Do’s and Don’ts of Press Releases

Written by Julia Giantomasi
Published on January 20, 2022

When your library has exciting news that you’d like to share with the media, a traditional press release remains the best way to make important announcements. Press releases aren’t for everyday updates so it’s a good idea to assess if the topic is newsworthy first. If your announcement is timely, significant, includes any prominent figures, important to your local community, or a human-interest piece, chances are it’s a great topic for a press release. Before you draft your library’s press release, feel free to refer to the below tips on what to include and what to avoid!

DO:

• Include a headline, a dateline and contact information for your library. Kick off your press release with a well-written and eye-catching headline. When your press release lands in someone’s inbox you want them to be enticed to click and read more, so a great headline is key. In addition to your headline, a press release always includes the date of release in the first line to indicate the timeliness of the announcement. Be sure to always include your library’s contact information at the top or the bottom of the press release so if recipients want to reach out for further quotes or comments, they can do so easily.
• Display your logo. Branding is important when it comes to marketing, and releasing official announcements should follow your library’s branding guidelines. Use uniform font, coloring and logos to make the press release look more official.
• Utilize italics, bullets and bolded text to keep readers interested in the news. Press releases don’t need to be boring. Using formatting or font techniques is a great way to emphasize parts of the story and keep the reader interested.
• Check all links and dates. Having another colleague proofread and edit any messaging that goes out to the public is always good practice for catching grammatical errors. Pay special attention to clicking on links to make sure they work. Double check that all dates are accurate as well, and that the day of the week matches the date. It’s very easy to transpose numbers or not update a date when a press release goes through several drafts. Click here to see other common mistakes to keep an eye out for, which include capitalization and spelling of names.

DON’T:

• Send out as a PDF file type. Stick to Microsoft Word files when distributing press releases. You want to make it as easy as possible for reporters to pull information from your announcement, and Word documents allow for quick copy and paste. When a file is saved as a PDF, copying and pasting is not always possible, and typically it messes up the formatting. You run the risk that your content won’t translate to the reader the way it was intended. If you are distributing through an email list and want to include a PDF as an attachment, be sure to still include your content in the body of the email for easy access.
• Use multiple self-congratulating quotes. Including a quote from your library director, a marketing representative or a community partner is a great way to make your press release stand out and give it more personality. However, use quotes sparingly and don’t go over the top with flowery language. Quotes can sometimes take away from the announcement itself by seeming like you’re tooting your own horn excessively. Refer to this guide to help craft the ideal quote for your press release.
• Use an old template without proofreading. Keeping a template handy for press releases will make the process much smoother, but can make it easy to fall into traps with making mistakes. Not refreshing the date or the headline, leaving in old quotes or dated references can make using a template look unprofessional. Always be sure to check through and proofread for any mistakes before sending.
• Give Too Much Information. Keep it short and to the point. Reporters are looking for the highlights in digestible sentences so they can find their angle to report the story. Present the information in an active writing voice and they’ll take it from there.