How long is a news release?
I found myself blasting out an email to the team today to remind them of some fundamentals. It occurred to me that I should wrap it into a blog post for future reference.
If the target publication is a broadsheet, a news release can have up to 500 words. For a tabloid, keep it to 300 or 400 words at a push.
For trade or technical media you can let it run up to 800 words if there is a lot of technical information that you need to include.
Sometimes a client wants to include all kinds of historical information that isn’t directly related to the story. Counter this by putting it in the notes to editors.
Remember a news release is a door opener. It’s a tool to start a conversation.
You are not Tolstoy. You should not attempt War And Peace.
Filed under: public relations
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A door-opener… not a doorstop. Good advice.
Echoing Bob’s comment — great advice.
I’ve always thought about how much effort and information that really should go into a news release. You need enough and the right information to spark an idea, — while providing enough and the right information so the media can use it as is (as some trades and small papers do).
It can be a fine line — and requires craftsmanship.
-Mike
Mike I couldn’t agree more. But it takes time and experience to master any craft. So I find guidelines like these are a good starting point for greener professionals.
Sherrillyne: True, guidelines are needed. Didn’t mean to imply otherwise. Just putting a plug in for how writing — good, quality, effective writing — is an often overlooked craft. Too often taken for granted.
-Mike
Agreed Mike. Thanks for reading (and commenting!)