Creating an Effective
Press Release
Garden Clubs need to be seen in their communities and to tell their communities what
they will be doing or what they have done. One way to do this is to send press releases
to your local community newspapers, newsletters, bulletins and, perhaps, radio and
TV stations and on-
Basically, in a press release you write the story that you would wish to see and read in your local newspaper. Newspapers often need stories to offset advertising and may run your release unedited.
FORMAT: In a press release you give the who, what, when, where and why and general information about your club. Press releases tend to follow this format:
Letterhead: Use your club letterhead and, if you don't have one, then make one at the top and center of your first page:
THREE ROSES GARDEN CLUB
Your Street Address
Your City, State and Zip Code
Headline: Then write a suggested headline for the event and put it in all capital letters and centered on the page:
THREE ROSES GARDEN CLUB
INSTALLS YOUTH GARDEN
AT FILLMORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Dateline: Under the headline you should insert a solid line clear across the page from the left margin to right margin and above the line at the right margin you should say “for immediate release” or “for immediate release” with the date you issued the press release:
______________________________________________For immediate release February 16, 2012
Introduction: The first paragraph (called a “lede” paragraph by journalists) gives the basic who, what, when and where information which makes the story newsworthy. For example:
Members of Three Roses Garden Club and third grade students at Fillmore Elementary School, installed a vegetable garden February 16, 2012. The third graders will tend the garden as part of their science curriculum. The garden club donated the soil improvements and seeds to start the garden and worked with the students in preparing the beds and planting the first seedlings.
Body: In the following paragraphs, you provide more particular information about the event.
Third graders at Fillmore elementary school study about food and nutrition. Their
teacher Bill Maxwell explained that the youth garden provided a hands-
Garden club president Beulah Lagergren said that club members were excited to be sharing their knowledge of planting and caring for a garden with the young students. She said it was rewarding to pass on information from one generation of gardeners to the next.
Boilerplate: The final paragraph should be a basic statement about your club and its activities in the community. This is your opportunity to mention public programs or activities.
Three Roses Garden Club promotes gardening and environmental concerns in the Three Roses Community. Members participate in garden study, take horticultural field trips and prepare holiday flower arrangements for residents at the Sunshine Acres Retirement Home. The public is invited to attend their programs on the second Thursday evenings of each month at 7 o'clock in the Community Church hall at 666 Baxter Court, Three Roses, VA.
Close: In the center of the page below the last paragraph insert ### which indicates to journalists that it is the end of the story:
Contact Information: Finally, give the name, telephone number and email address of a contact person who can answer questions or confirm information:
Contact: Elizabeth Taylor, 202-
PHOTOGRAPHS: Photographs are important! A photograph is worth a thousand words. It will enhance your story and, often, a photograph along with a caption or the first paragraph may be the only thing that is printed. You want to choose a photograph that tells the story. In this case, a good photograph would show garden club members working with students installing the garden.
You most likely will be emailing your press release and attaching photographs as jpegs. It's very important that each jpeg have a name tying it to the press release and distinguishing it from any other jpeg. You may need to rename your jpegs before attaching them to an email. For example:
Fillmoregarden1
Fillmoregarden2
Your email also needs to include a list of attached photographs along with a captions for each:
Attachments:
Fillmoregarden1: Three Roses Garden Club members worked with third graders planting a youth garden, February 16, 2012, at Fillmore Elementary School.
Fillmoregarden2: Third-
If you are mailing your press release and submitting one or two photographs, each photograph should be marked on the back with the event, date and contact information. For example:
#1 Fillmore youth garden
February 16, 2012
E Taylor 202-
You should also include a separate page on which you identify each photograph and provide a caption. For example:
Photograph #1: Three Roses Garden Club members working with third graders planting a youth garden, February 16, 2012, at Fillmore Elementary School.
Photograph #2: Third-
DISTRIBUTION: You want to send your press release to those publications which report on events in your geographic location, whether they are subscription based or freebies. For example, in Washington, D.C., many will send them to the Washington Post and the Washington Times but forget The City Paper and the various neighborhood papers. Also remember newsletters. If your release is about a school event, send it to the PTA newsletter; if you are writing about a nursing home, there may be a internal newsletter for residents.
Generally, press releases are sent to the editor of a publication. Somewhere in the publication, usually at the bottom of the first or second page, there will be a statement about the publication, its address and perhaps where to send submissions. Often, you can go to the publication's website and get this information. These days there will likely be a special email address for submissions. It's always better to submit press releases by email because it is easier for the publication to take your email and any attached jpegs and manipulate them for publication.
