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History of Press Releases
 On
October 28, 1906, at least 50 people
lost their lives when a three-car
train of the Pennsylvania Railroad
jumped a trestle at Atlantic City, NJ,
and plunged into Thoroughfare creek.
That afternoon, Ivy Lee created
the first press release. The
Pennsylvania Railroad was one of his
clients. Following the accident, Lee
not only convinced the railroad to
distribute a public statement, he also
convinced them to provide a special
train to get reporters to the scene of
the accident.
The New York
Times was so impressed with this
innovative approach to corporate
communications that it printed the
first press release-verbatim-on Oct.
30, 1906 as a "Statement from the
Road." In the weeks that followed,
both newspapers and public officials
effusively praised Pennsylvania
Railroad for its openness and honesty.
A hundred years later, some
things are significantly different,
but others are remarkably unchanged.
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Why have a press release?
 The
purpose of the news release is to
connect with the media. In fact,
the release is the expected first
communication with a media outlet.
Perhaps you are looking for a
story, interview, or a TV
appearance -- the press release is
the right place to start. However,
there is no guarantee that the
media will use your release.
Consider when it is
appropriate to issue a press
release. A news release can be
used when you open a new
office; win an award;
introduce a new product or
service; sponsor an event; or
any other such happening.
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Consider
the Following Questions
 ●
What results do we hope to
produce from our news release?
Perhaps your company
hopes to generate media interest
in a new product, or to promote an
event that you are sponsoring.
Outlining your goals from the
start will help you assess their
viability, and will give you
direction when it comes time to
prepare to write the article.
● What audience will my
news release speak to?
Business people usually have
their company at the front of
their mind when considering the
news release. However journalists
will have the interests of their
audience at the top of their
considerations. To be effective,
consider this question from the
journalist's perspective.
●
Is there anything unusual
or noteworthy about the release
our company will issue?
Your news release will be more
effective if it has a good angle.
● In a stack of dozens of
news releases, is there something
about my news release that would
catch the attention of the media?
Journalists must wade
through dozens of news releases on
a daily basis. You can help your
release to stand out by ensuring
that it is well written and
presented. However you will also
want to make sure that the content
of your release is worth notice.
● How will our company
distribute the release (wires,
mail, fax, email, etc.)?
You will invest a lot of
time into crafting a good news
release, and it is important to
make sure the you have the
distribution network to support
it.
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How to Write that Killer
Release for the Internet
 Online
press releases
are a way to
get low-cost
publicity and
credibility
from the
media. A
well-written
press release
is an
invaluable
marketing
tool.
Online releases are
created for Internet
distribution rather than
print media. Online press
releases are written in
the same general format as
a for-print press release,
but they usually contain
links back to the site
that is being promoted.
Press Release
Format
The
overall format of an
online press release is a
one-page document of about
400 words. Anything
written for online
consumption is best kept
short and to the point to
keep the interest of the
online audience. Remember
that people are searching
for condensed information.
Every word of an online
press release must count.
Consider the headline
carefully. You must draw
in your audience with a
few well-chosen words.
Start with a paragraph
about how the
site/service/product is
relevant. This is the
newsworthy aspect that
will bring in readers and
interest news outlets. If
the item being promoted
can be tied in any way to
a major, ongoing news
story there is a better
chance of the release
getting noticed. If not,
try to tie it into any
major problem or concern
that has been in the news
over the past year. A
product that is good for
the environment can be
tied into global warming.
After leading with the
newsworthy element, go
into more detail about the
actual thing being
promoted. Create at least
two links to the site.
These serve as both
backlinks to boost the
site's page rank and as a
way for potential
customers to find the site
quickly.
End with a few
sentences about the
company in question. This
usually includes what year
the company or website
started and how someone at
the company can be
reached.
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Come back to read how to
optimize your press
release and how to
write printable version of
your press releases.
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