You are on Page 1 of Section 7

 

 

  Introduction & Index

 

  What is PR 

 

  Job Expectations        

 

  Types of Media

 

  Building Relationships      

 

  Media, Hams & FCC Rules 

 

  The Basic News Release      

 

  Interviews and Live 

 

  Making your own show 

 

  Easy P.R. 

 

  Public Service Events 

 

  Piggy-back to  Events 

 

  Pictures NOW!  

 

  P.R. Research Aids 

 

  Making Friends

 

  ARES® PIO

 

  Final Exam Information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Next Page

Section 7- the basic news release

 

 release-header

 

 

Goals of this Section:

            a) Learn one basic form of news release

            b) Learn the steps needed to craft a good news release

 

 

In the old days of newspapers, even a small paper had four or five general assignment reporters, most of them belonging to various service clubs doing what we now call “networking”.  They found a tremendous number of story leads and ideas just from talking with the folks at those meetings.  However, today’s news organizations are a much leaner operation.  With smaller staffs, they truly depend on other means for stories. That’s where well written and well timed news releases favor the Public Information Officer (PIO).

 

 

There are as many types of ways to write a news release as there are events to publicize and the people to write them.  This article will not be able to cover every situation, but will give you some guidance on how to craft a release that will be read and considered.

 

 

One consequence of leaner news operations is the tendency to run with the national feeds that papers, radio and television newsrooms get from their major suppliers: networks, press agencies and professional public relations firms.  This does not mean they will overlook your news in favor of something else when you follow a few simple guidelines.