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A press release is a communication, announcing a story to the public which is deliberately sent to journalists or media publishers in the hope they will publish the news contained in them.

They can come from organisations such as business or charities or from people like politicians or celebrities.

Press releases are usually written by press officers working in the communications or public relations (PR) industry.

Often, their aim is to get their clients’ message across or to protect their reputation. Equally, they may want to promote a product or raise awareness about an issue.

Press releases are shorter than news stories, often taking up half a page, or around 120 words.

Some press releases have an embargo, which means the content of the press release must not be published before a certain date and time. For example, a politician may send out a press release containing the speech they are due to make so that the newspapers can report about it first.

If you are a press officer

Your job is to communicate a message in the clearest way possible. You are trying to persuade journalists to report certain information, so make it interesting - suitable for a news article.

One of the most important things is to tailor your press release to the intended target audience.

So if you are sending it to a local newspaper based in a certain town, make sure it’s relevant to readers living in that town. If you’re sending it to a national newspaper, it needs to have national significance.

^{Include the most newsworthy and important information at the top of your press release}

Aim to grab the reader’s attention.

Avoid jargon, technical language and acronyms - everyone in your company may know what the terms mean, but the general public (or journalist) might not.

Ask yourself: does this make sense to someone who knows nothing about the back story? Make sure you include all the important details that journalists will need to know.

If you are a reporter

Always take the press release as the starting point for a story – don’t simply rewrite it as a news story. Remember, it may be one-sided or biased and further sources will be needed to produce balanced, accurate news. Ask yourself what information may be missing