Page 19 - WBG March 2025

FEATURE

4. Cut out the fluff Summary

This is an important rule for every type of web content, but it is Reporters and media representatives can be your best friends
absolutely essential in press release writing. Great press releases or worst enemies. You control the atmosphere in which you
provide concise, easy-to-understand facts. They are not opinionated. interact with the reporter. When they are treated respectfully
They are not flowery. They are not works of literature. If you dilute the and professionally, they are more willing to produce a story in the
facts with long, flowing sentences and adjective-laden descriptions, manner in which you wish it to appear. Respect the requirements
you are wasting journalist’s time. And if you waste their time, they are and responsibilities of the reporter and your mutual respect will
going to throw your press releases into the garbage. work to your advantage.

5. Remember that facts can be interesting all by themselves
Intellenet Newsletter Article Release Form
Just because you are cutting out the fluff does not mean that your
press release has to be dry and boring. Look at it this way—if your Name of Article: Media and Press Relations
announcement is truly worthy of a press release, it is obviously a Date Submitted: November 17, 2024
big deal. When presented the right way, the facts can be incredibly
compelling all on their own! The goal is to showcase those facts in the I, William F. Blake
very best way, so that people cannot help but be interested in them. Shall fully defend, indemnify, and hold harmless INTELLENET from
any and all claims, lawsuits, demands, causes of action, liability, loss,
6. Do not try to “wing it” damage or injury of any kind whatsoever, regardless of whom brought
by, arising out of the submission, and or publication of the article
herein. This defense of INTELLENET shall include any claim made by
If you think you can get by on those one-size-fits-all press release any party that an article was a hominem attack, was slanderous, ,
templates, think again. Those templates only give you a basic caused pecuniary loss or that it was plagiarized, and or fabulize.
framework of what you need to do. Templates cannot give you the
finesse you need to make your specific press release stand out. Press I, as the contributor, recognize that all responsibility for correctness and
releases are too important for you to try and “wing it.” After all, the factuality shall be my responsibility.
last thing you want is for your major announcement to get lost in the
shuffle because it was not written very well. I further attest that the entire article is my own work and not that of
plagiarism or fabulized in any way.

I attest that I either own all images used and or I have written permission
Media Lists of the owner allowing me to use them in my article.
The most basic tool is the Media List. Without one, you will not know Although I do not have to produce written model requests with this
who to call or where to send press releases. It used to be that press article submission, I attest that I am in possession of all model releases
releases were sent by regular mail or fax. These days, they need to be necessary, and I have permission to use all images included with this
submission.
sent by e-mail, although some newspaper or reporters may still prefer
faxes. E-mail media lists can be organized as “group lists” to send I recognize that INTELLENET is not responsible for ideas and opinions
press releases all at once or press releases can be sent individually, expressed by me in this article and full responsibility for same.
sometimes with a personal message.
I agree there shall be no compensation provided to me for my
submission, publication, or further use by INTELLENET as they see fit.
IMPORTANT! The text of a press release should be pasted inside the
actual e-mail. Do not send attachments. Reporters guard against I have authority and do grant permission to INTELLENET to publish
viruses by not opening attachments and some newsrooms have virus the submission in the newsletter and to print and reprint it as the
screens that strip them. If there is a lengthy document you want to organizations sees fit without any additional permissions necessary.
send to a single reporter, ask first if it is okay. Do not send e-mails in
which many different names from different news organizations, (i.e., Signed: William F. Blake
competitors) are listed as addressees. Instead, set up a group list
with a single address that indicates in some way that its news related. W.A.D member William Blake is a CPP,
For security purposes, make sure that only one or two people are certified by ASIS and a CFE by ACFE. He has
programmed as moderators to use the list and send releases. authored several books relating to security,
investigation and risk management. Retired
Besides e-mail group lists, keep copies of printed lists with the names by the U.S. Army, Blake has more than
of news organizations organized by media type (i.e., newspaper, sixty-five years’ of experience in civil and
television, radio, etc.) the names of editors and reporters, their criminal investigations, bank security,
telephone numbers and e-mail addresses, as well as regular mail executive protection, loss prevention, disaster
addresses for special uses when time is not urgent. Each time you recovery planning, counterintelligence
make ”pitch calls,” the names can be checked off and notes made for operations, security risks analysis and security
training.
each call.
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