Writing Press Releases

Hi All,

In my last post, I mentioned that I was given the task of writing a press release. I must say, I was afraid when I first heard that I am to write one. Reason being that I was unsure of my writing skills. Being in the public relations industry, that is the one thing that you have to be most confident of.

Another reason was that I wasn't sure of the company's standards. During my interview with the Account Director, he asked me what I have learnt in school and to explain a little. So I told him that we were taught the tools of public relations and writing press releases were one of them. He said to me, "you can throw what you learnt out of the window." I was shocked. Not only because it made me wonder what the industry was like, but whether what my school was teaching was up to par. (For your information, my Account Director was from Curtin too)

Only after starting work with them did I realise that what he meant was that, press releases differ from client to client. Of course the structure is still the same, with the most important information that includes 'who', 'what', 'where', 'when' 'why' and 'how' at the top. It is just that press releases need to be read by the clients and approved before being sent out to the media.

Some clients prefer their press release to sound more interesting with descriptive works incorporated, some just rather their press release be straight to the point and concise. It really all depends on the industries the clients are in.

So I went on to write my first one. The press release was for a client in the lifestyle tech industry. Let me tell you, I had to rewrite my draft almost three times before it was approved by my Senior Consultant.

After the press release has been approved, it's time to send it out to the media! One important point to note, it is vital to select the correct media/beat depending on the industry the client that you are writing the press release for is in. If the press release is sent to an irrelevant media/beat you may seem like you're unprofessional as not only knowing the client was is important, but also knowing the different media and beats and what their focus is on.

One word of advice to fellow interns, never be afraid of making mistakes or doubting the work that you do. It is normal because you don't know what the company and client standards are.

Good luck to all the interns!

Alicia Tan
Curtin Singapore