Press Release Planning Steps Journalists Will Use

To plan a press release journalists will use, follow these six steps: confirm your news is newsworthy, define your target audience and angle, gather the five Ws, prepare supporting materials, choose distribution channels, and outline the release structure. These planning steps ensure your release is relevant, accurate, and easy for a journalist to turn into a story.

Confirm Your News Is Newsworthy

Journalists receive many press releases daily, so yours must stand out as genuinely newsworthy. Before writing, ask whether your announcement is something the public would care about. The Community Tool Box advises that press releases are appropriate for events, organizational changes, awards, new hires, or campaign launches. If you don't have hard news, you can create it by reacting to a relevant national story with local expert commentary.

Consider the news value: Is it timely, impactful, or unusual? A product launch, a significant partnership, or a milestone achievement are typical newsworthy topics. Avoid sending releases about routine updates or minor internal matters. If your news is not compelling, journalists will ignore it.

Define Your Target Audience and Angle

Your press release should be tailored to a specific audience. Are you targeting trade publications, local media, or national outlets? The angle—the perspective or hook—will differ for each. For example, a local newspaper may care about community impact, while a trade journal focuses on industry innovation.

Prowly's guide lists choosing your target audience as the first step in writing a press release. Consider what matters to the readers of the publications you're pitching. A well-defined angle makes your release more relevant and increases the chance of coverage.

Gather the Five Ws (and How)

Every press release must answer the five Ws: who, what, when, where, and why, plus how. These elements form the foundation of your lead paragraph. The Community Tool Box provides a clear example: "Maplewood area banks loaned less than $1 to people in the neighborhoods primarily made up of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups of Maplewood for every $5 they loaned to people in wealthier neighborhoods [what], according to a study released yesterday [when] at a press conference [how] held in front of a downtown bank [where] by the Maplewood Community Reinvestment Coalition [who]."

Collect accurate details: names, dates, locations, statistics, and quotes. Verify all facts before writing. Journalists rely on your release for accuracy, and errors can damage your credibility.

Prepare Supporting Materials

Journalists appreciate additional resources that make their job easier. These may include high-resolution images, logos, background information, or links to relevant reports. The Community Tool Box suggests attaching a summary of key points to help reporters write their articles. Providing these materials upfront can increase the likelihood of your release being used.

Consider offering interview opportunities with key spokespeople. Include contact information for a media relations person who can respond promptly. The easier you make it for journalists to cover your story, the better.

Choose the Right Distribution Channels

Planning also involves deciding how to distribute your release. You can send it directly to journalists via email, use a wire service, or publish it in your online newsroom. Research which journalists cover your industry or topic. Personalize your pitch when possible. A targeted approach is often more successful than mass distribution.

Outline the Release Structure

Before writing, outline the standard press release format. This typically includes a headline, subheadline, dateline, lead paragraph, body, boilerplate, and contact information. Prowly's guide lists these elements and stresses following the expected format to show professionalism. The headline should be concise and attention-grabbing, under 10 words if possible, using active verbs, as recommended by PRSA.

The lead paragraph should summarize the most important information, following the inverted pyramid style. Subsequent paragraphs provide supporting details, quotes, and background. End with a boilerplate about your organization and media contact details.

By completing these planning steps, you set the stage for a press release that journalists can quickly understand and use. The effort you put into planning directly impacts the release's effectiveness.

Sources

• Section 3. Preparing Press Releases - Community Tool Box
• How to Write a Press Release That Actually Gets Published
• How to Write a Press Release (With Tips From PR Pros)
• How to Write a Press Release [+ Checklist & Templates]
• How to Write a Press Release: Strategies, Trends, Template