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Editorial Policy

• Make sure the press release is professionally written and edited. If a journalist has to worry about the proper way to abbreviate a state, give a number in either roman numerals or spelled out, etc., you’d be well advised to show the same care for the English language. Buy a stylebook. Most newspapers use The Associated Press Stylebook.
  
  
• A summary “graf” (as journalists call it) on top of your release increases the chance that the release will get routed to the appropriate reporter or section editor. Although addressing the release to “New Products Editor” is helpful, a short no-nonsense summary graf is more helpful.
  
  
• Use brief, to-the-point paragraphs. It’s easier to scan, less taxing on the brain, and is in line with how journalists are taught to write.
  
  
• Avoid hype. All the superlatives in the world won’t make a bit of difference, and will probably hurt. Journalists tend to be cynical and suffering from hype-exhaustion. Optimism in a press release is only natural, but a dash of sober-mindedness will go a long way.
  
  
• Avoid jargon. Although you may think your “Net Operations Networked System Nodal Solution (NONSNS)” deserves a long capitalized title and an acronym, in most cases it’s a waste. Acronyms mean nothing to those who aren’t used to seeing them. Long names tend to devolve into meaninglessness.
  
  
• Tell, don’t tease. Explain your product and how it is relevant to the media publication’s audience. Talking about all of a product’s useful features is good; explaining why they’re important to a publication’s audience is better.
  
  
• Make life as easy as possible for a journalist by including quotes from company representatives, contact information to set up interviews, and an offer to send quality photos. Even if your press release isn’t turned into a story, if you give good information and good quotes you’ve increased your chances of at least getting a one or two paragraph “brief” written.
  
  
• Make the quotes interesting. The VP of sales restating the press release in glowing terms doesn’t mean much. An interesting or quote makes it more likely that a journalist will want to do something with the story.
  
  
• Include a Web site address and e-mail address. Even if your story does interest the reporter, there’s a good chance they’ll avoid the phone at all costs. The phone is what they use to bother sources on breaking stories, otherwise, they see it as something PR people use to talk them into submission.
  
  
• Last but not least, NEVER USE ALL CAPS. Though not as annoying as all caps, try not to capitalize every Word or Noun that You think is Important, italicize more than one word in the whole release to make a point, or use more than two fonts. They’re all marks of an amateur, and are sure to irritate your reader. Bolding the sender and recipient information is a nice way to differentiate those itmes and keep the release looking good.