WRITING A PRESS RELEASE
by W:.Tim Bryce, PM, MPS
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Palm Harbor, Florida, USA
"A Foot Soldier for Freemasonry"
"We write to communicate, not to put people to sleep."
- Bryce's Law
Press releases are used to disseminate information to a variety of
news organizations that can broadcast your message to your members,
neighbors, friends, and potential members in the community. The three
steps include:
1. DEVELOP A CONTACT LIST - prior to releasing your press release,
develop a data base of people who may be interested in receiving
news about your Lodge. This should include:
- Members of the press - including the major newspapers and
community publications, and local web sites that distribute news.
- Local television, radio, and cable operators (cable systems like
to broadcast local announcements).
- Web Masters of web sites specializing in local news.
- Neighboring Lodges - those typically in your Masonic District.
- The District Deputy Grand Master and District Instructor.
- Grand Lodge.
- Lodge members - although you will normally want to broadcast such
news to your membership via the Trestleboard newsletter, you may
also want to broadcast a press release to the membership for the
broadest possible coverage.
- Other Masonic affiliates, e.g., Order of Eastern Star, Job's Daughters,
DeMolay, Rainbow Girls, the Shrine, Scottish Rite and York Rite bodies,
Knights Templer, Grottos, etc.
- State, Zone & District Chairmen of Public Relations and Publicity -
who may be instrumental in getting you additional press.
- The Editor of your Grand Lodge magazine.
- The Editor of various Masonic eZines, such as
"The Lodgeroom International,"
"The Working Tools," and
"Rising Point."
A good mailing list and e-mail address book can be very useful for developing
a contact list. One last note in this regard, please remember e-mail
is not infallible. To assure your e-mail goes through to the designated
receiver, you should use the "Return Receipt" option which electronically
acknowledges receipt of your message.
Free Internet Press Release Distribution Outlets
In addition to the press contacts mentioned above, there are
many venues on the Internet to distribute press releases,
some requiring a processing or membership fee. However, there are
some free ones on the web you should definitely check out:
2. COMPOSITION - Compose the text for your press release carefully. Remember,
most editors will simply copy your text and print it as you gave it to
them. Therefore, write it as if you were the editor.
There are three parts for composing the press release:
- Headline - keep it snappy or catchy. Always print it in upper case letters.
- Body - begin the body with a dateline; e.g., TAMPA, FL (May 1, 2007).
Write your text tightly (do not ramble, get to the point and move on).
It is very important your text convey the 5-W's (Who, did What,
When, Where, and Why). Avoid jargon an Editor would find confusing,
particularly Masonic titles, e.g., "Most Worshipful", "Worshipful,"
etc. Also, do not include any HTML code unless your contact specifically
requests it. And by all means, make it newsworthy.
- For further info - be sure to clearly define who should be contacted
for additional information. If you have a web site, be sure to include
the URL web address (e.g., http://www....).
In all likelihood you will be preparing the press release with a word processor;
in this event, be sure to check the spelling and grammar. There is nothing more
embarrassing than sending out a press release with typographical errors in it.
For more tips on how to write a press release, see:
http://www.press-release-writing.com/
USE OF PHOTOS
Whenever possible, the press release should be accompanied with a photo,
either printed or digitized (JPG is the preferred format, although GIF and
TIF are still widely used). When using digital photography, provide the
photograph as is (with color) and allow the Editor to crop and touchup
the photo (including converting it to black and white). In other
words, leave it to the professionals to handle.
3. DISTRIBUTION - Although press releases distributed on paper are certainly
accepted by the press, the preferred format today is by e-mail, hence the need to
have an effective e-mail address book. It is easier to copy and edit text
from an e-mail than to transcribe a paper press release. In fact, your chances
of having the press release printed are better if you use e-mail instead of
paper. E-mail is simply faster and more convenient to use.
If you want to attach a text file to your e-mail, be sure it is in a
plain text format (ASCII) as opposed to a specific format for a word
processor, e.g., MS Word. Not everyone will have the same word processor
you have, but everyone will be able to read a plain ASCII text file.
Press releases can also be distributed by fax packages but this is becoming
rare as e-mail has become the distribution channel of choice.
Try to personalize each press release by including a friendly note to the
Editor; for example: "Bob - I thought you would find the enclosed press
release of particular interest to your readers. Let me know. Regards, Jim."
Developing a rapport with your press contacts is important and improves your
chances for having your news published.
CONCLUSION
Although writing the content of a press release hasn't really changed
in many years, the method for distributing them is radically different
than years past. In fact, you now have a better chance of having your
release published if you send it electronically than through the post
office. With a little imagination, a good word processor and the
Internet, you can work miracles for the fraternity.
Keep the Faith.
NOTE: The opinions expressed in this essay are my own and do not
necessarily represent the views or opinions of any Grand Masonic jurisdiction
or any other Masonic related body. As with all of my Masonic articles herein,
please feel free to reuse them in Masonic publications or re-post them on Masonic
web sites (except Florida). When doing so, please add the following:
Article reprinted with permission of the author and www.FreemasonInformation.com
Please forward me a copy of the publication when it is produced.
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http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm
Copyright © 2007 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
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