12+ Sample Press Release Fact Sheet

Press Release Fact Sheet: What Is It?

A Press Release is a brief, captivating news story produced by a staff assigned for public relations and distributed to journalists with the media who you may have contacted prior. A press release’s main objective is to spark a journalist’s or publication’s attention. The press release should include all of the necessary details for the assigned journalist to easily compose their news story.

Since a press release is expected to be prompt and only relay the most important information, this ties in with a fact sheet well. A Fact Sheet is typically a one-page document filled with key information on a specific topic. Together, the press release fact sheet contains only the most vital information about the company given to the journalists to inform them of the instances and direct updates from your company.

When Is It Appropriate To Send A Press Release Fact Sheet?

If a press release fact sheet is meant to be forwarded to the media in order for them to produce a story, then you might think ‘why not just create a press release fact sheet all the time so that your company gains attention from the public?’ The Case for that question is there are suitable moments where a newsletter is preferable to send out rather than an immediate release press release fact sheet. When you have something interesting or significant to discuss, you should send out a press release. Here is a list of noteworthy items you should keep in mind as to when can you forward a press release:

Notifications on Breaking News: Give news organizations a helpful hand. Journalists will be able to post breaking news faster if you share a press release with them.Events: Make material timely and engaging for reporters to share with their audiences. They also assist to boost attendance at the event, their presence may contribute to the experience and help them write a much better story. Partnerships: The media may be interested if you form a partnership with another corporation. For both you and your partner, it’s a win-win situation.Research: Data and unique perspectives are always intriguing, but don’t forget to liven it up a little; no one likes to read a dry data report.Awards: Upon receiving recognition, the media publication or news companies may want to share the news of your company’s accomplishments.New Executives are Being Hired: This is more relevant to larger firms and organizations, it may be significant news when a new employee is hired much more as they rank a higher position in the company.Management of a Crisis: When things go wrong, the value of a press release increases even more. You will get the opportunity to tell the narrative in your own voice first rather than the publication or journalists receive it from a contradicting perspective or opposing party which may paint your company in a bad light.

How to Write an Effective Press Release Fact Sheet

Make sure your audience, as well as the audience of the media, will be interested in what your company has to say. This will greatly enhance the chances of your release being picked up by the media and lead the journalists to write a story based on your press release fact sheet. A press release fact sheet template has been provided for you to view and observe the flow of the information above. Otherwise, the steps have been given to guide you along the process in writing your own press release fact sheet from scratch.

Step 1: Create a Striking Headline

Similar to a press release, you need to have your target audience and the public read it much less grab the attention of journalists. In a sense, the headline serves as a guiding light. It must have a high ability to pique people’s curiosity. The format may be different and it should be in bold type with a font size that is bigger than the body content. A maximum amount of characters should be used, you wouldn’t want your headline to be too long that it becomes rather wordy and mouthful.

Step 2: Compose Relevant Paragraphs

The five W’s are well-known among journalists as the fundamental formula of a news release. Any news article must include information about the main five Ws in order to address the relevant information right away. This information is presented in a news report format in a simple and straightforward manner. The majority of individuals have extremely short attention spans. It’s critical to include the most crucial information at the top of the page; this ensures that the reader understands your news completely. That paragraph has to pass the reporter’s sniff test. If it doesn’t, the press release will be ignored.

Step 3: Explain your Team Members and Staff

The public would want to put faces on the people behind the press release fact sheet, it helps for them to form a connection when the rest of the team and employees are mentioned or even given a name. Although it may not be necessary if they had a large contribution, then it would be best to add in their statements or credit them for their work.

Step 4: Include What Motivates Your Corporation to Thrive

Any success story would inspire and motivate individuals to push through the mold and be a better version of themselves. Through your company’s press release fact sheet, you may garner followers and loyal customers who will find your cause to be close to them which would increase the likelihood of your company name being recognized. See a Company Fact Sheet for possible inputs.

Step 5: Other Information That the Media Might Find Interesting

If there is additional information that your company would like to mention, this is the step where it could be placed. Remember that it should still be relevant even though it is at the bottom part. Don’t fill it in for the sake and if your company has no other information worthy to be mentioned, then don’t force it to be placed in the document. Keep in mind that a Media Fact Sheet functions differently although maybe for a similar purpose.

Why are Press Releases Important?

