Just my thoughts and I’m sure others will have more to add.

 

My view is that the content is always going to be far, far more important than “style” and pretty pictures. I don’t think journalists care very much at all about branding. 

 

Of course, if you work for an institution where media are invariably interested in what you say, they will already be reading your release because they’ve seen who’s sending it.  If yours is not the kind of institution whose press releases media rush to open – or even if you are – I think the most important factor is simply what the subject box says.

 

Pictures / film content that really (really) add something to the release are great.  Boring exterior shots of the building containing the lab where the research was done are a waste of time and space.  

 

Finally, I tend to think that even if your press release does “scream” the name of your institution, that unfortunately has nothing to do with whether or not it will be mentioned in the piece.  In my experience, that often takes reminders, pleading, bribes, threats…and sometimes they’ll still forget to name-check the organisation or journal, or a sub will remove it at a later stage or just get the name wrong.  (I remember an email from a journalist who had twice failed to credit us, pleading for an exclusive and saying “Please be absolutely assured that I will, of course, mention the Royal College of Medicine…”.  This is not where I work.)

 

Anyway, hope this makes sense.  Have a good weekend.

 

Carmel Turner

Media Manager

Royal Society of Medicine

 

 

From: psci-com: on public engagement with science [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Paula Gould
Sent: 28 October 2011 16:28
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [PSCI-COM] beautiful press releases

 

Dear All,

 

We are doing some work on the "look" of our press releases - mainly for internal consumption (the bits of paper we pin up on noticeboards are perhaps a little tired...)

 

This has prompted conversations about the press releases we send out to journalists; format, branding, etc.

 

At the moment, our press releases tend to go out as plan text in the body of any email. They don't necessarily look pretty, but all the information is there and they don't mess up anybody's email system (I hope).

 

They don't have fancy logos on, or pretty pictures. But they don't scream "University of Leeds" terribly loudly either.

 

Does this matter?

 

All thoughts/comments welcome. Interested to hear what everyone else is doing and PARTICULARLY interested hear from any journalist lurkers on this list.

 

Many thanks!

 

Paula

 

Paula Gould, Dr

Press Officer | University of Leeds

T: +44 (0)113 343 8059

E: [log in to unmask]

W: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/media

 

Communications and Press Office

Level 14, Ziff Building, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT 

 

 

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