How to turn a press release into a real news story
Press releases tell you what an organisation wants said. Your job is to find what the public needs to know. A five-step method.
Newsrooms receive more press releases than they can read. The best stories in them are rarely in the first paragraph.
1. Find the actual news
Strip out the adjectives and the quotes from the chief executive. What changed? Who is affected? Since when? That is your lead.
2. Spot the spin
Watch for percentages without numbers, comparisons without a baseline, and “up to” figures. Ask for the raw data.
3. Look for what is missing
Costs, deadlines, who decided, who disagrees. What is absent is often the story.
4. Call someone
A press release is one side. Call the organisation with your questions and call someone affected.
5. Write it as news
Use your own words, attribute the claims to the organisation, and leave out promotional language.
With Byline
The Press Release Critique tool lists the spin, the gaps and the toughest questions. The Press Release to News template then writes the news angle in your publication’s length.