According to Legal Zoom, press releases have evolved significantly over time, particularly since firms have discovered the value of internet marketing. There are, nevertheless, certain techniques for using a press release efficiently. The following are some of the most essential reasons why press releases have become so crucial:

Announcing the Availability of a New Product or Service: If you wish to launch a new product or service, you can use a press release distribution service to write a press release and have it sent to the major search engines and social media networks right away. This also allows you to reach out to tens of thousands of journalists.Improving the Brand Image: Companies may simply send out as many news releases as they like now that it is so easy to create and distribute a press release. Increasing the frequency of your press releases is an excellent strategy to boost your brand’s image.Images Assist to Pique People’s Attention: Images, videos, and other multimedia may now be used in press releases, allowing you to communicate your message and news items in more engaging ways than ever before. Don’t forget to create a Photo Release Form in order to provide legal copyright protection to your photos or those involved in the picture.Instant Distribution: Prior to the advent of internet press releases, most news releases were exclusively delivered to journalists. They resided in a binder, on someone’s desk, or in a building lobby if they weren’t thought worthy of press attention. A press release may now be immediately disseminated to millions of people all over the world via email and social media. A brochure has the same purpose and yet its distribution acts differently because of physical holdbacks. Viral Possibilities: When individuals share an online news release on social media networks, it may become viral, creating a buzz that was never conceivable with traditional press releases. If a Press Kit comes in handy, check out our available templates.Portability and Convenience: A news release may be read anywhere on the Internet or on a smartphone. Search Engine Optimization: Search engine optimization (SEO) is a term that refers to adding particular keywords related to your business so that people can quickly discover your firm information through search engine use.

A Common Mistake in Writing

No human is perfect and admittedly, people make mistakes along the way. Whether it be overlooked typos or lacking certain words because as we know the brain processes rather fast and sometimes when writing something, a word can be forgotten, etc. Journalists or media practitioners are familiar with these details since they always make use of them in their own news releases or stories. Media journalists are busy people and your company would want an image that is pristine and professional. In order to avoid mistakes when you are writing your press release fact sheet, the Center for Rural Health provides a quick reminder.

Acronyms: At first, identify all acronyms, then utilize only the acronym for the remainder of the document. This is most applicable when introducing a government office or department or even a company that you may have mentioned in your press release fact sheet. Stating the entire name and then adding in the acronyms through the rest of the document helps journalists gloss over the detail without being confused as to what it stands for. This also clarifies confusion with them that they have to avoid in fear that they might release false information.Signs and Symbols: Use the term “percent” rather than the sign “percent” in your narrative. This is another practice that journalists follow that some signs and symbols are not really used in documents to maintain professionalism and for the press release fact sheet to be easily readable. Also because it just looks much better than adding in signs that may be bothersome to the eyes. Additionally, when using percents, avoid using decimals. It is much better to round them off into whole numbers so that it would be easily understandable to not just the journalists or media team but also the public upon the release of the press release fact.Using figures: In general, any number less than ten is written in words, while any number more than ten is expressed in numerals. This is another common practice that is used by journalists that are encouraged by various formatting guides such as Chicago Manual or even American Psychological Association. There is an exception in the case of numerals that when a number appears at the start of a phrase and is followed by a date, they are permittable to be written as a digit itself.Dates: Following the suit of figures, dates are commonly present in many documents and most especially press release fact sheets where special events are stated. The purpose of dates is not only to inform the journalist if it were an upcoming event or if it already happened then they would be aware. There is no comma between the month and the year. Between the date and the year, there should be a comma.Titles: Titles are capitalized if they appear before the name. If it comes after the name, then it may not be capitalized depending on the various position and importance of their label. Courtesy and non-degree related titles such as Mr. Mrs., Miss, or Ms. are rarely placed and should only be used when expressly asked and then afterward consistently used for the entire document of the press release fact sheet. If necessary write a Release Form to notify their information will be published.

FAQs

What benefits does a press release fact sheet provide?

The benefits that companies would gain from creating a press release fact sheet is that they have instant exposure upon its release from media publications since the public would be able to read more about the company and the specific topic that was covered. Through a press release fact sheet, social media may receive a boost. It also adds authenticity to your brand, organization, or company.

Am I able to reach my target audience?

Distribution of press releases ensures location targeting, a significant benefit that enhances your chances of getting your message in front of a more receptive audience. This sort of location-based service may help you expand your reach and connect with people who share your vision, mission, and interests and are more likely to check out your firm. In short, press releases through a fact sheet do reach your target audience along with a wider population.

What kind of information should I include in my press release fact sheet?

You should only add in the most vital and relevant information in your press release fact sheet, as has been stressed through the entire article that the information that will be published should be interesting to the public but also stay true to the company announcement. Only add in Statement of Need, keep it simple and direct as it would be much easier to retain in their minds.

Press release articles are useful one way or the other, not only is it beneficial to your company as it gets the word out serving as a universal update to the mass media and the audiences, but it also provides the public knowledge about your company and gain attention from them. What are you waiting for? Crank open that writing device of your choice and start creating your press release fact sheet with ease as our article has shown you the steps and its benefits.