In the context of a press release, to describe the news hook, you can use the 5W+H method developed by Mark Sherrington for news. The letters W and H indicate the beginning of questions in English that should be asked when preparing the news:
What? —
Why? — Why did this happen?
Who? — Who became a participant in the news? Who took part in the event?
Where? — Where does the event or news take place?
When? — When?
How? — How did the event unfold? Details with facts and figures.
In the previous article, we also talked about our survey mexico mobile database among Interfax journalists. Journalists would like to learn more from PR services about development plans, finances, corporate actions, production and more:
Results of a survey of Interfax journalists on missing information from companies
Results of a survey of Interfax journalists on missing information from companies
Visual component
Not every news item can be illustrated, but if there is such an opportunity, it should be used: pictures attract attention, help to clearly explain the topic and make any material more interesting.
An upcoming event can be illustrated with photographs of speakers or a poster, a past event with photographs of the event, financial indicators with graphics, and the launch of a product line with photographs or renders.
By the way, if you are launching a new product line, branded clothing, any cosmetics or FMCG products, the visual component plays a primary role in such news events. It is worth thinking about not only a standard photo shoot, but also a presentation, and sometimes a video clip supporting the launch of the news.
There are also news items that are more difficult to illustrate with real photos or videos. For example, a press release about the launch of a new IT product can include screenshots from a website or mobile app. And for news about a new round of investments, screenshots from a presentation with a graph of the startup's audience growth or a table with key financial indicators are suitable.
It is important to note that journalists do not like heavy files that clog up their email. Therefore, we recommend sending all visual materials with a link to a folder in the cloud.
Event Description Criteria
There is no single rule for describing what happened in press releases. The main thing is to change the description depending on the event. Let's look at an example.
Let's imagine that an emergency has occurred. Then our description should be structured as follows: were people hurt? (first of all) → how will this affect people's lives and production? → what are the causes? → what are the deadlines for eliminating the consequences? → what will the company do to eliminate the consequences and avoid this in the future?
And if, for example, the press release is dedicated to a shareholders' meeting, it is important to highlight the following aspects: who took part in the meeting? → what was its purpose? → what decisions were made? → how might they affect the future?
Press Release Structure
The structure of a press release should be close to the structure of a news story — from the most important part of your news story to the details. Below we provide a universal press release template that can be used for any message.