PUT YOUR ORGANISATIONS LOGO HEREPUT THE DATE SO THE MEDIA KNOWS HOW RELEVANT IT IS

A Short and Catchy Headline that Introduces what the Press Release is about

The summary paragraph is a little longer synopsis of the news, elaborating on the news in the headline in one to four sentences. It should explain exactly what the press release is about so that the main text can explain in more detail. The summary uses sentence case, with standard capitalization and punctuation.

LOCATION, DATE - The lead sentence contains the most important information in 25 words or less. Be strong. Grab the reader’s attention here by simply stating the news that is being announced. Do not assume that the reader has read the headline or summary paragraph; the lead should stand on its own.

A press release, like a news story, keeps sentences and paragraphs short, about three or four lines per paragraph, so that it is easy to skim read. The first paragraph should answer the “who, what, when, where and why” questions.

The rest of the press release expands upon the information provided in the lead paragraph. It contains more details about the news that is being told and highlights why it is unique, controversial or important. Keep thinking about the “why”, so that you are writing in an engaging way and convincing journalists that this is something they want to publish.

Typical topics for a press release include announcements of research findings, or the outcomes of successful events. Is this issue worthy of a press release? If the journalist is to read future releases, you need them to expect it to have good news worthy content.

The news media may use information in the release word-for-word, so make sure the language used is appropriate for reproduction and is written as you would like the story to be told. Use short and precise sentences. The tone is neutral and objective, but also exciting to engage the reader. The use of "I," "we" and "you" outside of a direct quotation must be avoided where possible. It should be as concise as possible. No more than 2 pages in total.

The Executive Director of XXXXX said, “The final section of the press release includes quotes from key staff, members or subject matter experts, such as policy makers and stakeholders. You will need to prepare press releases well in advance of their release date so that you can get permission from other people to include their name in the text, but it is well worth it in order to get wider coverage on the issue”.

“Try to get as many varied quotes from different people” said XXXXX, a supporting expert. “Journalists will not always want to print quotes from the same people as it needs to be interesting to the reader, who wants to hear different people’s views”.

For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release (or for a copy of the report, further information), contact XXXXXX.

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PUT YOUR ORGANISATIONS LOGO HEREPUT THE DATE SO THE MEDIA KNOWS HOW RELEVANT IT IS

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About XXXXXXAs a footnote to the press release you should provide a short summary about the organization who is publishing the article. This will help put the article in context and gives further information about the nature of the work to the journalist. They may chose to write about the organization again in the future, if they know more about it. This section should be no longer than 200 words.

Contact:NamePositionAddress

Telephone NumberEmailWebsite

About the subject of the Press ReleaseThis section is not essential, however if the press release is talking about an issue such as an international campaign, or about a policy demand based on a complicated bit of legislature, you should explain a little about it here. This section should be no longer than 200 words. For further information please contact XXXXXX.

About the Organization the Press Release is in partnership withIf the subject of the press release is a project in partnership with another organization, a short synopsis of that organization must also be included here. Ensure that text is approve by the other organization before publication. This section should be no longer than 200 words. For further information about this organization please contact XXXXXXX.

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