Here are some practical tips for writing a press release:

• Your press release must honor the five "w's" of journalism. That is, your release must answer who, what, when, where, and why.

• Inevitably, less is more. Do all that you can to keep your press release to one page - consider widening the margins or using a smaller font if needed.

• Put the press release on your organization's letterhead.

• Immediately under the letterhead, mention when the media can release material in the press release (i.e., "For Immediate Release" or "For Release 10:00am, Wednesday, May 8, 2002.")

• Immediately under the release information, place a contact name and number. News gathering is a twenty-four hour operation so don't expect all press inquiries about your press release to necessarily happen between 9am and 5pm.

• Think about an inverted pyramid - stick the most important information at the top of your press release and the less important information at the bottom. The headline of your press release and the first paragraph are critical. If you fail to get the attention of the reader with your headline and first paragraph, do not expect them to read any further.

• Don't try to tease the media. The strategy of trying to get the media to cover your event without telling them exactly what your plans are rarely works. Reporters and camera crews are scarce. The media is unlikely to commit these limited resources to your event when all the information they have to make the decision is something like "We have some shocking new information but I can't tell you what it is just yet," or "You won't be sorry if you cover our event. Trust me."

• Keep the paragraphs of your press release brief - one sentence is fine but no more than three.

• Make your headline type slightly larger than the rest of the text.

• Consider inserting a quote into your press release. A quote is often an effective way to get your message across.

• Briefly describe your organization at the end of your press release. Just because you know who you are and what you do doesn't mean the media does.

• Signify the end of your press release with either of these proofreading symbols: # or -30-. If your press release exceeds one page, place the word "more" at the bottom of the page.

• Be repetitive but don't overdo it. Send your press release two to three weeks in advance of your event if possible. Knowing that the release you send might get trashed, lost, or misplaced, it doesn't hurt to fax your press release 24 to 48 hours before your event and it can be the same release.