The single most important thing your press release must do is commit news.
Here’s what news is not:
- An event, especially an event that has already happened. Events happen every day. What is it about your event that distinguishes it from others? Can the public participate? Do they have an opportunity to affect public policy? Are you expecting a large crowd? Will it happen during a crucial point in the public policy process?
- Your board chairman expresses an opinion about an issue without context or relevancy to the issues at hand. Unless the board chairman is Lady Gaga or a well-known public figure, it isn’t news.
- “Grip and grin” pictures. This is usually a photo containing the plastic smiles of an organization receiving money and an individual or a group giving money to heighten their social responsibility street credibility. Unless it’s a lot of money, the donor is well-known or famous, or the collection of donations was inventive such as children setting up an online piggy bank to collect money for children’s cancer causes, it’s not news.
- An upcoming event that will inform, benefit or educate your community and is open to everyone to attend. An advocacy day about a very specific issue is an example.
- A point of view that shifts or enhances public policy debate. Example: The General Assembly is considering shutting down juvenile detention centers across the state. Your organization has proven results of after-school programs that have decreased the rate of youth offenders.
- A report or statistical finding that sheds light on a pressing issue affecting your community and may include a call to arms to act in some way. Your organization releases a study during budget negotiations that finds that governments actually save money when they invest in programs that allow seniors to live independently.
Remembering these simple guidelines will help you “commit news” and get your press releases noticed.
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