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239Chapter 15: Public Relations and Publicity

Sending releases electronically

E-mailing news releases is immediate and cost-efficient. It’s also effective — if
you take a few extra steps first.

First, check media Web sites to learn news submission preferences and to
obtain editorial e-mail addresses. Or call the assignments editor at your target
media outlet, or better yet, the editor of the section in which you hope your
news will appear.

Explain that you have a news release you believe will be of interest and ask if
the editor prefers to receive submissions by e-mail. It’s likely that the editor
will ask the nature of your news, in part to provide accurate delivery direc-
tions, so be ready with a one-sentence answer.

If the editor prefers electronic delivery, confirm the e-mail address. Also ask
whether the editor prefers the release as an attachment or typed right into
the e-mail message box. Don’t make assumptions. Most editors won’t open
attachments, so never send them unless requested.

If the editor requests your news as an attached file, you can simply e-mail
your standard news release document.

If not, prepare your news in an e-mail message following these guidelines:

ߜ Type your subject line in uppercase and lowercase, presenting a succinct
headline for your release content. For example, Hometown Landscaping:
Hosts Free Pond and Waterfall Workshop.

ߜ Write and send your e-mail in plain text. Don’t use HTML or other
markup languages, as they can reduce the readability of your news when
it reaches other networks.

ߜ Include the following items:

• Start your message with the words FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

• Double-space and then type your headline in uppercase and lower-
case, keeping it to one line if you can, or two lines at the most.

• Double-space after the headline and then type the name of the city
and the abbreviation for the state from which the news release
originates, followed by a dash, and then the month, day, and year
of the release.

• Type another dash after the city, state, and date line, and begin
typing your release, following instructions for standard releases
but single-spacing within each paragraph and editing content down
to 500 words or fewer.