How to Help: Press & Media Attention

Promoting Your Event

Local papers are very supportive of local events, and local people getting involved. The best way to tell the media about your event is by issuing a press release.

Constructing a Press Release

A press release is designed to make an impact by presenting an event or story in a professional manner. A well written press release will include the following:

  • Date the release to indicate its newsworthiness to the journalist. Before the date, put ‘For Immediate Release’.
  • Use an eye-catching title, such as ‘200 MILE WALK MARKS MULLANY FUND ANNIVERSARY”. Put titles in capitals and in bold. Keep them short and avoid using puns.
  • Keep it short and put the main facts in the first paragraph. These are often the five ‘Ws’: what, why, who, when, where.
  • Include a direct quote from a named spokesperson. ‘The purpose of this event is to raise awareness of …’, said Swansea Walking Club Group Secretary, A.N. Other. This gives the release a ready-made comment for the journalist’s story.
  • Stress the local angle. Pointing to the national and international nature of the organisation and its campaigning can also be helpful.
  • Provide all relevant information: date, time, exact place (use local landmarks), purpose of the event, what will happen and for how long. You could put this information in a box at the top or bottom of the release.
  • Avoid long paragraphs or long sentences. Keep the page layout clear and uncrowded.
  • Include contact details. Put them clearly at the top or bottom of the press release.

Once you have written your press release, copy the content into the template below. It is most effective to send the press release in the body of an email (not as an attachment).

Please email us for a press release template.

If you do not have the time to prepare a press release, it may be simpler to phone journalists with the information.

Who To Contact And When

This will vary depending on the nature of the event, but generally it is best to send your press release to all your local newspapers and one or two radio stations. We can also circulate your press release to various media organisation. To request this, email your press release to info@themullanyfund.org

Bear in mind that many weekly newspapers go to print on a Monday or Tuesday to appear on a Thursday. Time your event and press release accordingly. If you want a journalist to come to your event, send a press release at least a week ahead.

Follow Up

It is a good idea to phone each journalist to check that they have received your press release, and read it. Often they will have missed it so be prepared to email your press release again. When phoning you should already have an idea of what information you want to convey, and how to present it. It can help to have some prompts written down to guide you.

At The Event

Ensure that there is someone there to welcome and look after any press that arrive. Take a note of the names of any journalists that do attend, and what paper or radio station they come from so that you can get an idea of coverage. Be ready with a concise statement expressing the aims of the event that could be used by a journalist.

You should always have somebody taking photographs of your event. The photographer should get in close if they can, and try to include The Mullany Fund branded banners, placards and posters in the frame.

After The Event

There are a number of things you can do to generate further publicity. Send your own photographs to local papers, labelled with a short caption and concise explanatory copy.

Write a short event report, stating how much money was raised and send it to the news desks. Alternatively, if you collected a lot of money, write to the editor thanking local people for their support. You could write to a newspaper thanking it for any publicity.