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An electronic news release has the following elements: ∗ Company name (or logo) ∗ Headline (sometimes also subhead) ∗ Issue date ∗ Lead (the first few sentences) ∗ Body ∗ Conclusion (not mandatory) ∗ Editorial notice (editor’s note) ∗ Media Inquiry Contact
The Basic Elements
Sample: Electro
nic New
s Re
lease
Company name Headline lead
body
Editor’s note
Media Inquiry Contact
Company & Issue date
Sample: Email‐Based News Release
Headline
Company & issue date
Attached e‐release
A good news release should have one or more of the following characteristics: ∗ Proximity – Nearness to your audience / Are they directly
affected? ∗ Timeliness – Is this something new? ∗ Prominence – Are those involved of importance to the
audience? ∗ Novelty – Is this something unusual, first, largest etc.? ∗ Conflict – Are there competing sides, big or small?
A Good News Release
∗ Wide Appeal – In many cases local media appeals to an eighth‐grade reading level and topics that appeal to mass audiences. Does your story have wide appeal or can you describe why it should?
A Good News Release (cont.)
Headline – It’s the subject line (the title of the news release). Either it’s electronically used or printed on the paper, headline nature is still the same. Write it concisely but meaningfully. A good headline of a news release should convince news writers or editors to get it published. It should: ∗ Capture the news writers/editors’ attentions ∗ Summarize the overall content of the release
Writing a Headline
∗ Be short. ∗ Be straightforward, not misleading. ∗ Not be promotional. ∗ Not include company’s name (except some cases). ∗ Use simple words. ∗ Comply to style guides. ∗ Not be written in BLOCK. ∗ Be capitalized or lowercased.
Writing a Headline (Cont.)
Too long ∗ More than a Hundred Buyers Queue for the Arrival of iPhone 4S in front of iOne at Canadia Tower from Morning until Evening
Acceptable ∗ Hundreds of Buyers Queue for iPhone 4S Arrival at iOne All Day
Example: Length
Non‐Standard ∗ Apartment and Office Realty Revenues Are Expected to Rise Up in the Upcoming Years.
Standard ∗ Apartment, Office Realty Revenues Expected to Increase Next Years
Example: Style
Since lead is the first line(s) of the news release, it should be short, summarizing the overall content of the release. An effective lead should: ∗ Capture the news writers or editors’ attentions ∗ Reveal the overall meaning of the release content. ∗ Provide a brief of the “5 Ws” and the “H”. ∗ Not run more than 5 lines (best, 50‐80 words) ∗ Not exceed 2 sentences
Writing a Lead
Not Effective: Too long, poorly structured, delayed lead ∗ In time of ASEAN Integration over the next few years, free market is open to this community and foreign investors have already looked to invest in the country. Cambodia will no doubt improve many economic sectors. For instance, Cambodia’s apartment and office realty revenues are predicted to grow by the next years, said industry leaders at the economic review session yesterday.
Example: Lead
Effective: Concise, immediate lead, well‐structured ∗ Apartment and office realty revenues are predicted to grow by the next coming years, as bolstered by ASEAN Integration when foreign investors have already looked to invest in the country, industry leaders said at the economic review session yesterday.
Example: Lead (Cont.)
The body of a news release provide details of the headline of the release, narrowing down the points in an inverted pyramid style. An effective body should: ∗ Provide details of the subject matters ∗ Answer to the “5Ws” and the “H” ∗ Include the intended messages ∗ Include background information ∗ Include supporting elements such as human quotes from
involved individuals, figures, statistics, factual information
Writing a Body
Exam
ple: Bod
y
Even if the conclusion is not always necessary for a news release, sometimes writers use it to leave a special message for the readers so that the readers are drawn by it at last. An effective conclusion should: ∗ Briefly restate the lead (in a far different way) ∗ Leave a message for the readers to consider ∗ Urge for an action ∗ Not run more than 5 lines (best, 50‐80 words)
Conclusion (Nat Mandatory)
You have five minutes to write a conclusion for the news release provided by the teacher.
Practice Writing: Conclusion
