Joan Stewart

Press Release Tip 11 Write the body copy and include links The fourth part of a press release, which I’ve highlighted in gray, is the body copy and you can see it here. It includes links and might constitute up to 90 percent of your entire press release, depending on how many words you’ve written. Notice… Read More

Press Release Tip 12 Include a call to action in your press releases The fifth part of a press release, which I’ve highlighted in blue,  is the call to action which you can see here, within the body copy. I’ve devoted an entire lesson to this topic because it’s so important. This is where you lead… Read More

Press Release Tip 13 Write a boilerplate paragraph in longer press releases The sixth part of a press release is the boilerplate but only in longer releases.. It’s a paragraph of information at the end, similar to an “About Us” paragraph at your website. It summarizes quickly what your company does.  Not all press release… Read More

Press Release Tip 14 Optional note to the media and the Safe Harbor Statement The sixth part of a press release is the optional note to the media. For public companies only, the seventh part is the Safe Harbor Statement. In my sample release, my note to the media is highlighted it in red here.… Read More

Press Release Tip 15 Explain why someone won an award This is the first lesson in Module 3 which shows you how to write press releases for routine news events like awards and promotions. In many cases, journalists will pluck out only three or four sentences from these releases for newspapers or magazines. But you… Read More

Press Release Tip 16 How to write about multiple employee awards Many companies write press releases about employee recognition ceremonies. But the problem is, if there are a lot of employees, the press release ends up looking like a big blob of gray. There are so many names and titles with all those commas and… Read More

Press Release Tip 17 Publicize contracts you’ve won or awarded If you’ve awarded a contract to a vendor, or if you’ve won a contract, it’s time to write a press release. Be sure to state the benefits of the contract.  I like the way this press release from Mercy General Hospital in Baltimore, Md., focuses… Read More