Writing Press Releases - Part 1

Anyone can write and submit a press or newsAngela Williams Duea
release; the media will choose the ones they wantPearl Writing Services
to publish. News releases often address anglesP.O. Box 8601
such as local news, human interest, new business,Gurnee, IL 60031-8601
prominent people, or unusual happenings.847-924-0710
Companies write press releases as greatWorld Tractor Challenge 2007 Highlight of New
advertising, as they offer visibility for the business.Irish Vacation Tour!
However, the release should offer readers anDublin, Ireland – March 19, 2007
interesting news angle and should not be writtenOn Sunday, August 5, 2007, the Irish attempt to
as an advertising piece. Instead, the release shouldcreate a new Guinness Book of
tell the news story.Records record with 2500 vintage tractors
Many editors don't read past the title line of aworking at one time in a field. Thisevent takes
press release - if the title hasn't caught his or herplace on the Cooley peninsula in the Republic of
interest, the rest of the release will not be read.Ireland, and is thehighlight of a new vacation tour
However, the title should be short and conciseoffered by DM Tours, an Irish Touring company.
and contain the name of the organization. That's a“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event,”
lot to pack into one sentence!says Damian McKenna, owner of DM Tours.
Press releases are written in the "inverted“This charity event will allow people to
pyramid" style, with the most importantexperience the power of thousands ofpre-1977
information within the first paragraph, and thetractors.” Previous records have been set
least important information in the final sentences.by South Africa, Australia,and England.
It must answer all the basic journalistic questions:On the specially-designed DM Tours trip,
who, what, where, when, and how. The entirevacationers willvisit farms, machinery dealers, and
release should be no more than two pages andplaces of interest to all tractor andvintage
the writing should capture the reader's attentionenthusiasts, such as a visit to the homestead of
from the first line. In the last paragraph, write aHarry Ferguson, whohelped design the Massey
brief overview of your organization, labeling itFerguson equipment. The tour also includes
"Note To Editors" or "About (your organization)."Ireland’smost beautiful and exciting cities:
The press release writer should be sure that allShannon, Dublin, Waterford, and Belfast.
typos and spelling mistakes are corrected beforeTour Director Damian McKenna has a wealth of
sending to an editor. It is also important to reviewexperience in agriculture,history, and the culture of
the contact information, such as addresses andthe Irish people, as well as being a keen
phone numbers, to be sure those are completelycollectorand tractor enthusiast. More information
accurate. If a reader wants to contact you, it'sabout this tour can be found on thewebsite [
important for you to make it easy for him or her!Note to editor: Pearl Writing Services is a
Here's an example of a press release written byfreelance writing business dedicated to helping
Pearl Writing Services:individuals and companies communicate more
"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEeffectively.