Best practices for writing a news release for your company

For some companies, especially those without a strong communication department or team, drafting of news releases is sometimes one of the more difficult things to write. While pitching may be a work of art, writing a news release is like a science project. There are many elements and best practices to writing a news release, so here are our top eight best practices for writing a news release:

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1. News. You need to have news to share. You shouldn’t write a news release just to write a news release. You must have something newsworthy to share with your audience.
2. Audience. Speaking of the audience, you should know what or who it is. Are you writing your news release for reporters? For consumers – i.e. the general public? Or for other businesses – B2B? Before you write your news release you need to know your audience and tailor your message accordingly.
3. Timely. Not only should you have news and an audience, you should also be sure that your news release is timely. You don’t want to announce something like a significant donation months after it’s happened. If you aren’t timely with your release it could mean that your news release won’t help you earn media coverage for your company.
4. Less is more. You don’t want to write and submit a news release to a reporter or publish on a newswire every week. If you inundate a reporter, it could hurt your PR efforts and overall successes. You also don’t want a news release to be overly lengthy; you will lose your audience’s attention.
5. Headline. Your headline should be relevant to what the news release is about and should encourage your audience to continue reading.
6. The H and some W’s. Be sure to include the five W’s in your news release - you need the who, what, when, where, why, and how because these are key elements reporters need to know to write a story based on your news release.
7. Supplemental. We recommend including supplemental media items like photos and other graphics when sharing a news release. This helps to bring the story you’re trying to tell to life.
8. Contact info. If you are publishing your news release on a newswire for distribution, be sure to include your contact information so reporters can connect with you if they have follow-up questions for a news story.

News releases are a great tool to share your company’s news and reach a wide audience. A science project has specific pieces it needs to to fulfill the scientific method and achieve success. Like a science project, a writing news release has certain practices you should follow to help ensure its success. Following these best practices above can help your company rise above others who may not have the knowledge of writing a news release well. 

Want even more insight? Check out this Guide to the Ultimate Press Release to help you write even better news releases. Once your news release is written and ready for distribution, it’s time to check out ways to syndicate your press release on a commercial newswire today.

Clients love Marjorie’s work ethic, speed and diligence. She has worked with Axia Public Relations since October 2011. Marjorie graduated from Rockhurst University with a Bachelor of Arts in communication and loves to cheer for her hometown Kansas City Royals. Learn more about Marjorie.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels