whether there is more on a
following page
Write “more follows” or “more” bottom right on
the page
At the top of the next page comes the so called
“slug” or “catchline”
The slug is often upper case and preceded by a
forward slash and should reflect the story, e.g.
/Baby Food2
“Notes to Editors”




Notes to editors is a convention where
background information is supplied – on
separate sheet(s), or certainly after the contact
details at least
They are always numbered
The first note is usually about what the
organisation is and does
Second could be further info on what additional
publications etc are available
HP Foods Glasgow
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 20th October 2006
For attention of newsdesks
Contact: your name here, 24hrs phones, e-mail etc
SHORT AND SNAPPY HEADLINE
INTRO PARAGRAPH with all the W questions. Should
not be too long.
If you are in luck the journalist has read on to the
second paragraph and you can provide more facts on
the Five-Ws.
‘Near the end you can add a quote.’, Always add name
and position of the spokesperson.
Ends (if it ends)
More follows (if that’s the case)
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
1) who you are and what you stand for
2) Other notes
For more information contact: name & numbers and address
“The news release wot I
wrote”…or questions of English
Write in clear English
 Do not use code or jargon (particularly
difficult when writing about technical
subjects such as engineering, computing,
etc)
 Do not use essay or literary writing styles
 Avoid attempts at being humourous

Common errors

Mixing single & plural
Example: The company’s finance committee has
decided to hold a emergency meeting and they
will meet on Thursday
Remedy: always choose either plural or singular
and be consistent
More common errors

Wrong possessive
All corporate bodies are impersonal - so they
should be not be referred to by personal
pronouns
Example: All the company’s departments, who are
located at Stirling, will be involved in the
expansion programme.
Replace “who” with “which”
…and more: Muddled timings
There often can be a confusion over tenses.
 For example:
Lunch-to-go has launched a new range of
sandwiches which will be available in all their
outlets.

Problem: has launched & will be available
Remedy: always check tenses to reflect the
current status of what is happening. Here it
should be “the range is available in all their
outlets”
Other faux pas




Don’t use clichés
Don’t repeat yourself (make every word count
instead)
Extra capitals: use capitals only for proper
nouns, so for example don’t write Managing
Director, but managing director
Under no circumstances highlight the company
name in capitals in a news release - this is
editors’ pet hate as they have to mark it down to
lower case and it also makes it look like an
advert

Leave out words that do not work: eg.
adverbs, redundancies, tautology
Too many press releases are very wordy and
packed with words that don’t do anything
apart from fill the page
 Examples: actually, really, simply, very
 Be very tough when editing - think, do I need
really need these words?


Use short words when they do the job best
(journalistic convention)
“say” instead of “communicate”
“but” for “however”
“let” for “allow”
“make” for “manufacture”
“about’ for “approximately”
“show” for “demonstrate”


More guidance? See Wynford Hicks’ English for
Journalists (Routledge, 2007, 3rd ed) (e-book)
…And Orwell’s 6 basic rules (see here):
http://www.economist.com/research/styleGuide/index.cfm?page=673899
A few words on quotes
A news release can be strengthened by a
quotation or quote in journalists speak
 It brings the human element to the story
 However, there are many pitfalls:

Don’t make empty sentences full of puffery or
praise (worst of all, self-satisfaction)
 Don’t make them sound as if they are
invented

So, how to quote properly???

Add the human touch by making it sound
as if the quote was spoken by a normal
human being.

Use “I” and “we” and “don’t” and “can’t”
Examples

‘Forward projections indicate a profit
above those achieved in previous years,’
said Julie Smith, managing director.

‘I think we’ll make a record profit,’ said
Julie Smith, managing director.
Always use a quote to add
value to the story

Add something new or special to your
release. Don’t let the quote just repeat the
content in other words

The new foreign customer will allow
Wilcott & Smith to employ 50 more staff.
‘We are delighted to be able to employ
more people”, says xyz
One problem you might come across is
that clients/ bosses etc might want to add
their own quotes which might sound awful
and stilted.
 Another problem might be that they’ll ask
you to invent quotes for them. Always,
always check that they are happy with
them before sending material out

Putting the final touches
to your release
Once you have drafted your release and
worked on the layout, you need to be you own
editor
Check for
 Story-line: does it work well, have you included
all the facts?
 Repetition: Have you repeated yourself in
material or quotes






Ambiguity: Is everything perfectly clear? Could
anything be misconstrued
Has it been cleared by all interested parties?
Have I written like a journalist?
Grammar? Have any grammatical errors crept
in?
Accuracy: Are all the names right, prices,
product names, etc?
Proof reading: Are there no spelling, typing or
punctuation errors?
What can be added to a release

Photos
Need to be professional
 Need to add something
 Don’t expect they’ll be used
 They are more like a taster
 Add a caption

Further material









Graphs
Charts
Technical drawings
Cartoons
Fact sheets
Logos
Maps
Artists’ impressions (e.g. of new buildings etc.)
Product samples (careful: bribery!)
How to deliver your news
release?







Mail
Fax
E-mail / Online news release delivery services
Website (pull-medium)
Special Delivery
Multi-method approach
Don’t forget to research preferences of
journalists
Summary: A news release is a
means NOT an end!
It is a method of alerting a journalist and
selling a story
 You are in competition with other people
wanting to sell stories
 That’s why it has to have the right
combination of a clear and recognisable
format & a strong, well-written story

Always remember:

The ratio of news releases issued to
those used equals the survival rate of
lemmings!!!