Consider this; Pre-Writing of a Press Release

Press releases need to be attractive to a news organization. These organizations will not publish your article if it does not appeal to their target market and their needs. Making the mistake of writing a press release that is too concentrated on your company's needs will not be effective. In order for TV producers, and newspaper, magazine, and website editors to publish your press release it needs to serve not only your needs, but the publishing organization as well. Here are some tips in making your press release attractive to the media:

• Open with an attention-getting lead or a summary of important facts.
• Include answers to the five Ws and one H, but not all in the first sentence
• Appeal to the audience of the target media
• Emphasize reader benefits written in the style of the focus publication or newscast
• Present the most important information early, followed by supporting information
• Make the release visually appealing. Limit the text to one or two double-spaced pages with attractive formatting
• Look and sound credible; no typos, no imaginative spelling or punctuation, no factual errors. (Guffey, Rhodes, & Rogin, 2011, p. 301-302)

The video below discribes how to use the Tomahawk Content Management System (CMS). Using a CMS can be very useful as it makes preparing a press release easier.

Reference:

Guffey, M. E., Rhodes, K., & Rogin, P. (2011). Business Communication, Process and Product, Sixth Canadian Edition. Toronto: Nelson Education Ltd.