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The use of a press release is common in the field of public relations, the aim of which is to attract favorable media attention to public relations professional's client and provide publicity for products or events marketed by those clients. A press release acts as an information buffer between journalists and solicitors, such as PR directors and business executives. A press release provides reporters with an information subsidy, containing the basics they need to develop a news story. Press releases can announce a range of news items such as: scheduled events, personal promotions, awards, news products and services, sales and other financial data, accomplishments, etc. They are often used in generating a feature story or are sent for the purpose of announcing news conferences, upcoming events or change in corporation. It is a highly efficient and cost-effective tool which helps toaccomplish the following goals: provide consumer information (data, statistics, tips, trends, perspectives or other pertinent information that would be of interest to a particular industry); launch a new product or service; recall an existing product; cease providing an existing service, announce coming events, report on past events; welcome new staff members, profile existing staff members; highlight awards received; provide news in situations when a company needs to address an issue, respond to a crisis, and/or share general information; make announcements by individuals intending to seek elected office or respond to allegations made against them.

Structure of a Press Release. All press releases are structured in the same manner as a standard newspaper article. Information is presented in an inverted pyramid, descending in a logical order, from the most important to the least. It is an anti-climactic method of presenting the facts of a story and the most common approach to news reporting. The headline is followed by a lead paragraph containing one or two key sentences in which the end of a news event or story is announced first. The succeeding paragraphs make up the body of the press release and provide supporting information, followed by underlying background information. By telling the story backwards, the length of a press release can be adjusted, cutting the least important information from the bottom without compromising the integrity of the most important information positioned at the top. When information is presented in this manner, readers get the gist of the story in a hurry. They can then make their own determinations as to a press release's importance or relevance and choose for themselves whether or not to read past the first paragraph. Technically, anything deliberately sent to a reporter or media source is considered a press release: It is information that has been released by the act of being sent to the media.

However, public relations professionals often follow a standard format that they believe is efficient and increases their odds of getting the publicity they desire. The format is supposed to help journalists separate press releases from other PR communication methods, such as pitch letters or media advisories. Some of these common structural elements include: Headline — used to grab the attention of journalists and briefly summarize the news. Dateline — contains the release date and usually the originating city of the press release. Introduction — first paragraph in a press release, that generally gives basic answers to the questions of who, what, when, where and why. Body contains further explanation, statistics, background, or other details relevant to the news. Boilerplate is generally a short "about" section, providing independent background on the issuing company, organization, or individual. Close — in North America, traditionally the symbol "-30-" appears after the boilerplate or body and before the media contact information, indicating to media that the release has ended. A more modern equivalent has been the "###" symbol. In other countries, other means of indicating the end of the release may be used, such as the text "ends". Media contact information includes name, phone number, email address, mailing address, or other contact information for the PR or other media relations contact person.

Press releases are written in block style, so no paragraph indentation is necessary. To submit a press release public relations professionals use various distribution options including email, news wires, fax, audio & search engine distribution. They research media outlets to find out whether their specific contacts prefer to receive news releases by fax, mail or e-mail and then prepare their press release submission in the necessary hard-copy or electronic format.

Дата добавления: 2015-03-31