Top 10 tips: the press release

Sooner or later you will want to tell your peers, perhaps even the general public, about your successful projects. The media play an important role in the dissemination of findings from health research. Press releases are widely employed by medical researchers to attract favourable media attention and promote their research. Your own career advancement will one day depend on the success of your dissemination activities.

So how do you prepare press releases in a way that ensures your news gets maximum exposure? Well, you could follow our infographic above. Alternatively, if you need more detail you could use our latest Insider’s Insight on how to prepare press releases.

Writing a press release is a key skill for researchers and medical writers alike. If you are considering writing a press release remember these key points:

• Clearly label your communication as a press release.
• Use the five W’s: who, what, why, when and where.
• Get your timing right: communicate in advance.
• Keep it brief - about one page, no more than two.
• Use short sentences and everyday language.
• Include a quote from a key stakeholder.
• Provide your contact details clearly.
• Supply sources of additional information.
• When emailing your press release put your copy in the body of the email.
• Use the Niche press release template.

Have you registered to receive the Insider’s Insights? Niche created the Insider’s Insights as a way that we could share helpful pointers and key learnings gained over the last two decades with our friends and colleagues.

Dr Tim Hardman is Managing Director of Niche Science & Technology Ltd., a bespoke services CRO based in the UK. He is also Chairman of the Association of Human Pharmacology in the Pharmaceutical Industry and an occasional commentator on science, business and the process of drug development.