This short howto explains why a press release is important, how to write a basic one, and what parts should be included. We won't go into how to distribute it, which is a bit more difficult.
A press release for activist groups is generally a short summary of a planned event, or a past event, that will be of interest to the press. The purpose of the press release is to get the press to show up at the event, or to call and get an interview or quote.
For larger organizations, the goal is to avoid the interviews and do a single press event or press conference that can be used by different media for visuals, quotes, and interviews. (If you're doing a press event, you need to learn how to run those, too.)
There are also press releases that are simply statements or quotes, usually by important organizations or people. These are used as source material by writers who are putting together stories. This article won't deal with this kind of press statement.
The basic format of a press release is "the five Ws": what, why, who, when, where. You can add to that, "visuals".
A primitive, but still effective press release format is to use those Ws as headings, for example:
Ghost of John Lennon to Appear at LA Coliseum for Supermoon
Why: Psychic medium Clara Peller has predicted the appearance of the late Beatle John Lennon will appear at the Los Angeles Coliseum during the "Supermoon".
Who: Clara Peller, world renowned psychic.
When: JUNE 24, 2015
Where: Los Angeles Coliseum parking lot, Exposition Park.
Visuals: bright "supermoon", ghost, Beatle fans.
Obviously, this isn't going to work to turn out the press, but it's clear what's going on. Sometimes, getting to a point where they understand is an accomplishment.
If this were a more legit story, you can get coverage by expanding on the "why", so that it's a fully written story. This gives the news writer more material to put together their story.
To get some examples, just search online. There are a lot of press releases available for examination, but don't just accept them all. Try to see what works by searching for stories that quote a person from an organization, and then trying to find the press release from the organization.
Original: How to Write a Press Release