Marketing / Communications
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“WWWWW (and usually H!): Guidelines for Writing a Press Release,” by Development Counsellors International (DCI), 2007
Public Relations: Guidelines for Writing a Press Release
There are six basic, yet essential, informational elements in writing any press release or media alert, and they remain unchanged in an ever-changing media landscape:
Who is involved?
What is going on?
When is it happening?
Where does it take place?
Why are you doing this?
How do I get more information?
Ideally, these are incorporated into the first paragraph of your press release: if there isn’t space, a reporter or editor will cut from the bottom, on the expectation that those details will be included.
Be sure to provide your contact information, though not within the body of the release (or it may get printed!): they may want to call or e-mail you for further details.
An informative headline that summarizes the information is also essential: clarity is preferred over cleverness.
DON’T call to ask if they have received your release: if you have kept your media database updated, they have!
Prepared by Development Counsellors International (DCI) for use in the 2007 PR 101 Trainings.