How to write a political press release or campaign announcement
The press release is one of the most essential tools of public relations. If you’re running for elected office, or you are managing a political candidate, you would need to write and send press releases.
Crafting a press release is not as complicated as you think. Here’s a quick guide on how to write a good political press release or campaign announcement
- Target audience
Before you get to the actual press release writing—the most important thing to start with is choosing the angle that matters for your target audience.
You must have a clear understanding of your core target audience as well as the angle that will interest the media and your core audience.
- Headline: hook them in 3 seconds
In order to have a fish, you need to catch it first. First things first, your press release needs to have a catchy headline to be successful. It’s the first thing people will read and based on that, they will make their decision whether they want to read the whole thing or not.
Try to keep it short. This way, it’s easier to read, it looks more appealing and as long as it’s no more than 110 characters—people might even tweet about it.
Make it fresh, newsworthy, and interesting, as the whole decision-making process takes about 3 seconds.
Your connection starts from the headline. This is where you make it or break it.
- The miniskirt and 5 W’s: Your opening
The third most important part of writing a political press release is to craft the opening paragraph.
Answer the most important questions by including the five W’s:
- What the news is about
- Who is involved
- When it happened
- Where
- Why it is important
When writing this part make sure you follow the “miniskirt rule”, meaning your lead should be long enough to cover the essentials, but short enough to keep it interesting. Don’t waste the journalist’s time—you have to arouse their curiosity, not give them all the details at once.
If someone only reads the headline and the first paragraph, they should be able to get the essence of your press release.
- The body: tell me the story
If your press release headline caught the readers, don’t let them be disappointed by the body.
The body contains the important information you want to convey to the media and the public.
It all goes here and can include statements, policy positions, and quotes.
The body is broken into paragraphs — and each paragraph needs to support and enhance the information in the paragraph preceding it.
Sentences and paragraphs should be short while maintaining a readable text flow. It should be presented in plain language, and compelling style, not jargon.
- Facts and quotes:
Include a quote from either a high-ranking respected member of the public or a notable figure to bring the story to life. Include research or statistics from credible sources to back up your release. As much as possible, try to limit the press release to a page or 300 words.
- Conclusion: what’s in it for me?
Always conclude your press release with positive information about yourself and your campaign. But remember, don’t make it all about you. Always speak from the public perspective and ensure your release answers the reader’s question – “what’s in it for me?”
Do also Include a contact name, email address, website link and phone contact numbers. End the press release with three-number signs, commonly known as a hashtag (#), centered at the bottom of your release.
Your political press release final checklist
Before you roll out your political press release to the media, go through these questions and final checklist:
Does the political press release contain all of the above-mentioned elements?
- Is it newsworthy?
- Is it between 200-400 words?
- Is the heading catchy?
- Is it objective and not too promotional?
- Did you go straight to the point?
If the answer to all of those questions is YES, you have a great chance that your political release will be well received by the media and happily consumed by the readers, and potential voters.
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