News Release Best Practices, Tips, and Strategies

News release distribution and pitching to reporters best practices for news release creation and distribution.

Embargoes Work to Get Reporter Attention and Give Them Time to Write the Story

Embargoes serve  as an icon for newsworthy releases and provide journalists early access to information ahead of publication. This is most commonly used with academic journals, and presentations at scientific conferences. The journalists agree to hold the information until a specified date and time when they can publish their story. This democratizes the coverage somewhat, as no single outlet can “scoop” the others, and thereby encourages variety and quality in the stories produced.  

In an analysis of more than 1 year of data, embargoed research news releases were used by journalists more consistently than news without embargo at an increase of almost fifty percent. Comparing those posted under embargo, and those without embargo, the overall number of resulting news stories was higher on average for the embargoed group.

There are diverse opinions about embargoes. Some people believe embargoes are a mechanism for power brokers to maintain power. Others favor them because they give journalists an equal opportunity to review the research and write the story.

The use of the embargo has a number of issues, but when used correctly, embargoes are an effective tool to distribute news. Embargoes should be used appropriately to maintain integrity and credibility. Appropriate scenarios for embargoes include research news appearing in publications or presented at meetings, and certain other special circumstances. The overuse of embargoes in less appropriate circumstances degrades journalists’ confidence and should be avoided. 

Newswise has proven it is a trusted source for those who use and submit embargoed news. Reporters traditionally and consistently honor the embargo. Our format makes it obvious when a story is under embargo, and when reporters register for a press pass, they agree to honor embargoes. Over the last 30 years and thousands of embargoes releases, embargoed releases on Newswise have only been broken a handful of times, and they have been handled with the reporters.

Research Alerts  

Writing full-length news releases takes time and resources, and large organizations generally have to be selective about what stories they plan to issue. Many worthy research studies are left on the cutting room floor. 

Research Alerts, a new option for content submission on Newswise, give reporters an embargoed research news tip without the full time commitment of writing a news release. The time saved can facilitate more time under embargo for the reporter to prepare their story. Even when an embargo is not feasible, by keeping it short and simple, there is potential to get exposure for a story that otherwise would have been missed. 

Newswise editors recommend writing a brief summary of the research and a good headline in lay-friendly language. Sometimes this can be taken from the abstract or summary of a journal article, other times it may need to be translated. In as few as 150 words, reporters with some knowledge of the topic can assess whether or not they are interested. Provide the link to the full study or attach a PDF if possible. Include contact information for media to make sure those interested reporters can get the info they need. This will take you less time than writing a full news release, and reporters value seeing more options, especially with advanced lead time for embargoed news

Later, if a full news release develops, that can also be shared on Newswise as a separate submission, or by updating the earlier Research Alert with the new text. 

See what some members have already done with Research Alert under Sections > Research Alert.

Recommendations for Research Alert

• Do a quick Research Alert pitch as soon as your faculty tells you about their journal study, then follow it up with a full press release later
• Do Research Alerts on smaller studies that represent niche topics or gradual progress in the science to save yourself time while still promoting those studies
• Use language from the study abstract and summary, so you can be sure that the science is accurate and you don’t have to spend time writing original copy
• Provide links and downloads of the paper so reporters can go dig into the details themselves
• Give reporters instructions and details for how they can interview your expert, including info on your campus studio capabilities or a sample video of them speaking on any topic

Members can submit a Research Alert by logging in and clicking My Tools, then clicking the link to Contribute News Release. Once on the submission form, select Research Alert from the options of article types. Bookmark this link for future reference. 

Is it Announcement, or Feature?

Many press releases are written in a straightforward, Organization-X-Does-Y-format. While this approach is familiar, it can read as very formulaic. A news release for, “University Gets Million Dollar Gift,” practically writes itself! But, is that a good thing? 

These Announcements, while important to the stakeholders within an organization, are not what lights up the imagination of reporters. 

A key strategy in the success of any story pitch is to focus on what the audience is interested in, not what your organization wants to get credit for. This will help to discover interesting news items that might have been overlooked in the effort to promote the latest happenings at an organization.

By all means, write and issue that Announcement, but consider if there is a different way to package it. An Announcement with the focus on the dollar amount of the grant can be turned into something that emphasizes what the grant money is for, why it’s important, and the work already done by the organization to earn the funding. With some re-organization and a fresh headline, the Announcement becomes more of a Feature article about the good work going on, and the recognition of funding takes a passenger seat.

We understand that you must appease your stakeholders as you reach out to your community. However, when it comes to reaching out to the general media, focusing on the honor can sometimes cloud over what really gets journalists’ attention: the noteworthy news item.

How can you transform that announcement into a light feature or even a research news release? Sometimes all it takes is a little tweaking of the headline and the description. After all, this is what is displayed in the wires that are sent to our reporters. They are scanning these headlines looking for that fresh bit of news, sometimes referred to as a news peg.

Here’s an example of how a headline rewrite with a different angle can turn your light feature into a more newsworthy story…

Newswise editors found an article recently posted on one a member’s news page, which was titled, “Former [Organization’s name] students study mating habits of hummingbirds, parakeets.” Upon reading the article, there was an interesting news item from the research on bird behavior near the end of the release. In a recently published study, the researchers found female hummingbirds and parakeets have certain preferences for picking their mates, which correlate to the males’ cognitive abilities. A new headline was proposed to share this story on the Newswise wires and website. The client graciously approved the posting with the new headline, which now read: Studies Support the Idea that Female Birds Prefer to Mate and Raise Chicks with Smart Males.

