From Yeates Publishing some tips:
WRITING A PRESS RELEASE FOR A LOCAL NEWSPAPER:
Tips and Tricks
1. Write a clear suggested headline. In some cases we will change the headline to fit to a certain space.
2. The who, what, where, when, why: These are the most important parts of the story, and should be included in the first couple of sentences/paragraphs.
3. Add context: Go into more depth about point 2, this could be explaining who’s involved, where something is happening or who something has happened.
4. Quotes: These can be included either within the release or after the release. Often in State Government press releases the quotes will be at the bottom and attributed to someone.
5. Provide references: Often some facts, figures, quotes can be unknown to journalists and cannot be printed without published documentation to support those details.
6. Spelling: Make sure the detail is as clear as possible, and always ensure spelling is correct.
7. Numbers: When writing numbers, some newspapers will either write them as the number or the word. Generally numbers 1-9 will be written as the word(except for the start of a sentence), while 10 onward is written as the number.
8. Photos: Local newspapers love photos from local groups and want to include as many as they can. Photos should be clear and a caption should be included explaining the who, what, where, when and why. This is to help both the reader and the editor understand what’s going on in the photo. If the photo includes people, their first and last names should be included from left to right.
9. Sign off: A newspaper will need the writer to provide their details, including name, an email or phone number, in case they have a question about any detail the press release.
Where to send your Press Release:
For a press release to the Bairnsdale Advertiser send it to: editorial@jamesyeates.com.au
For a press release to the Greater Eastern Mail (GEM) send it to: news@holstadvertising.com
We’d love it if you’d send your press release to us as well. With your permission we will put it on this blog even if the papers don’t publish it. Send to: egcactionnow@gmail.com
Tips from us on writing to politicians:
For climate change specific ideas and prompts you could have a look at the Climate Council suggestions for writing to a councillor or MP:
https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/how-to-write-an-effective-letter-to-your-mp/https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/how-to-write-an-effective-letter-to-your-mp/
A “snail mail” handwritten letter will best convey your conviction. However any way of getting a heartfelt message across will be fantastic.
Council: Address your snail mail letter to our (current Jan 2023) Mayor, Tom Crook and Councillors ie East Gippsland Shire Council Mayor and Councillors PO Box 1618, Bairnsdale, Vic 3875
State member for East Gippsland Tim Bull: Mail: PO Box 1278, Bairnsdale, Victoria, 3875. Electorate Office: 143 Main Street, Bairnsdale, Victoria, 3875 Phone: (03) 5152 3491 Email: tim.bull@parliament.vic.gov.au
Federal member for Gippsland Darren Chester: Mail: PO Box 486 Sale, VIC 3853 Phone: (03) 5144 6744 Email: darren.chester.mp@aph.gov.au
● Include a personal perspective
● Request that our Shire put the climate crisis as a priority for consideration in all decision making
● Include a positive outcome in your letter
● Write in a respectful tone
● Sign off with your own name and address
Some writing points to get you started….
Keep it brief – less than one page and try to focus on one topic.
Personal Perspective ~ Mention a brief sentence about yourself and how global warming is impacting you/your family.
Write about your concerns, hopes, personal experiences, and stories.
Say what has moved you to write – this might be a general concern for your children or grandchildren’s future.
Respond to something you have seen in the press that supports your concerns and to make the politicians aware of the issue, recent news about the impacts of climate change – a conversation you have had…
Consensus from scientists and advice from IPCC (United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) is loud and clear – we must listen to the warnings of looming global catastrophe.
Acting as if we have an emergency is necessary to put effective solutions in place as soon as possible.
We want to tell our elected officials there is an urgency to move beyond business as usual and to prioritise climate change issues in all decision making within our shire council in the aim of creating a safer
future for humanity and nature.
Across the world individuals, organisations and all levels of government are declaring a global “climate emergency” and announcing a determination to act rapidly to put solutions in place.
This requires moving outside the realms of “business as usual” and “politics as usual” and mobilising actions consistent with a
climate emergency response.
For those who are aware, climate grief and anxiety is real. Every day the news gets more frightening.
We know there is so much our Governments and industries should be doing to mitigate the looming impacts.
Climate News 