Tips for Writing a Press Release for the Event—What to Do to Make the Media Write About Your Event

In the United States, the first press release was released a little over a century ago. Although today’s Facebook and Twitter feeds often serve as a replacement for news publications, the traditional press still can significantly impact society. And sending out press releases for events remains the best way to convey messages to the media and gain access to a large audience.

What Is a Press Release for an Event?

A press release for an event should briefly and clearly explain to journalists why they and the public need to attend your event. A press release should answer the question: “Why should I come here?” The release also contains information about the event, such as time it begins, the venue it will be at, directions to the venue, and contacts of a PR expert or other responsible person who can answer questions about the event.

The three pillars on which any press release rests are novelty, relevance, and informativity. To publish a press release on our website, you need to complete the form found at this link:

Main Components of the Event Press Release

When you write an event press release, you’ll add more info here and there or accentuate on some parts. Yet, we recommend you follow the following standard template for an event press release:

1. Title. A title is the first thing any person will see in your press release. It must be eye-catching to attract more attention and clearly explain what your event is about. It should include the name of the event that will be discussed in the text.
2. Lead. The lead is the information basis of the text. You should explain in a few sentences the main idea of your event in this section. The lead answers in one or two sentences this question: “What is this press release about?”
3. The body. The body of text or the bulk of the press release reveals all the details of the event and any correlating information. The body may include figures, facts, statistics, and other intriguing details. Remember that the most important information should be communicated in the first paragraph, the lead.
4. Quote. Adding a comment or expert opinion is a great tool to make the material in your press release brighter and more lively. And when necessary, the quote makes it possible to highlight the newsmaker, noting a key figure associated with the event.
5. Info help. With info help, the press release needs to include brief and clear information describing the event. You can include the history of the event and the main achievements of the brand, as well as elements of identity—for example, the logo.
6. Visual images and links. Add media elements associated with the event. This can be a photo report or the event’s poster, infographics, banners, promo photos, and more.
7. Media contact / Press contact person. A press release needs to include contacts for event—a representative or organizer from whom a journalist can obtain additional information or materials for publication. Here you can add links to the company’s Internet resources: website, landing, and social networks.

Event Press Release Example

Keep in mind that when it comes to an event press release you have to create an informative document. Media representatives must learn quickly a few things: what happened, why it happened, where it happened, and what are the results of the event. Or the time when an event will happen and what the event will be about.

And try to write all parts of an event announcement press release (from title to contacts) in a simple manner.

What Are Press Releases Used for?

Here are 4 main tasks that press releases work well for:

Talking about the news to a wide audience and to increase brand awareness. The story told by the media arouses interest and trust among a wide audience. Press publications help to attract more attention to your brand, can cause a public outcry, and increase brand recognition.

Building a sustainable and successful relationship with the media. Journalists are looking for news and interesting stories. Therefore, sending out press releases is a mutually beneficial matter. By helping the press find decent information, you will be able to build successful cooperation with media partners.

Controlling the image and perception of your brand or product. A press release is not only a story about your brand; it is also an opportunity to shape the brand’s image and control the audience’s perception of your brand. Sending out a press release is a way to protect the product, event, or position from any misinterpretation.

Bringing customers and increasing sales. A new clothing line, a one-of-a-kind airline promotion, or the launch of an educational project all require advertising and branding to attract customers.

Press releases help accomplish these tasks. Note that texts with direct advertising are often not considered by the editorial departments of publications but are sent to the advertising and marketing department.

Event Press Release Writing Rules

There are simple rules for writing a press release. If you follow them, you will reduce the chances your release will go into someone’s spam folder or be ignored..

The first paragraph in a press release, the lead, is short but has the most important content. It answers questions and provides key information, such as:

• what is the name of the event
• what format the event takes place in
• what the event will consist of
• the date, address and time of the event
• Names or facts connected to the event that are guaranteed to attract attention

You have a few seconds for the editor to look at the first lines of your release and decide whether to read it further. Do not talk about the event’s uniqueness or that it is unprecedented. Give the facts. Believe me: it is just as important for your recipients to post interesting, relevant, and useful announcements. When you provide that, you can see your event information published. But do not hide the essence under the heap of distracting information and irrelevant details because the editor has a huge flow of information to review. Help the editor know in your first paragraph that your event is worthy of their attention.

In the second paragraph, you reveal more details about the event such as how many people you expect and who these people are, and what is the uniqueness of the event. What program will be, and what details are the most interesting?

You can devote one paragraph to an opinion leader’s feedback about the organizers or about the event. Of course, this review cannot be forged. Nor should you quote those who are not recognizable figures. It is better to make the press release shorter than to fill it with fluff or false information.

The last paragraph of the press release needs to include the event’s website address, the contact details of the person involved in PR and interaction with the media in the project, and the phone, e-mail, and links to social networks of the event.

In the end, you should have a press release that occupies no more than one page, in which the information is not repeated, is logical and consistently structured, does not have  a single error, and the specifics are not missed or distorted.

The main nuances are:

• A press release must be written in text format. You do not need to make it in pdf, which someone will not open, someone will not load, and someone will not copy anything from it. Make the path from reading to publishing as short and convenient as possible for the addressee.
• It is better not to call the letter “forehead” — “Press release of the conference on writing press releases.” Every editor of these almost identical letters has hundreds to sort through every day. Write an interesting, informative headline that would attract your attention.
• When you send press release, after the greeting, copy the first paragraph into the body of the letter. The first paragraph should contain the most important, vital information about your event. Include a link for someone to access and learn more about the event. (and give a link to the GoogleDoc where you prudently copied the text of your press release). All your contact information must be in the release.
• In addition to the text of the press release, the attachment should contain 2-4 photos from past or similar events held by you, or pictures from the Internet that seem most suitable for you, or a poster for the event. Sometimes, if there are no pictures, editors can attach something to your announcement that does not reflect your expectations at all.

Preparation and Distribution

Before sending a press release for publication, follow these steps:

1. Avoid difficult-to-read sentences with partial and involved turns, vitriolic phrases, special vocabulary, abbreviations, except for commonly known ones. Write in an understandable and lively language.
2. Avoid evaluation judgments.
3. Try not to use linking words, which are perceived as a clerk: “as a result,” “thus,” “subsequently.”
4. Check spelling and punctuation.
5. Try to fit the press release on one, maximum of two pages.
6. Make a brief announcement of the press release and place it in the body of the letter you address to various media outlets. This will increase the chances a journalist reading it. It is important for an editor to catch the essence or your event instantly, from the body of the letter itself.
7. Formulate the subject of the letter briefly.

I hope, you now know how to write a press release for an event. Press releases today still are quite relevant. However, you don’t have to be a  professional to write a good press release. Anyone who has sufficient literacy and also understands the structure and nuances of this genre can write a good press release.

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Read More:

• Download Event Press Release Example
• Band Press Release Template
• Donation Press Release Template

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