Press Kit & Press Release How to

Elements of a press kit

A press release (see below)
Photography and/or video of product and professional headshots - Label the photos/DVDs with the type of product and for a headshot, put the person’s name, title and company
Company fact sheet - An overview of company highlights in bullet point format
Executive bios - Short backgrounds on company leaders
Press clips - The best coverage you’ve received, high-quality color copies
Presentation - Include the above in a simple two-pocket folder. For tradeshow purposes, make sure your booth or showroom number is displayed prominently and always include your contact information.

Make it newsworthy!
Editors determine news value from several different angles: Current events/importance, human interest value, public service aspects, financial effects, and potential impact on readers
Do not write copy with news slant or that reads like advertising copy
An important thing to remember is that a press release is NOT advertising
Buy space = Advertising; Supply information = potential publicity
Read the publications that you are interested in targeting to get an idea of how they write what they cover, and how to position your information
Keep it short – ideally no more than two pages
Type it on company letterhead and put contact information in the upper left or right-hand corner
Put your most exciting news in the headline, this is the attention getter
Dateline comes next. This opens the release with the city, state and date – then the opening sentence
Who, what, when and where goes in the first paragraph. Body paragraphs provide more details.
Include a quote from a key person in the company, for example the president or owner
Close the release with ### to indicate the end
If you can, send a photo with your release
PROOF, PROOF, PROOF. After the writer proofs the release, have someone else proof. Be sure to double-check spelling and edit based on Associated Press style.