By Carol Gravelle, MPR & Acting Strategic Advisor, Government of Ontario.

As traditional media relations courses continue to fall off the curriculum of corporate communication schools, there’s little wonder that knowledge gaps exist in how to write an effective press release. No matter what country you work in or the stylistic form, the purpose of the press release is to tell your audience a story.

With more than 15 years of government communication experience and a Master of Public Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University, Carol has written a number of news releases in Canada and in Australia. The intent of this article is to provide useful tips on how to write a government press release for junior to intermediate communications professionals.

Make the content easy to digest

Consider the Who, What, When, Where and Why as you write your first lines. This information is key to include in the press release in the first paragraph to grab the reader’s attention.

A press release should not be overly promotional. It should be factual, using data to communicate. It should also be succinct, avoiding superfluous language. Most press releases are one page in length.

Prepare for changes

A multi-layered review process is essential for developing a press release that is accurate, reflects the technicalities of legislation in simple and easy to understand language and reflects the organisation’s position on issues.

Understanding the current media environment in government is an important part of knowing how to write an effective press release

As the press release passes through reviews, technical experts may suggest changes to how the details of policies are communicated to ensure they reflect legislative language. Consider these suggestions and make changes if required. Other wordsmiths may wish to amend your text. Remember, you are the professional communicator.

Consider whether those wordsmith changes are necessary and if not, communicate why.

Quotes are essential

Having worked in the Ontario government for more than a decade, I have had requests from senior management not to include quotes in news releases. As a professional communicator, the question then becomes whether a press release is really the format to be used.

Quotes are an essential part of a news release because they provide an opportunity for a spokesperson to tell audiences about an issue and why it is important in his or her own way

If senior management do not want to be quoted or if the issue is contentious, you might want to consider using a statement. Quotes are typically two sentences and they should not come off as being too scripted or too burdened with statistical data. Instead, use quotes to add colour to the press release, highlight the spokesperson’s unique personality.

Quotes are an essential part of a news release because they provide an opportunity for a spokesperson to tell audiences about an issue and why it is important in his or her own way.

Stick to the key messages

Key messages are succinct soundbites that reflect the main messages you want your audiences to retain.

To develop key messages, consider the issues associated with your topic, as well as the associated mitigation measures. Once you have this information, key messages can be developed to strategically indicate what, if any, risks there are and how they will be managed by government. For example: “The government is proposing amendments to legislation to enable XYZ, in accordance with related legislation.” Key messages can also include a call to action, survey results, brief case studies, narratives and other information to add credibility to the information in your press release.

The use of key messages in materials such as press releases and speaking remarks enables:

  • Consistent messaging in all materials and in spokesperson media interviews

  • Open and transparent communication with audiences

  • To the point information that is memorable.

Make press releases shareable

Since press releases are rarely printed in hard copy anymore or used in media kits, ensure they are posted through the government’s press release portal and on related social media channels in a timely fashion.

The idea is to make them as shareable as possible. Include social media handles, associated weblinks, resources, videos and other materials for audiences within the body of the press release. As technology continues to evolve, consider how your press release will be accessed and viewed on desktop computers and smartphones (i.e. posting press releases as PDFs is not considered best practice because of the pinching required to read the text on smartphones).

Know your audience

Understanding the current media environment in government is an important part of knowing how to write an effective press release.

While I have attended traditional media relations courses, much of my knowledge has been generated by working in this environment as a sole media relations practitioner.

Regardless of whether you’ve taken a traditional media relations course or not, key aspects of writing press releases include knowing your audience and their deadlines, being ready to make edits and accounting for this into your news timeline, including quotes to help your audience relate to your content, using key messages and writing the press release with the aim to easily share it across various social media platforms. Connect with me on LinkedIn and let me know how these tips work for you. — Carol Gravelle

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