There are many different schools of thought when it comes to writing a press release. If you check out the Green Media Toolshed (GMT) training library you will see the following documents:

• Pay Attention to the Structure: A Diagram of Advice for your Press Release
• The Ten Commandments of Press Releases
• 15 Dos and Don’ts for a Powerful Release

Recently I attended a Nonprofit for Good webinar titled, News Releases to Tweets: Getting Your Story Straight and Composing Effective PR Writing. Zan Dubin and Paul West were two of the presenters on the call. Based on their background and experience they gave the audience several tips on how to write press releases.

Dubin’s advice is to pretend like you are writing your press release for Twitter. For this exercise it doesn’t matter if you use Twitter or if you post your press releases on Twitter. The goal is to get your message down to 140 characters. You are distilling out your message. This will make the crux of your press release easier for your audience to find. Then once you have gotten to the bare bones of your message you can start to building it up from there. Ultimately, even if you do want to post your press release on Twitter, it should contain a link to the full press release. Your final product will not be 140 characters but it’s a great way to focus your thoughts.

West is not a reporter. He explained that many people feel that they need to spin information, but he advises on leading with just the facts and letting your experts fully explain your point of view. This approach requires a balancing act. Most people will not read more than three or four paragraphs. The goal is to let the facts convince the reporter to write the story. Just to be safe include some information on why this is important. Appeal to the reporter.

With the current economic pressures placed on news outlets, reporters are no longer able to “beat the streets”. West suggests adding two additional sections to the end of your traditional press release. If the reporter is still reading at this point they will want the extra information and if they have stopped it doesn’t matter that it was there.

• Supporting statements sections- These statements should be from credible sources that are involved with whatever your press release is about. Make sure that these statements fit together in a paragraph but if they are taken apart your message will not be lost. These sources should be available to speak with the reporter. They will help you make your case.
• Factoids- These facts do know have to be about the topic in this specific press release but they should be related to the larger picture that this press release fits into. This section is what saves the reporter time after you pitch them.

Take a critical look at your press releases and figure out which of these tools and tips will be most beneficial to you. If you come across any other good resources that you would like to share with the GMT community please post them here or email them to me at michelle@greenmediatoolshed.org and I will make them available for everyone to use.