If you, or your spouse, know somebody at the publication, it is usually better to make the submission to or through that person so you have a better chance at getting results. If the acquaintance is casual, you may want to start off with something like this: Nancy, I know you through the church/the gym/the PTA/friends of the library/ etc. My garden club just planted a youth garden at Fillmore Elementary and I thought your publication might be interested.
STRATEGIES:
- Invite and include local dignitaries in the event, include them in your press release and in the photos.
Photos with dignitaries are more likely to be printed.
- The first paragraph MUST be filled with active verbs making the reader want to keep reading and the editor wanting
to include it in the publication.
- Dull is deadly. The writing must excite the readers...especially in the first paragraph.
- Make sentences active, neither passive, and nor state of being.
-
RELEASE:
THREE ROSES GARDEN CLUB
Your Street Address
Your City, State and Zip Code
THREE ROSES GARDEN CLUB
INSTALLS YOUTH GARDEN
AT FILLMORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
______________________________________________For immediate release February 16, 2012
Members of Three Roses Garden Club and third grade students at Fillmore Elementary School, installed a vegetable garden February 16, 2012. The third graders will tend the garden as part of their science curriculum. The garden club donated the soil improvements and seeds to start the garden and worked with the students in preparing the beds and planting the first seedlings.
Third graders at Fillmore elementary school study about food and nutrition. Their
teacher Bill Maxwell explained that the youth garden provided a hands-
Garden club president Beulah Lagergren said that club members where excited to be sharing their knowledge of planting and caring for a garden with the young students. She said it was rewarding to pass on information from one generation of gardeners to the next.
Three Roses Garden Club promotes gardening and environmental concerns in the Three Roses Community. Members participate in garden study, take horticultural field trips and prepare holiday flower arrangements for residents at the Sunshine Acres Retirement Home. The public is invited to attend their programs on the second Thursday evenings of each month in the Community Church hall at 666 Baxter Court, Three Roses, VA.
Contact: Elizabeth Taylor, 202-
SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE:
THREE ROSES GARDEN CLUB
Your Street Address
Your City, State and Zip Code
THREE ROSES GARDEN CLUB
INSTALLS YOUTH GARDEN
AT FILLMORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
______________________________________________For immediate release February 16, 2012
Members of Three Roses Garden Club and third grade students at Fillmore Elementary School, installed a vegetable garden February 16, 2012. The third graders will tend the garden as part of their science curriculum. The garden club donated the soil improvements and seeds to start the garden and worked with the students in preparing the beds and planting the first seedlings.
Third graders at Fillmore elementary school study about food and nutrition. Their
teacher Bill Maxwell explained that the youth garden provided a hands-
Garden club president Beulah Lagergren said that club members where excited to be sharing their knowledge of planting and caring for a garden with the young students. She said it was rewarding to pass on information from one generation of gardeners to the next.
Three Roses Garden Club promotes gardening and environmental concerns in the Three Roses Community. Members participate in garden study, take horticultural field trips and prepare holiday flower arrangements for residents at the Sunshine Acres Retirement Home. The public is invited to attend their programs on the second Thursday evenings of each month in the Community Church hall at 666 Baxter Court, Three Roses, VA.
Contact: Elizabeth Taylor, 202-
SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE:
THREE ROSES GARDEN CLUB
Your Street Address
Your City, State and Zip Code
THREE ROSES GARDEN CLUB
INSTALLS YOUTH GARDEN
AT FILLMORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
______________________________________________For immediate release February 16, 2012
Members of Three Roses Garden Club and third grade students at Fillmore Elementary School, installed a vegetable garden February 16, 2012. The third graders will tend the garden as part of their science curriculum. The garden club donated the soil improvements and seeds to start the garden and worked with the students in preparing the beds and planting the first seedlings.
Third graders at Fillmore elementary school study about food and nutrition. Their
teacher Bill Maxwell explained that the youth garden provided a hands-
Garden club president Beulah Lagergren said that club members where excited to be sharing their knowledge of planting and caring for a garden with the young students. She said it was rewarding to pass on information from one generation of gardeners to the next.
Three Roses Garden Club promotes gardening and environmental concerns in the Three Roses Community. Members participate in garden study, take horticultural field trips and prepare holiday flower arrangements for residents at the Sunshine Acres Retirement Home. The public is invited to attend their programs on the second Thursday evenings of each month in the Community Church hall at 666 Baxter Court, Three Roses, VA.
###
Contact: Elizabeth Taylor, 202-
ACTUAL PRESS RELEASE:
National Garden Clubs, Inc.
