How writing media releases is different to brochures

Because a media release is destined to be published in a magazine or online publication, don’t use pronouns. Apart from the fact that readers won’t know who “we” are, editors will either need to rework your material or simply scrap it.

When we (WriteRelease, that is) write a PR tip like this one, we also turn it into a media release by adopting a different style. Every statement that might be an opinion is attributed to a WriteRelease staffer and we avoid using pronouns unless they’re part of a quote.

For example, one of WriteRelease’s journalists wrote this introduction for a tip published on www.writerelease.com.au:

The perfect word count for a media release is easy: whatever the editor asks for. But when you plan to send your news release to a range of industry publications, there are some rules of thumb to follow.

The same sentence was rewritten this way for a press release:
The perfect word count for a media release is easy, “whatever the editor asks for”, says Marian Macdonald of news release service, WriteRelease. But when the news release is targeting a range of industry publications, she recommends following some rules of thumb.

If you’re interested in seeing how this pronoun-packed media release tip looks as a press release, you can see it online at WriteRelease.

Using your company name rather than “we” or “our” has marketing benefits too. Naming your company in published articles helps with search engine optimisation (SEO) and brand-building – all at no extra cost.