BLOG: How to write your release like an Associated Press story
By Peter Kelley
Here at RenewComm, we recommend writing your press release like a news story, in Associated Press style.
One reason being, reporters are so time-impoverished (and fewer in number) these days that it's all the more important to help them identify the important news at a glance — literally what is new and significant about your release, what advances the whole sector, or climate solutions in general.
Also, some outlets will literally cut and paste your press release if it’s written like a news story. On the other hand, if it looks like company promotion, they may not take the time to rewrite it. And reporters are not in the business of promoting companies; they’re in the business of reporting news.
If you let us, we’ll take care of everything. That means we’ll:
Start your release with a headline and lead paragraph that summarize your news as a reporter would write it
Put all expressions of opinion inside quotes, attributed to you or your partners
Provide a source for each assertion of a fact (ideally with hotlinks)
Use the best short quote by around the third paragraph
Insert a “nut graf” by around the fourth paragraph, which is an Associated Press term for a paragraph that is “dense like a nut” because it compresses useful background that would otherwise clutter up the lead
Use no unfamiliar acronyms, which Associated Press style now forbids, along with the former practice of defining acronyms in parentheses; instead, we’ll continue to spell out all terms, or use an alternate word
Describe physical objects in colorful details, so that the reader can picture them
Include a bit of the origin story of your company and founder, and/pr your product or innovation, to personalize your news
Company promotional language should be left to the “About” statement at the bottom, unless it’s in a quote.
On quotes:
Quotes solicited from partners are usually poorly written and unhelpful to reporters. They all tend to say they are “delighted” or “thrilled,” sound like company promotion, and like nothing a person would actually ever say. Reporters leave out quotes like that. So why write them in the first place?
Instead we recommend that someone familiar with the project draft an informative sentence or two for each person you’d like to quote, that helps tell the story or explains something in plain language like you’d tell your mother. And then, show it to the person being quoted for their edits and signoff. Show them this column if you think it will help!
Quotes like this can be used in the body of the release to help tell your story — so long as they capture how the project or product solves a problem, how it exemplifies a trend in the industry, or otherwise makes a unique and important contribution.
Otherwise, if partners still insist on sending you standard boilerplate quotes, we can bullet them at the bottom, just before the About text.
Let us know if we can help you by writing, distributing, and pitching your company’s next press release — and once it’s out, by amplifying it on your social media accounts to help you reach the people you’re trying to reach. Just think of the time you’ll save, and the increased attention you’ll get.