The What

What is happening? Is it happening to someone? Then the audience needs to know. Is your organization fighting to save a homeless shelter from being destroyed for a new parking lot? Items that affect others are of great interest to all of us – even if we’re not directly involved.

When writing about the What of a topic, you’re usually talking about a verb. Something is happening, will happen, or did happen. Whenever possible, use an active verb instead of a passive one. For example:

Instead of saying:

“XYZ will hold a meeting Monday night.”

Say:

“XYZ will meet Monday night.”

And always avoid prepositional phrases whenever possible. Don’t say “Mr. Doe, the Vice President of XYZ Corporation, says…” Simplify it by writing “XYZ Vice President Doe says…”

When the client has many possible “Whats” coming up, don’t try to cram them all into one press release. Meet with them and try to find a balance between what they think is most important, and what an editor would want to see based on audience appeal. Point out to your client that not everything they send in is going to be published in all likelihood.

You don’t want to write a press release telling the public that John Doe was promoted to CEO, and the company is opening a new plant soon, and they’re having a picnic that will open to the public, and it happens to fall right around the time the new product is being introduced.

This isn’t destination – information, it’s information overload! Your readers will walk away dazed and confused about what they just read – unsure of what the intended message was because of its jumbled nature. Focus on the best points, and stick to them!

The What in your story is the item you want your reader to act upon. Fundraising? You want donations. New product or services? You’re looking for a sale. New jobs? Get those applicants in the door, not to mention grab some positive public relations for your press for your client.

For the What answer, use the most interesting angle to your audience. If an 89-year old volunteer is devoting sixty hours a week to raise money so that the organization can purchase enough turkey’s so that every needy family can celebrate Thanksgiving, center your piece around her, not the organization itself. The press release will still get its message across – that they should help her meet her goals, and you will have used a human-interest angle to do it.

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