News releases.
The purpose of a news release is to get media coverage. These are essentially “pitch” sheets to the media, so a news release should be brief – no more than two pages long. The release should be newsworthy, with the main point(s) at the beginning of the text. Don’t bury the important news or message with background information or a long introductory passage – leave that for the end of the release. Try to keep the message or theme of the release recurring throughout the release. It’s important to continue to convey the message.
Write in a news style.
Written communications distributed by the university to the public should reflect a consistent grammatical style. Adopting basic usage in capitalization, for example, helps accomplish this. The Office of Public Affairs follows recommendations for style and usage in accordance with the Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual and other accepted reference guides. Departments and programs producing their own documents for non-academic use should also follow these guidelines.
Use active verbs.
Use everyday, conversational English (avoid bureaucratic or academic jargon). Try to find a human angle or feature by focusing on a person(s) or group that will be affected by the message. Show how the message will be beneficial to the readers.
Be accurate.
Don’t exaggerate or overstate the subject’s impact, importance or achievement. A reporter or editor will see right through it, with the result leaving your news release ignored. What’s more, your credibility will suffer and future news releases from the same program or individual could carry the stigma of inaccuracy or exaggeration and will likely find their way into the trash bin.
Be timely.
Remember that your news release should be about current or upcoming news, so its preparation and submittal to the public affairs department should be at least 3-4 weeks prior to the news event if possible.
Include photos.
If the topic of your news release is one that can be supported by pictures, then submit those to the public affairs office. Photos, if digital, must be 300 dpi, in either JPEG or TIF formats. Contact the Office of Public Affairs for more information on the submittal and use of photos.
There are no guarantees.
Remember that even after all the guidelines have been followed, your news release is just a springboard to the information. A reporter may choose to write his or her own story, so don’t expect to see your news release printed verbatim in the newspaper or broadcast. If it is, it will likely be a “news brief.” That’s why it is so important to stick to the message throughout the release. That is one way to increase the chances that the message in your release will be used.
Go to the "Do-it-Yourself News Release" Forms.
