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SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING A PRESS RELEASE
The Chapter below was written by the delegates at the 1997 INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT in Taipei. It is part of the booklet "How to Establish a National Children's Organization"
MEDIA COVERAGE
The media is an essential link between any organization and the community. As such, to gain community support, the media must be utilized effectively. Unfortunately, children are often portrayed negatively in the media. It is rare that a positive story about children will gain media interest, especially when a negative youth story is available. Also, quite often the media misconstrues concepts and misquotes people. Consequently, the promotion of your cause or event through the media must aim to reflect the vision and mission of your organization or event with clarity and strength.
It is preferable that those involved in dealing with the media are well versed in the processes of the media and have a solid understanding of the purpose, goals and structure of your organization. To access the media in your nation, it is advisable that you obtain a detailed list of media outlets.
A press release must be written to capture media attention. This would be a short overview of the activity, event or idea; selling the story. The following is a basic format of a typical press release. Of course you will need to adapt it to suit your purpose, but ensure that it is short, dynamic and captivating:
Suggested Press Release Format
DAY, DATE, TIME
Title of Press Release ( A catchy title)
CITY, State, Date (on which the news will occur)
In the main text there are four parts:
1) the lead paragraph
2) supporting information
3) acknowledging information
4) a description of the organization/s involved
1) The lead paragraph should give only the critical information needed to know what the news is about. Only include necessary general information about who, what, why.
2) The supporting information paragraph should contain more details that support the information given in the lead. Give more details on who is involved, what they are involved in, why they are involved, and more details on where the news is taking place.
3) Acknowledging paragraphs give more details about the people, event or history in the supporting paragraphs.
If extensive quotes were used from someone, here is where you may add further biographical information about them. If it is an event that is being covered, historical information about the organization will be contained here.
4) The final paragraph contains information about the organization or event and is only a few sentences.
It is important to complete the press release with ### or -------- to indicate to the recipient that they have received a complete press release.
Follow with:
For further information contact:
Name of contact person
Title of organization
Phone number, e-mail address or other way to get additional information if needed
Here is an example of a press release on the National Council:
Monday, August 19th,2002 9:45am EST
NATIONAL CHILDREN'S COUNCIL SWEEPS THE COUNTRY
NEW YORK, New York, August 19 - Children from around the nation are organizing a National Council that will give children the avenue through which to voice their views, problems and solutions, and present them to government officials. The first biannual meeting will be held near Washington, D.C. on December 2-7,2002. The number of children expected to attend is around 120.
The meeting of the National Council has been organized by 13 children. In this first meeting, issues such as drugs and violence will be addressed. After the intensive five day meeting, state representatives will return to their states and create projects to help solve these problems.
This Council is the result of eight years of work through the non-governmental organization, Peaceways-Young General Assembly The ultimate goal of the National Council is to collaborate with similar groups in other countries to form an international Young General Assembly.
Peaceways-Young General Assembly is a non-profit organization based in San Mateo, California. Peaceways-Young General Assembly coordinates projects like the annual World Summit of Children and serves as the Young General Assembly Secretariat.
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For further information contact:
Ellen Brogren
Peaceways-Young General Assembly
(123)555-9276
Peaceways@org.com
Aim to target media outlets which have audiences whose support you will benefit from most (i.e., stations which are specifically focused on young people). Also keep in mind that the best media coverage is not always the most popular TV channel, newspaper or radio station. Also, try to get coverage for your cause in community newspapers and radio stations, local magazines and school newsletters. Often a press release will not be the most appropriate way of capturing the attention of these media sources, but a brief letter may be equally as effective in these circumstances.
If you want to gain general community support, a partnership must be established with the media. The media is a very important tool in changing people's attitudes and ideas. The negative portrayal of young people in and by the media must be redressed to facilitate a shift in community attitudes towards children.
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