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How to write a press release

Oct 3, 2007

Send all press releases to editor@greenwich-post.com. Hand-written releases will be accepted but are not preferred.

The deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday for the next week's edition.

Write your release as if it were a news story — which it is! If you do a good job, the release will get processed more quickly and stands a better chance of appearing in the next issue of the paper than a release on which we must do a lot of work. It will also be less subject to production errors.

In writing a release, put the most important news up top. For example, if you are describing a garden club meeting at which someone spoke, put something about what the speaker said in the first sentence. Don’t begin with the fact that the club had a meeting or who the hostesses were.

Similarly, if the story is about the election of officers, tell who got picked president or chairman, and include some biographical information about the leader.

Avoid dull beginnings. (“On Tuesday, May 4, at 9:15 a.m., the Darien Portuguese Water Dog Society met at the home of Mrs. Mabel Aquamutt.”) Your story should try to catch the interest of readers, not sound like the minutes of the last meeting (you know how boring those can be!).

Don’t address readers. In other words, don’t write “you can get more information by calling…” Make everything third person. “More information may be obtained from Joe Smith at 661-6544.”

Please be careful about the spelling of names in a release. Double-check them. If you are mentioning people who live in town, include their address (“Fred Finklekitty of Laurel Lane”).

If you are doing publicity for a coming event, such as a church fair, a concert, or a play, remember that several weeks of short stories in advance are apt to reach a greater audience than one long story the week before the event. Generally, five weeks ahead is a good time to start submitting stories publicizing a public event. However, we ask that each story be submitted at least one week in advance of each publication date. Because of space limitations, we cannot guarantee advance stories will always get in the paper each week. Usually, though, if you submit a story well in advance, it will be in the coming week’s paper.

Lead off with a different aspect of the event each week; include photos if you wish. Keep the story short and sweet — they are more apt to get in the paper and to attract readers than long-winded pieces. We cannot guarantee that all advance publicity will get in the paper on schedule; publication depends on availability of space. Remember: The shorter the story, the better chance it has of appearing!

If you are publicizing a coming event of general community interest, don’t forget to include a listing for the Postings community calendar. If you feel the event is of regional interest — a play, antiques show, fair, exhibit, concert, etc. — send a separate notice to arts@acorn-online.com for a listing in the calendars of the Arts & Leisure section. All listings should include a phone number the public can call for more information. To discuss coverage in the Arts & Leisure section, contact Sally Sanders at that e-mail address or at 203-438-6544. Listings and stories for Arts & Leisure must arrive at the Ridgefield office at least two weeks ahead of the publication date. Note: major features are often scheduled months in advance.

Check for completeness! You’d be surprised how many people forget to put a time, date or place of a coming event in their release. Remember the five Ws: Who, what, where, when and why.

If you write on a computer, please submit stories by e-mail to editor@greenwich-post.com; call 861-9191 if you need help. This is much preferable to submitting printed releases because it allows for faster processing and reduces typographical errors.

© Copyright 2007 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers