1) Start it strong. Your headline and first paragraph should tell the entire story in a nutshell. You have only a matter of moments to grab the media’s attention.
2) Write for your audience. Speaking of media, they’re who you’re composing your press release for. Try to develop a story as you would like to have it told and anticipate their needs. They’re trying to entertain, educate, and inform their audience. The more your release does all of those things, the more likely it is to be used.
3) Ask yourself, “Is my press release newsworthy?” Do not use your press release to make a sale. The purpose of a release is to inform. Answer the who, what, where, when and why questions of journalism.
4) Realize that not everything is newsworthy. Just because something is exciting and newsworthy to you does not automatically make it newsworthy. Will someone else find your press release interesting? Focus on the elements of your event that makes it important to someone else.
5) Just the facts. It may be tempting to embellish the truth. Don’t. Stick to the facts and avoid exaggerations. The media is naturally skeptical, anyway. If your press release sounds too incredible, it will be ignored.
6) Pick an angle. This goes hand-in-hand with making your press release newsworthy. Make it timely or focus on current events or social/political issues. Every press release needs a hook.
7) Use active voice. Active verbs instill life into your release. Since every word counts, make them all strong. Writing in active voice helps ensure your press release will at least be read.
8) Make every word count. So important we’ll say it twice. Keep your release concise and to the point. Avoid unnecessary adjectives and redundant expressions.
9) Avoid jargon. Jargon is language specific to certain professions. It’s best to avoid jargon if your goal is to optimize your news release for online search engines, since the general public will not search for jargon words or phrases. That includes acronyms limited to your expertise.
10) Avoid hype. Never do this!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON’T DO THIS!! ***DO NOT DO THIS EITHER***
ACRONYMS YOU CAN 
In addition to having a unique and heart-warming gift for mom, taking advantage of existing holidays or events puts you ahead of the game when it’s time to promote. Poetry, cookbooks, and children’s books are universal; don’t forget that other people are looking for good Mother’s Day gifts, too.
“The CD/Media Kit arrived today. All I can say is WOW! It is by
Do you need a publicist to handle your press release with targeted distribution and phone call follow-up?
Thanks to the PR Publicist, retired NBA All-Star Ricky Pierce received 5 major interview leads and 56 review leads in the first 72 hours for his Outskirts Press book, Bouncing Billy.
playing in the NBA, Pierce had the opportunity to visit many schools and children’s hospitals, where reading was a big part of the visit. Those experiences inspired him to write Bouncing Billy and make a positive difference in the lives of children. Pierce resides in Texas with his wife, Joyce, formerly of the multi-Grammy award-winning group, The 5th Dimension, along with their three children, Christian, Rachel, and Aron.
