Create a guide to making a press release for your open source project

[ExperimentsInHonesty]

Overview

We need to create a guide to making press releases for projects so that product managers, marketing managers and coordinators can write press releases that follow uniform HFLA guidelines.

Action Items

• Gather examples of how other Hack for LA projects have done, adding each example as a link in the resources section
  • Check to see if Food Oasis has a press release
  • Check to see if Status of Youth Justice Nav's press release
  • Once done, remove the "TG: Gather Examples" label and add the "TG: Draft Template" label
• Create a draft template, either in markdown format in this issue or a google doc in the product management google drive
  • Once done, remove the "TG: Draft Template" label and add the "TG: Create Guide" label
• Create a guide on how to use the template
  • Once done, remove the "TG: Create Guide" label and add the "TG: Review Guide" label
• Review the guide with product management communities of practice
  • Once done, remove the "TG: Review Guide" label and add the "TG: Leadership Review" label
• Present to Hack for LA leadership team for sign off
  • Once approved, remove the "TG: Leadership Review" label and add the "TG: Place Guide" label
• Possibly create an issue template on .github
  • Include link to template under resources if you add it as a template in .github

Resources/Instructions

• Refer to #123 for how to write a guide and the guide template
• Update issue #128 with the name of item you are working

Create issue on marketing board for press release review: Got feedback already, see issue for details of the feedback given

Draft press 100 Automations release issue | Final Press Release draft

Original text: #8 (comment)

[ExperimentsInHonesty]

This article from NYT: Gen Zers Say Silicon Valley Is Elitist and Exclusive. Can They Build a New System? seems to be a good example of positioning that we might use to create a press release from. I look forward to seeing other examples and getting guidance from professionals about to include in a press release.

[ExperimentsInHonesty]

This is a draft made from the advice given by Philip Fry, who was our director of Marketing, provided to Audrey Kim in February 2021. 100Automations/Website#158 (comment)

What is a Press Release?

Press releases are announcements, official statements, or interesting news a company or brand releases about itself. They provide information about your company to anyone who wants to write about your company (journalists, reporters, anyone in media). Press releases can efficiently promote an event or the release of a new product across different publishers with little budget.

Press releases are often written several months in advance of an event (even a year early for product releases). When a press release is finished, it is archived into the press kit (also known as a media kit or marketing kit) until the awaited event (like a product release) approaches. A press kit contains tools that help publishers and media people easily write about your company. It includes key information about your company, logos, relevant images, team bios, press releases, and any other information worth sharing.

When the big event nears, press releases are sent out to publishers (like tech news websites) by your company's PR (Public Relations) team, taken up by journalists on those platforms. They are fleshed out into full-length articles, or published as they are (depending on the style of the press release).

Traditional press releases are straight to the facts and less narrative, generally not over 1 page. They often provide key information on which journalists can base full-length articles on. More recently, more press releases have been being written as full news articles so they could be published as they are. For 100 Automations' purposes, press releases are better written as full articles, since it makes redistribution more efficient.

How to Write a Press Release

Here are some things to consider when writing a press release. This guide is from GrowthZone, adjusted to 100 Automation’s preference for full-length articles.

The Basics of Crafting a Press Release:

• Make it newsworthy; it’s not an ad, it’s a news article
• Use an attention-grabbing headline
• Be time-sensitive – no one wants old news
• Stick to one topic
• Write it in a professional tone, or even better, write it like you’re a reporter
• Proofread it and then have someone else proofread it

Key Components of a Press Release:

• Letterhead (identify that it’s from your organization)
• Date
• Headline: Limit it to 15 words
• Subtitle: Say what you couldn’t say in your title; it should add interest for those interested in the title
• Lead paragraph: Your organization’s location (city, state) followed by an em dash (—) and the 5 Ws (who, what, when, why, where) of the story
• 2nd Paragraph: Supportive information and at least one quote
• Other paragraphs: Additional, relevant, non-essential information
• Call to Action: An exact, complete, non-embedded URL (not “Click Here to visit website”) in one of the paragraphs
• Conclusion: A brief description of your organization
• Media Contact Information: Name, email, phone, and website OR Name of the organization and how to contact their media team

References

The articles below can give you an idea of how to set the tone, create an interesting headline, and include key facts in your press release.

• Gen Zers Say Silicon Valley Is Elitist and Exclusive. Can They Build a New System? (NY Times)
• Code for America Launches New Blueprint for Human-Centered Safety Net
• How to support open-source software and stay sane (Nature Journal)

Additional Resources

• 100 Automation's First Issue on writing a press release
• Voice: Use an impartial and unbiased voice, but be sure to reflect the emotions (e.g. frustrations, excitement) of the key players.
• Citations: Follow the Associated Press (AP) style to format quotes, dates, and certain other specifics such as how to write names in news articles. The Purdue Writing Lab's Common AP Style Guidelines will cover everything you need to know to write a press release.
• Structure: If you are unsure how to structure your article, you can use the most common format seen in newspapers: the inverted pyramid. The inverted pyramid format presents the most important information first, followed by less important information. You can see a visual chart and learn more about the inverted pyramid in PressBooks' News Writing Basics.