Current Events in

Hospitality
Lecturer – Jade Bissessur
 Agenda
Press release
What is a press release ?
• A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news
media for the purpose of providing information, an official statement, or
making an announcement.
• A press release is a written communication that reports specific but brief
information about an event, circumstance, product launch, or other happening.
It's typically tied to a business or organization and provided to media through a
variety of means.
• A press release is traditionally composed of structural elements, including
a headline, introduction, body, and other information.
• Using press release material can benefit media corporations because they
help decrease costs and improve the amount of material a media firm can
output in a certain amount of time. Due to the material being pre-packaged,
press releases save journalists time, not only in writing a story, but also the
time and money it would have taken to capture the news firsthand
• Issuing a press release doesn't mean the media will automatically run with it.
Media outlets will ask the same questions they always do: Does it interest
their readers? Does it benefit the community in some way?
 The goal of a press release
• The main purpose of all press releases is to promote something significant
and specific, and to do so clearly. Beyond that, a press release is a document
that adheres to a strict format and serves three marketing and promotional
purposes:

1. To notify the media about an event in hopes that they will spread the word.
2. To share something about your business, hoping a reporter will see a story in
your press release and write an actual news article about it.
3. To promote your business' appearance on the internet via blogs, websites,
and social networks.
 Format
• When writing a press release, it is important to follow the accepted
press release structure and format, which includes a headline, sub
headline, two or three paragraphs for the body, a boilerplate, and
contact information.
• If you don’t use this journalist-expected format, you’re less likely to get
media coverage.
• A press release should contain your business logo, a headline, a lead
paragraph that summarizes the announcement and newsworthy
angle, three to four body paragraphs, hyperlinks, social media links,
quotes, and multimedia. Then, it concludes with information about
your organization (your boilerplate) and contact information. The total
length should be between 300 and 500 words.
 1. Logo
• To boost the brand awareness impact of your press release, your
company logo should be prominently displayed at the top of your
press release.
 2. Contact Information
• You can put your contact information to the right of the logo. This
includes the ways a journalist can contact the person within your
company who can answer questions about this press release. Include
their name, email, and phone number so that journalists can contact
you however they are most comfortable.

• Here is how the contact information on your release should appear:

• Contact: John Smith
Phone: (123) 456-7890
Email: john.smith@email.com
 3. Release date or dateline
• A release date indicates when you want your press release news to
be published or written about. Add the timeline for when you want
your press release to be published or written about in the top-left
corner of your press release and in all caps. You can indicate if you
want your press release news written about or published immediately
or at a future time.
• If your press release is ready to be distributed right away, include the
words “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” at the top of your press release.
• When it is in your press release, it will look like this:
 4. Headline
• A press release headline appears at the top and center of your press
release but below the logo, contact information, and release date.

• It should grab the reader's attention with a strong, catchy headline

with keywords that people will most likely use in their search.
• Since the headline is usually the most eye-catching part of your press
release, you want it to compel people to read your press release.
• Include the name of the event and either the location or theme of the
event.
• You won't want to give too many details up front.
• Your headline is the first impression a journalist will get of your story.
Is it dull and flat? Is it loaded with sensationalist jargon? The headline
should grab the reader’s attention while remaining truthful and
relevant to your story.
Adobe press release headline example
 5. Subheader
• A subheader is about 120 characters in length and appears directly
below your headline.
• Subheaders allow you to capture readers’ attention and help them
better understand what your press release is about. It gives you the
opportunity to develop your story angle further with a teaser that
entices further reading.
• Ideally, they should be italicized.
 6. Place & date
• The first line of your lead paragraph needs to show the location the
press release is coming from and the date it is published. It is
separated from the first body paragraph by a dash. Both location and
date should be bolded and should look like this:
 7. First paragraph
• The first paragraph should answer the who, what, when, where, and
why or how of the press release. Its purpose is to give journalists a
quick snapshot to decide whether the story is a good fit for their
audiences.
• Stick to the facts here and avoid hyping or trying to sell products or
services, but do mention the angle that makes your announcement
newsworthy.
• The text should be single-spaced and an unbolded 12-point Arial or
Times New Roman font.
 8. Body paragraphs
• The remainder of the body paragraphs should serve to complete the
story you have introduced in the headline and first body paragraph. It
should zero in on the newsworthy angle of the story and elaborate on
it with details journalists can use to develop that angle.
• Use short paragraphs, of approximately two to four sentences, and
feel free to include statistics in addition to graphics to back up your
claims.
• Finally, make sure you make it super-easy for journalists to cover your
story. If, for example, you are inviting a journalist to cover a company
event, be sure to include details on how they can attend the event for
free. You should also include information for their audience about how
to attend the event.

• That way, journalists can both invite the audiences beforehand, then
.
attend to write a follow-up story
 9. Boilerplate
• The final paragraph of your press release is called a boilerplate. It is
your company’s “About” section that appears at the very bottom of
your press release.
• This is where you can write about your company’s background,
awards, amount of time in business, or anything that might be of
interest about your company.
• You can also provide a link to your website. Your boilerplate should
be less than 100 words.
• All companies mentioned in the press release should have their own
boilerplate.
 10. End Notation
• While we recommend you stick to one page (or approximately 500 words) for
your press release, if your release uses two pages, the first page should end
in with “-more-” centered at the bottom of the page. Whether a one-page
press release or the second page of a release, the final page should end with
three pound signs, like this: ###.
• This tells the media that they have accessed the entire document. Often,
when sending press releases over fax or email, pages would be missing, so
adding the notation of “###” tells the press they have all the pages they need
to cover your news story.
 11. Final Note and CTA
• Once you have ended the text of the press release, it’s a good idea to put one
final note at the bottom that encourages someone who would like more
information to reach out to you. A simple sentence like this is appropriate
(formatted in 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font):

“If you would like more information about this topic,

please call [name] at [phone number] or email
[email address].”
Alternatively, this call to action (CTA) section becomes especially valuable if you
include an element that is trackable to determine if you are meeting your business
goals. For example, if your goal is new leads, you could add a link to a designated
landing page that expands on your product launch, then offers a free trial or demo
on that landing page in exchange for visitors’ email addresses.
• https://www.luxresorts.com/media/4693/br
eak-up-guru-press-release.pdf

• https://www.constancehotels.com/media/2
0668/staysure-tour-announces-season-
ending-indian-ocean-swing-in-partnership-
with-mcb.pdf
 Online platforms for PR
• https://www.hotelnewspr.com
• https://www.travpr.com
• https://www.siteminder.com
• https://www.travelclick.com
• https://www.pr.com/press-releases/1170
• https://tripadvisor.mediaroom.com/us-
press-releases