As with writing for the web, composing a media release which successfully gains strong press coverage is a specialist copywriting skill. Journalists are trained to weed out hype and waffle, so the guiding principle is to be accurate and objective.

Media releases are written pyramid-style, with the bones of the story in the first two or three paragraphs. A strong headline always helps catch the eye - never forget how many press releases arrive every day in a journalist’s inbox!

Journalists also appreciate quotable quotes, which need to be credible but not bland – often a difficult balance to achieve. A touch of personality can be a very worthwhile nugget in a media release.

When wordwork issues a media release, we often include accompanying editor’s notes with a short profile of the client company, including links to key website pages. Journalists sometimes have longer industry features to produce as well as hard news stories, and a well-crafted news release can lead to valuable secondary media coverage.

Here's a recent example of a clear, concise media news release for stopsave ltd, a successful height safety specialist based near Aberdeen: