Freelance Writer's Guide to the Press Release
Layout and Glossary of Terms for Writing a Press Release
Aug 3, 2009
Freelance writers with the talent to write a good press release can find themselves sought after. Writing press releases requires the ability to sum up a story in a eye-catching and concise way, and the discipline to present the information in the form that journalists and news organisations demand.
The first thing to learn is that press releases follow a strict format. It is important to stick to that format in order to:
- give a professional appearance to your work and
- deliver the information to journalists in a form that they expect
Glossary of Terms for a Press Release
- 5 Ws and 1 H – Who, What, Where, When, Why and How
- Release Statement - the details about when the information is to be released to the public
- Contact - the principal person who should be contacted for more information
- Headline - no more than one line, the headline comes first and sums up the story
- Dateline - the date and place of the origination of the release
- Lead - the opening paragraph
- Body - the main part of the story
- Boilerplate - the closing details and further contact information
- ### - the sign that the press release has ended, also sometimes seen as: "-30-"
Layout of a Press Release
The words, “Press Release” should appear at the very top of the page.
Release Statement
The Release Statement should come at the top of the page on the left side, saying: "For Release" (or "For Immediate Release") with the time of release below it e.g.: "10:00 a.m. GMT, August 5, 2009"
Contact
After a double space, and immediately below the Release Statement, at the left side, place brief contact details of the person that the press should get in touch with for more information.
Headline
The headline, should come in the centre and double spaced after the contact details. The headline is probably the most difficult part of the Press Release to write as it has to catch the attention and sell the story in no more than one line.
Dateline
The Dateline is placed at the beginning of the first paragraph. It should state the city, state, country of the release and the date that the release is being sent out, e.g.: "London, England, August 1, 2009".
Lead
The lead paragraph follows on from the Dateline and must contain all the crucial facts about the announcement, in other words, the first 4 Ws of the 5 Ws and 1 H, those being: who, what, where, and when. This should be concise, but capture the imagination of the reader.
Body
The body should contain the 5th W (why), and the 1 H (how). The full story can be expanded in the body of the release, explaining its newsworthiness. It is best to contain the entire press release on one page, therefore brevity is the thing to concentrate on. It’s important to edit down the press release so that the most newsworthy facts jump out immediately.
Boilerplate
The boilerplate is a final short paragraph which tells the reader more about the company or person behind the press release. This is an important opportunity to bring to the attention of the journalists, any interesting characters with whom they might wish to talk, for further information or quotes.
“###” or “-30-“
At the end of the press release, in the centre of the page, type “###” or “-30-“ to signify that the release has ended and that there are no further pages.
Press Release Distribution
It is possible, as a freelance writer, to be asked not only to compose and write the perfect press release, but to take care of its distribution too. There are many free press release distribution services online, as well as others who will distribute press releases for a small fee. One of the advantages of signing up with these companies is that they also provide press release templates, or show sample press releases to guide writers through the process.
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