How to Write a Successful News Release

How much time does it take an editor to decide whether to use a news release or toss it aside? Most people say a minute or two. The real answer is shocking: According to researchers, editors spend a mere six seconds deciding the fate of each release. If your release isn’t an instant hit in the newsroom, it probably dies a quick death.

The editor makes a snap judgment because he or she knows the audience will do exactly the same thing. The majority of news releases are tossed in the wastebasket -- there are just too many of them, and most are prepared without any understanding of how the newsroom operates.

When your news release arrives in the newsroom it is competing for space or airtime against other stories. If you want your news release to be competitive in the newsroom, you need to begin by understanding your first audience, the editors. Editors and news directors are the gatekeepers of the newsroom, deciding what gets into the news and what doesn’t.

First and foremost, editors want stories which their audience will find compelling, whatever the source. They want stories which immediately reach out to people and affect them in some way. Similarly a story which touches a great number of people has more "news value" than a story which touches only a few. There is more news value -- more appeal to the readers -- in dramatic action than there is in quiet achievement. And we often see situations which have high news value, but are quite without any real value to the community; the media run this kind of pseudo news because marketing studies show that this is what makes the public react.

The lesson here is to try and find an angle in your story which will strengthen its appeal or broaden its audience. Build the news release around something which large numbers of people will find interesting. This becomes the "hook" which pulls people (including the editor) into your story.

News angles are as variable as human nature. They are often built around drama (picket line conflicts), pathos (birth mother reunited with adopted daughter), fear (government to eliminate old age pensions) or major change (Preston Manning promises sun will rise in west if Reforms form next government).

Normally in releases and news stories the hook is summarized in a concise, punchy lead sentence. (When you have less than seven seconds to win over your audience, you need to get straight to the point.) "The Canadian News Release Handbook" provides several sample news hooks extracted from within a story. For example, if you are unveiling plans for a new employment program, explain to the readers what this means to the community. Instead of "Community agency to build new workshop," write about how "New community workshop creating 28 local jobs." The second version will pull in a much larger audience.

There is much more to writing a competitive news release than building a strong news hook, but the hook is the foundation. If you don’t have some interesting news, then nobody is interested in your story. It is as simple as that.

(David Reilley is a consultant, media trainer and author of "The Canadian News Release Handbook.")