- Use just one A4 page but don’t cheat by using a font smaller than 11-point or ridiculously narrow page. If there’s too much information, provide background or relevant facts on a second page.
- Have a one-line punchy headline (up to about six words). Add a short subheading only if that second point is vital.
- Date the media release at the top of the If it involves an event, ensure the event date, time and location are also at the top.
- Detail any spokespeople available. Put the name, title, email address and mobile phone number of one or two contacts at the bottom of the page. Ensure one contact is available from early morning to late at night to cover different time zones and news deadlines.
- Detail any audio, video and/or still images available for media use.
- Include social media handles like @businessdeans for Twitter or your LinkedIn address.
CONTENT AND WRITING STYLE
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- Forget unnecessary or meaningless modifiers. Eg: anonymous stranger, advance warning or collaborate together.
- Avoid jargon. People outside your field of expertise may not know what you’re talking about.
- Avoid or explain acronyms. If you must use acronyms, spell out the full name and put the acronym in brackets the first time it is used. For example, Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Then use the acronym for subsequent mentions.
- Double check the meaning of words and spelling. Don’t rely solely on spell-check. Watch out for American spellings like organization (US spelling) instead of organisation (Australian spelling).
- Road test your media release on a couple of people who know nothing about its subject matter. Is it clear, do they understand it and is it of interest to them?
- At least one other person should proofread it and check for typos and other glitches. Even small mistakes detract from your credibility so it’s worth paying attention to detail.
To download this as a tip sheet and for more resources, visit?https://abdc.edu.au/abdc-communications/tips-to-improve-communication/?. For much more detail, see our?ABDC book.
