Press Releases

BY Abhinav kp

PRESS RELEASE are those reports which are prepared by the company itself .

They are written to inform the public about the important events occurring within a company or industry like change of M.D , declaration of dividends, etc.

They publicize the company and create positive impression in the minds of the readers.

WHAT IS A PRESS RELEASE

Press Release are usually confused with Press Reports

Press Reports are written by the correspondent of newspaper whereas press release is prepared by the company itself.

In the case of Press Reports, the correspondent covers the events , analyses them and writes them in his own words.

Press Release / Press Reports … are they the same ?????

The purpose of a press release is to inform the public through media.

As press release are read by the general public, it is essential to design the information with human interest so it should suit the wavelength of masses and appear interesting

1. Interesting to reader : it should not only stress basic information but also create interest among readers

2. Factual Accuracy : every statement of the press release should be accurate and clear

3. Brevity : press release should be brief as limited space is allowed for them by the newspaper

ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD PRESS RELEASE

4. Simple Language : press release should be written in simple languages easily understandable to masses

5. Five W’s of Journalism : WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE WHY

PRE – WRITING STAGE Decide the theme of the writing The information's or facts collected to the theme

should be verified for the accuracy of the message Facts to be recorded are searched and established

after giving due consideration to the 5’W of journalism

Permission of the appropriate authority to release sensitive and selected information

Selection of appropriate news paper’s or magazines for covering press release

STEPS IN WRITING PRESS RELEASE

Writing stageFocus on the theme of the story so that its construction should be marvelous

Be clear in preparing and presenting the facts

Be specific in narrating the events

Rewriting Stage In the last stage , press release is reviewed , revised and rewritten to ensure that :Its answers the 5w’sLanguage is lively and creativeContents are conciseFacts are accurateMatter is free from grammatical nd spelling errors