News
Release Assignment
A news
release publicizes an event or something that will take place, such as the
announcement of a new library program or a movie star's newest release. A news release is usually only one or two
pages and distributed to a variety of media outlets. In this activity you
create your own news release. For this assignment you will write a release for your
Grant High School Trade Show company launch
Assignment Requirements:
1.
Written
on company letterhead.
2.
Contact Information: This is the
person in the hot seat when the press has questions. The contact needs to be
readily available, knowledgeable and empowered to answer all the media's
questions.
3.
Time to Release Material: Is this for
immediate attention with time-dated contents? Is this a piece that an editor
could run whenever he needs filler material? Is it a calendar release
announcing a special event that should be passed along to the events editor?
4.
Headline: Take the time to write a clever headline, but
don't forget to say what you piece is about, since this may be the only thing
the busy editor reads. Capitalize Every
Word Except for Prepositions. Short and
Sweet.
5.
Dateline: Where the story is being written from and on what
day. City, State, Month Day, Year.
6.
Lead: This is the meat of your release. Don't bury your
news, put it right here in the strongest language possible. If this doesn't
catch the editor's attention, the rest of your release is a wasted effort.
7.
Body: The guts of your article. A press release, like a
news story, keeps sentences and paragraphs short, about three or four lines per
paragraph. The first couple of paragraphs should cover the who, what, when,
where, why and how questions.
8.
Quote: Your chance to editorialize and get your message
across to the reader. It's usually the best to quote the highest authority in
the organization, such as the president to convey credibility--but make sure
whomever you quote is available for follow-up interviews.
9.
Closing Tag: Provide as much background information as
possible on the organization or person without getting too broad. Rule of
thumb: It's easier for the editor to cut unwanted information, than to have to
call for more facts.
