Getting your small business noticed can be daunting, but a media release is a great tool for getting your name out there and attracting interest.
A good media release should highlight the main features of your news, include quotes from those involved and provide links and contact details for journalists and editors wishing to pursue the story.
Before you begin writing your media release it can be a good idea to spend some time reading, listening to, or watching stories from the outlets you are planning to approach. This will help you ensure your announcement is newsworthy and that your release is written in a way that will improve the chances of your story being picked up.
Make sure your announcement is newsworthy and that you write your media release in a way that will improve the chances of your story being picked up.
The headline
This is the first part of your media release that journalists will see. It should be a concise, clear sentence that very briefly summarises the content of your release.
Resist the urge to write a clever pun or attention-grabbing headline. If your business is a child-friendly café that’s opening the first toy library in Geelong, ‘Child-friendly café to launch Geelong’s first toy library’ is a concise, effective and clear headline and immediately tells the journalist what your release is about.
Opening paragraph
The opening paragraph of your release should sum up your news. Again, this should be precise and cover only the most important details. Journalists are busy people and may not read to the bottom of your release. You want to make sure that you grab their attention at the beginning: try to include the 5 Ws: who, what, where, when and why. Think of your opening paragraph as the elevator pitch of your media release.
Expand
The following paragraphs are your opportunity to explain your news in more detail, add some catchy quotes and provide more information on your business.
Make sure to include two or three quotes from those involved in the story. Quotes could be from the head of your small business, or any significant stakeholders mentioned in the release. Quotes help to bring a personal element and add weight to your media release.
Tips
- Write ‘media release’ at the top of the page
- Include the date at the beginning of the first paragraph
- Keep your media release to below 400 words – or under one page
- At the end of your release, don’t forget to provide links to your website or further information, as well as the details of a media contact for journalists interested in following up on your story
- If there is extra information that needs to be included but doesn’t fit in the body of your release (for example, background information on your business), you can include a ‘notes to editors’ section at the end.
Jo Scard, Fifty Acres