The article garnered 30% higher pageviews than the average release, with readers affiliated with 7 major media outlets viewing it, including staff reporters from the National Geographic and Philadelphia Inquirer.

Here’s another example from a news release found just browsing the web:

Original headline: Pivot Bio Reports Significant Growth and Expansion of Leadership Team

After reading the article, the more newsworthy item might be what this company is about to do with this newly expanded team. They’re going to launch a new microbe.

Potential new headline: With Newly Expanded Leadership, Pivot Bio to Launch World’s First Nitrogen-Producing Microbe for Corn in 2019

Clearly the news about their new microbe for corn is more interesting to the national media than the company’s new leadership.

The next time there is an Announcement to write, see if you can discover the interesting news buried in the paragraphs. Feel free to reach out to our staff to help you uncover that hidden news peg!

Omit Your Organization’s Name from the Headline

In an analysis of news releases, headlines perform better when they do not include the institution’s name. News releases where the organizations’ names were not in the headline received 20 percent more views than those that had the institute’s name in them.

Editors recommend that headlines start with the most interesting keyword that describes the subject of the news releases, rather than leading with the name of the organization. If mentioning the organization’s name is important, consider placing it at the end of the headline, rather than up front. 

On Newswise, the source organization’s name is listed prominently wherever the headline and link to the article appears. The editorial team is available to workshop headline options and other ways to maximize the potential of news releases. 

General Headline Tips

• Keep headlines as short as possible (preferably under 60 characters)
• Omit your organization’s name in headlines if possible
• Avoid unnecessary words such as “study finds” or “researchers find”
• Focus on the most newsworthy point
• Avoid mentioning the citation in the headline
• If your news is posted on two or more platforms, write a unique headline for each of them

A Campaign for Every Research Study

“High Cholesterol Fuels the Growth and Spread of Breast Cancer,” a research news release from Duke Medicine caught the attention of Newswise staff while it was being issued to reporters under embargo last fall. Upon further investigation, something interesting happened.

“In paragraph 8 or 9, there was a comment by one of the researchers,” explains Newswise COO, Thom Canalichio. “They basically say that high cholesterol reduces the effect of one of the most common types of cancer treatment drugs, rendering it useless. ‘This could be an entirely separate news release.” 

View the data on the results of this strategy in our infographic below.

That idea wasn’t in the original headline, so after some collaboration with the communicators at Duke Medicine, and with the review by and approval of the researchers, Newswise conducted the following case study. The goal: to approach the story from different angles to attract more attention from a wider variety of readers, and get more coverage.

Media outlets from around the world and across the spectrum took notice. Some outlets included the New York Times, National Geographic, National Public Radio, Newsweek Poland, Jerusalem Post, Ladies’ Home Journal, and more. At the conclusion of the case study, these four releases had received a combined total of 18,678 page views and 161 media outlet views.

“High Cholesterol Fuels the Growth and Spread of Breast Cancer”
5,513 page views, 70 media outlet views.

“High Cholesterol May Make Breast Cancer Worse”   
4,384 page views, 28 media outlet views.

“Cholesterol Could Counteract Breast Cancer Treatment”  
4,436 page views, 14 media outlet views.

“Should Women Take Statins to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk?”   
4,345 page views, 49 media outlet views.

The first release “High Cholesterol May Make Breast Cancer Worse” was given a straight forward headline and clarified the research for a lay audience. The second release “Should Women Take Statins to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk?” picked up on the finding that statins could reduce breast cancer risk and severity. The third release “Cholesterol Could Counteract Breast Cancer Treatment” highlighted the reason why breast cancer treatment may not be as effective in women with high cholesterol.

We want your feedback!

What do you think of this strategy?  Do you want Newswise’s help to execute this process on one of your own releases?  Newswise is the only service of its kind to offer this level of custom feedback and professional development.  Please contact us if you are interested in discussing what you could do to maximize your news at [email protected] or by calling us at 434-296-9417.

Tips to Improve SEO of your Articles on Newswise

1. Headline should contain trending keywords and the main keyword of your article. 
2. Headline should be fewer than 65 Characters.
3. If your news is posted on different platforms, try to give each one a unique headline. 
4. Add subheadings within the article body. 
5. Use trending keywords in subheadings.
6. Add H2 formatting tags on subheaders. For example: Subhead
7. Add an SEO-specific meta description, fewer than 160 characters, that summarizes the content for search engine results pages (SERPs). 
8. Interlink trending keywords in the article body by embedding URLs that link to other authoritative content, past news releases on related keywords, and profiles of experts mentioned in the text.  
9. Write short paragraphs. Properly sized paragraphs play an important role in making your text readable and scannable.
10. Use interactive multimedia related to the trending keywords in your article.

About Newswise: Profiles | Pitching | Wires | Web

Newswise, a news distribution, pitching, and expert service, began in 1992 as the first online news release source for reporters. Today, they provide wire distribution to more than 7,000 reporter subscriptions, and curation on a high-ranking website for SEO. Newswise also hosts an Expert Directory for reporters to contact researchers for quotes and commentary, and a media database for pitching directly to journalists called Newswise Select.