A press release is an announcement. For nonfiction authors it’s usually announcing their book release. You might also send out a press release if you’ve won an award or have an upcoming event.
The basics of a press release include:
- A concise, informative headline
- City and state where you are located
- The main points in the first paragraph, with supporting information in following paragraphs
- Answers to who, what, where, when, why, and possibly, how
- Newsworthy information–why would anyone else care about this story? Is it relevant and interesting to your target audience?
- A short quote
- Contact information–name, email, phone number, website, social media sites
- End it with three hashes ### This shows the media person that it is the end of your press release.
Your press release should fit on one page. Publish your press release on your website so you can easily share the link on social media and in emails when pitching to media persons. Here’s a sample press release we did for a client.