1. Keep it short! Three hundred to four hundred words are generally enough for effective press release writing. When distributing a print copy of a press release (or via fax), stick to the “one page rule.”

2. Make the news clear in the headline! While a headline should be catchy to grab a journalist’s attention, it also has to make the news angle clear immediately.

3. Answer Who?, What?, When?, Where?, and Why? early! When possible, answer these five basic questions all within the first body paragraph of a press release. Don’t make journalists dig for answers.

4. Provide full contact information! If a journalist is interested in a story, they need to be able to easily, and quickly, contact someone for more information. Include an address, email address, phone and fax number (or as much as possible), plus the full name of a media contact person.

5. Avoid promotional language! Don’t include testimonials, first person quotes, or any hype in a press release. Avoid any overuse of adjectives in press release writing that may make the news read more like an advertisement.

The “little things” in press release writing are what often get a news story noticed, picked up, and covered thoroughly in the media. In essence, just remember to give the journalists what they need, give it to them quickly, and let them know where they can learn more.

Release Time – The release time of a press release is where you would note “For Immediate Release” or “Embargoed Until” followed by a specific date (for releases that aren’t permitted to be published immediately).

Headline – The headline, or press release title, should be attention-grabbing while still telling journalists the essence of the news contained in the press release.

Summary – The press release summary should be a brief paragraph presenting more details about the actual news contained in the body of the press release. In online press release distribution, the summary is often displayed in listings with the headline.

Dateline – This will include the distribution date of the press release, followed by the hometown of the person or company presenting the news, and finally followed by the start of the first body paragraph.

Press Release Body – The body of the press release will go into further detail about the news. The who, what, when, where, and why questions should all be answered in the first paragraph if possible, followed by any quotes and supporting facts.

Boilerplate – A press release boilerplate is a paragraph after the press release body, often preceded with a line saying “About CompanyXYZ,” which gives general background (not usually directly related to the news angle) about the person, organization, or company issuing the press release.

Call to Action – Generally a one-sentence closer following the boilerplate of the news release, and starting with something like “For more information about CompanyXYZ or this news angle…” followed by a media contact person’s name and phone number, and sometimes email address.

Contact Info – Full contact info, or at least as much as possible, including a full media contact name, phone number, and email address. A mailing address, fax number, and cell phone number can also be included.

Closing – To close a press release (to let the journalist know there isn’t a second page), center ### or -30- at the bottom of the page.

It brings up a more general question about PR writing: Is it ever OK to hire a PR professional to write an opinion piece that your name will be signed to?

I think in most cases, yes, it’s absolutely alright (whether that be an Op-ed, letter to the editor, or anything else along those lines).

Some people simply aren’t articulate, or they can’t write persuasively although they may know exactly what they’re trying to convey. When you need something to be concise or persuasive, and you can’t do that yourself, it makes absolute sense to bring in a professional.

In the case of the story mentioned above, I do think it was abused, and far from ethical. Having PR professionals creative massive campaigns designed to manipulate is significantly different (in my opinion) from an individual needing help turning their own ideas into something effective and readable.

I think the biggest question as far as ethics go is the amount of involvement from the client (or person claiming authorship). There’s a big difference (again, in my opinion) between a client telling a PR firm precisely what they think, what point they’re trying to make, etc., and then approving everything before publication or distribution, and someone simply telling the PR professional “we want a piece that’s pro-this or anti-that” or “write us a bunch of letters, and we’ll have our people sign them.”

What are your thoughts on the ethical side of hiring a PR firm to write opinion pieces for you or your company?

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While I already run a PR blog at NakedPR.com, the company blog will cover more practical PR issues for webmasters, small and online business owners, authors, and musicians, as well as client news and relevant PR industry news.