How to Write a Media Release

A media release is a very effective way to disperse news about an event, organisation or person and gain publicity. As you need to get your key message across quickly, it’s important to make the most of the limited words you have.

According to Leisa Goddard at Adoni Media, when writing a media release following a template is crucial. A powerful template will allow you to write an impressive release.

An example of a media release template can be seen below:

—  MEDIA RELEASE —

Date

Headline

The headline of your media release should be catchy, enticing, strong and summarize the main points of the story you’re trying to tell. The aim of your headline is to draw in the attention of the reader and make them want to know more. It also helps to have this in bold font, so it stands out.

Lead

This is your opportunity to answer the most important questions – who, what, when, where, why and how. Your lead should be interesting, explain the main points of the story and be concise.

Body

Following the lead, you can then expand on your story and provide further information. Make sure to prioritise your content from most important to least important so the reader is less likely to lose interest. Not only this, a journalist can then trim the media release if they have limited space available for a story – yet are still able to keep all necessary information included.

Always remember to write in short sentences and paragraphs while keeping the content straight to the point – you only have limited words to get your message across and want to write in a similar style to a journalist. Also include newsworthy quotes and attribute them to a particular organisation or person to keep the release appealing.

End

The last paragraph of your media release should contain the least important information. This can include background information or a summary of the story, organisation, person or event. Always remember to finish the release with ‘ends’ so the reader is aware it has finished.

Contact information

At the end of your media release, include the contact details of the appropriate person for the story. Simply write ‘For further information, contact…” or “Media enquiries:” before listing the details.

You should include full name, email address and a telephone number which can be called after-hours as some journalists may need questions answered before or after business hours.

Boiler plate

A boiler plate is optional, though it allows you to include background information which usually isn’t necessary to include in the media release. It will merely give the journalist an overview of the release’s topic.