5 Tips on How to Create a Headline-Worthy Press Release
Monday 7th April | Online
Journalist Nancy Durrant has read hundreds of press releases and Rosanna Hawkins, Director at Rees & Co, a leading cultural communications agency, has written even more. Together, in this online event as part of our Media Toolkit Series, they shared their insights on crafting a headline-worthy press release.
1) The Purpose of a Press Release
Most press releases go unread. Even if it isn’t picked up right away, your press release must be accurate and well-crafted—it becomes a valuable reference to provide information that journalists depend on so be careful not oversell an artist or claim something you are not certain of. This also presents a significant opportunity to strategically shape and control the narrative surrounding your project.
2) Think Like Your Reader
Keep in mind not everything is a story - you must tease out the media angle from the material and consider new information that captures the imagination of the general reader.
3) Writing Like a Journalist
Gather all the right information from your source to uncover what makes the story newsworthy. What are the key highlights? What details will spark the media’s imagination? Your job is to find the angle that makes it resonate.
4) The Pitch Email
Including action points—such as “I’ll follow up in three days”—can help start the conversation and make it easier for the journalist to stay on top of it.
5) Bonus Tip
Writing a press release is a time-consuming task, which can be frustrating. Invest your time wisely by spending it in meetings with key people involved, and lean on colleagues for input and feedback.
AWITA Members can request the event recording to rewatch this session, along with the other three in the Media Toolkit series.