SolveYourProblem
eMarketing Series: Press Release
How To Write A Press Release
That Blows Away
Editors & The Competition
( 30 pages )
3
Things to Avoid When Writing A Press Release
There are a variety
of ways to form the intro to your press release. Aside from
the guidelines already mentioned, it’s best to avoid
ever starting your piece with a question. An interrogative lead
is never a professional way to write news.
Although you
might feel that it piques the reader’s curiosity, all it will
do is waste the reader’s time, and that will cause them to
skip your item altogether. Don’t say “Will the PTA raise enough
funds to buy new computers for the school” when you can say
“The PTA will hold a fundraiser Monday night in an attempt
to provide the school with all new computers.”
Additionally,
don’t try to cram everything into one sentence if it seems
to overload the information. If the five W’s won’t fit gracefully
into the first sentence, then cut out the least important
information, and save it for the second sentence. There is
no need to practice deliberate overkill just to follow news
formatting.
Just as you shouldn’t
lead with a question, you also should never lead
with a negative sentence. If the PTA meeting was rained out, don’t write “The
PTA did not have its meeting Monday night due to bad weather.”
Say, “Rain spoiled the fundraising efforts of the PTA Monday
night…” Or, even better, if something is going to replace
the thing that did not happen, mention that first: for example
– “The PTA will hold a meeting Tuesday night to take the place
of Monday night’s meeting, which was rained out.”
Intro Checklist:
-
Have I used,
but not forced my five W’s into my lead?
-
Is my lead
clear, concise, and positive?
-
Is my lead
appropriate in length, or have I tried to include too much
information?
-
Does my
lead reflect the most important ideas based on the content
of the body of my press release?
-
Have I started
with the most important information, and methodically mentioned
less relevant points as the item progressed?
-
Does my
lead reflect matters of substance, or have I over-generalized?
-
Does my
lead answer to the broadest possible audience, or does it
cater to one specific group in particular?
Everyone is different
when it comes to developing his or her own leads. Some prefer
to write the lead first, and then flesh out the story so that
it’s centered around the lead. And some prefer to write the
story first, including all of the relevant facts, followed
by writing a lead that is all-inclusive of their prewritten
information.
Whichever method
you choose, try to follow the basic rules in leads, headlines,
and slugs. Include the most important facts, write with clarity
and value in mind, and try to target as many people as possible
with your intro sentence.
The wider your
appeal, the more likely an editor will be to want to include
your work in his publication. The more people you cater to,
the more people that will purchase his publication.
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