PR 101 – The Beginning, Middle, and End to the Perfect Press Release

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How do you tell the world what’s happening with your organization? One of the best, and easiest, methods is a press release. If you follow the steps below and reference past Targeted Persuasion press releases, you’ll be well on your way to attracting the media attention that your event or announcement deserves.

  • BEGINNING: Contact Info and Headline
    Lead off your press release with the name, phone number, and email of a representative from your organization. Beneath that should be an attention-grabbing headline that clearly outlines the reason for the press release. Try to keep the headline under 70 characters.*Note; ‘FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE’ tells the media that there’s no delay in the announcement.
  • MIDDLE: Body Paragraphs and Quotes
    Once you’ve grabbed your reader’s attention with a strong headline, it is important to provide relevant information in a concise way. Focus on the ‘who, what, when, where, etc.’ in the first paragraph. Use subsequent paragraphs to elaborate on the facts of the story.
    * Note; While the content of the press release should not include opinions, adding quotes can give you an editorial advantage, so be sure to include remarks from relevant people.
  • END: Boilerplate and call to action
    Don’t leave reporters hanging at the end of a press release. Make sure to add a description of your organization, called a boilerplate, at the end. Below is a short and sweet example from Live Nation.

If you’re looking for additional tips, The Guardian and Huffington Post both have some great pieces on press releases.

Also, be sure to check out this press release Targeted Persuasion sent out for an event we organized for our client, The National Restaurant Association:

Press Release: BLACK HISTORY CELEBRATION RECOGNIZES CHARLOTTE RESTAURATEURS

Check out the coverage we received from The Charlotte Observer for this event. Notice how they quote heavily from our press release? Placing clear and concise quotes in your release, along with all of the relevant facts, can help reporters tell your story and allows you to control the narrative.