4401 Magnolia Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
For immediate release April 15, 2011
FIRST BLUE STAR MEMORIAL
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
TO BE DEDICATED MAY 29, 2011
National Garden Clubs, Inc., in cooperation with the historic Congressional Cemetery, will dedicate the first Blue Star Memorial in the District of Columbia at 10 a.m., Sunday, May 29, 2011. The memorial is to be installed near the intersection of 17th Street and Potomac Avenue SE on Capitol Hill. The Blue Star Memorial honors all service men and women who have served, are serving, or will serve in the armed forces of the United States. The dedication is open to the public.
National Garden Clubs, Inc., is the largest volunteer gardening organization in the world. Its Blue Star Memorial Program began in 1944 when the New Jersey Council of Garden Clubs planted 8,000 dogwood trees as a living memorial to the veterans of World War II.
In 1945, the then-
The dedication will take place during the annual convention of National Garden Clubs, Inc. For the first time, the convention is being held in the District of Columbia.
Congressional Cemetery is the final resting place of many who have served in the armed forces of the United States from the Revolutionary War up to the War in Afghanistan. The cemetery was founded in 1807 and lies along the western bank of the Anacostia River. Though owned by Christ Church, the first Episcopal church in Washington Parish, the Washington Parish Burial Ground quickly become known as the “Congressional burying ground” or “national burying ground” because of the many grand funeral processions of prominent national figures.
The cemetery was the first resting spot for many Washington notables, including
three presidents and Dolley Madison, before being moved elsewhere for final burial.
It is the final resting spot for a long list of luminaries including Vice President
Elbridge Gerry, the Choctaw Chief Push-
# # #
Contacts:
David Healy, Blue Star Memorial Committee, davidhealy@dcaccess.net
Cindy Hays, Executive Director, Congressional Cemetery, CindyHays@congressionalcemetery.org
ACTUAL PRESS RELEASE:
National Garden Clubs, Inc.
4401 Magnolia Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
For immediate release April 15, 2011
FIRST BLUE STAR MEMORIAL
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
TO BE DEDICATED MAY 29, 2011
National Garden Clubs, Inc., in cooperation with the historic Congressional Cemetery, will dedicate the first Blue Star Memorial in the District of Columbia at 10 a.m., Sunday, May 29, 2011. The memorial is to be installed near the intersection of 17th Street and Potomac Avenue SE on Capitol Hill. The Blue Star Memorial honors all service men and women who have served, are serving, or will serve in the armed forces of the United States. The dedication is open to the public.
National Garden Clubs, Inc., is the largest volunteer gardening organization in the world. Its Blue Star Memorial Program began in 1944 when the New Jersey Council of Garden Clubs planted 8,000 dogwood trees as a living memorial to the veterans of World War II.
In 1945, the then-
The dedication will take place during the annual convention of National Garden Clubs, Inc. For the first time, the convention is being held in the District of Columbia.
Congressional Cemetery is the final resting place of many who have served in the armed forces of the United States from the Revolutionary War up to the War in Afghanistan. The cemetery was founded in 1807 and lies along the western bank of the Anacostia River. Though owned by Christ Church, the first Episcopal church in Washington Parish, the Washington Parish Burial Ground quickly become known as the “Congressional burying ground” or “national burying ground” because of the many grand funeral processions of prominent national figures.
The cemetery was the first resting spot for many Washington notables, including
three presidents and Dolley Madison, before being moved elsewhere for final burial.
It is the final resting spot for a long list of luminaries including Vice President
Elbridge Gerry, the Choctaw Chief Push-
Contacts:
David Healy, Blue Star Memorial Committee, davidhealy@dcaccess.net
Cindy Hays, Executive Director, Congressional Cemetery, CindyHays@congressionalcemetery.org
SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE:
THREE ROSES GARDEN CLUB
Your Street Address
Your City, State and Zip Code
THREE ROSES GARDEN CLUB
INSTALLS YOUTH GARDEN
AT FILLMORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
______________________________________________For immediate release February 16, 2012
Members of Three Roses Garden Club and third grade students at Fillmore Elementary School, installed a vegetable garden February 16, 2012. The third graders will tend the garden as part of their science curriculum. The garden club donated the soil improvements and seeds to start the garden and worked with the students in preparing the beds and planting the first seedlings.
Third graders at Fillmore elementary school study about food and nutrition. Their
teacher Bill Maxwell explained that the youth garden provided a hands-
Garden club president Beulah Lagergren said that club members where excited to be sharing their knowledge of planting and caring for a garden with the young students. She said it was rewarding to pass on information from one generation of gardeners to the next.
Three Roses Garden Club promotes gardening and environmental concerns in the Three Roses Community. Members participate in garden study, take horticultural field trips and prepare holiday flower arrangements for residents at the Sunshine Acres Retirement Home. The public is invited to attend their programs on the second Thursday evenings of each month in the Community Church hall at 666 Baxter Court, Three Roses, VA.
Contact: Elizabeth Taylor, 202-