Press releases are an effective tool you can use to publicize news from your athletic department. As the release you produce is straight from the source, you can control the message you want your audience to receive about players, coaches, and other news, in a factual and concise manner.
There are many occasions when it could be necessary to write a press release. You’ve hired a new athletic director, coach, or member of your athletic department; your football team signed a big time recruit; construction on your soccer fields will begin next fall; your cross country team won the national championship, etc. Anything newsworthy, is worthy of a press release!
Because press releases are so ubiquitous in sports at the collegiate level, it is important that you master the fundamentals of how to write one! Here are a few tips to help you write a great press release.
1 .Keep it short and sweet. Most press releases don’t exceed 500 words from top to bottom
2. Don’t get cute with the font style – keep it simple and in standard formatting
3. Consider the “Five W’s”
In your press release, it should be obvious:
- Who or what you’re talking about
- Where the release or event you are discussing occurred
- When your news occurred and when your release was publicized
- Why this information is important
4. Utilize the key components listed below
5. Always edit and proofread!
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Key Components
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“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE”
This should be at the top of your press release in all caps. This phrase lets your audience know that there is important news that is ready to be released ASAP!
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Headline (title)
This is the first piece of information your audience will see when they look at your press release, which is why it’s important you nail it! You should make the headline catchy and intriguing, but also to the point and it should tease what’s to come in the rest of the release.
The headlines should only be one line in length (the shorter the better).
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Dateline
The dateline directly precedes the opening paragraph. This component lists the city, state, and date of the press release.
The city should be capitalized and the state is styled according to AP Style guidelines.
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Opening Paragraph
Is another critically important component of the press release. The first paragraph is a summation of the press release, and like the headline, entices your audience to read the rest of your release.
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Body Paragraphs
Your body paragraphs contain the meat of what you are announcing and should be 3-5 paragraphs in length.
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Boilerplate
Though it’s not necessary to include a boilerpate in your press release, it is a useful to include for your readers who might not know too much about your school or what you are releasing. The Boilerplate should be a short paragraph with relevant background information about the person, team, department that is the topic of the press release.
We also recommend you include a heading for your boilerplate that describes the background information you are providing.
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Contact Information
Contact information can be included at the top or or bottom of your release and will include:
- Contact name & title
- Phone number
- Email address
- Your school or company’s website address
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Here's a press release template for you to see where the key components are typically placed.
If you'd like more information visit ereleases.com!
