The best way to get your message out to the press is to compose a press release. Use this template to help you to order and craft your message quickly. We've uploaded some LibreOffice and Word templates to help you get started. And have a look at some of EFF's press releases, if you need some additional guidance about langauge or structure.
ORGANIZATIONAL LOGO (OPTIONAL) |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TODAY'S DATE
Contact 1: Name
Title
Email/Phone
Contact 2: Name
Title
Email/Phone
HEADLINE: A PITHY STATEMENT ABOUT YOUR NEWS WITH KEYWORDS
Subhead: Elaborates your headline
Place Bracket —start with the city and state where the news or organization is based
- Add the state or country if the city is not well known or abroad.
- Ex. San Francisco, CA— Start your typing your press release now.
First Section [LEDE]: 1-2 sentences on why this event or issue development is important news, timely, and impactful for a large number of people. If only this paragraph is read it should provide the bare minimum of information needed to grasp your point.
Second Section [NUT GRAF]: In 2-3 sentences provide further details about what’s happening, where, when, and describe who is involved or impacted by the news or issue.
Third Section [QUOTE]: Follow this with a quote from someone involved or directly affected by the news. This should be a separate paragraph. Clearly attribute the person with a title you’d like to see in print.
Fourth Section [CONTEXT & SPECIAL FEATURES]: Add important facts, stats, or stories that help to illustrate the news. Include 1-2 paragraphs that delve deeper into the context and conditions. Describe the key players and what needs to be done to fix the problem.
Fifth Section [FINAL QUOTE or DESCRIBE YOUR ORGANIZATION] Close with an impactful quote or a description of your organization or coalition. Add information about why your event will be news and photoworthy. This includes key speakers, performers, and impressive organizational affiliates. You can also reiterate the details in bullet points.
Add a 2-4 sentence biography of the organization at the very bottom.
[Do not to exceed two pages.]
###
