Making a press release special

It’s easy to write a press release. The difficult part is persuading a newspaper, magazine or radio station to use it.

The best releases are the ones that grab grumpy news editors and copy tasters by the shoulders … shake them … and move them to say: ‘Wow! This is interesting.

Here’s how we go about preparing to write a press release….

First, we get as much information as we can about the subject. Next, we read, read, read. We believe it’s important to become a mini-expert (so to speak) in the shortest possible time.

While this is going one, we’ll also be identifying appropriate target publications.

And once we’ve done that we will research how the target publications treat their stories.

We do not believe in a one size fits all approach. We’re prepared to write 20 different, especially tailored, releases for 20 different publications – if this means the story we’re trying to publicize will be more widely distributed.

Now, about the writing: we always adopt the attitude that we’re writing a news story – a page one lead, in fact. And we make sure that we follow all the rules of a news story – inverted pyramid style, a tiptop introduction and body copy liberally interspersed with quotes.

We believe that if a client is prepared to pay good money to get a product, person or cause into the public eye, it is our duty to produce a series of compelling reasons via the words we use to bring this about.

View examples of press releases we have written:

• Province to sponsor exhibitions in bid to boost local artists
• R500-million hospital for Khayelitsha – and Mitchells Plain to get one too
• Strandfontein actress Stanfield and four other artists for UK tour
• Mitchells Plain to benefit from new jobs and skills programme
• Jobs of a lifetime for Western Cape 9
• Masakh’iSizwe students enter into the spirit of nation building
• Mqulwana urges women to “get more than a foot in the door” of the construction industry
• Transport MEC Fransman announces launch date of “Khayelitsha Express
• A real man’s story of triumph over adversity

Do you need press releases written? Then contact Dougie Oakes Communications today.