A press release for a school event spreads your information beyond the students and parents at your school. If media coverage results, it is likely to produce positive feelings about the school or the school club running the event.
Having online, print, and broadcast coverage for a school event brings in more people. This means more attention for the fundraiser or program that the school is hosting. You could collect more money, enrich the lives of students, and create more enthusiasm for a club or team than what would have been possible without publicity.
As for the timing of the press release, try to complete it two weeks before the event. Busy editors and journalists need time to notice your announcement and schedule coverage.
A last-minute press release may still be worth doing. Local media have an interest in covering local schools because their audiences want to know this information. A press release sent on short notice could still result in a quick mention in the news or even inspire a reporter to visit the event.
Best practices to follow when writing your announcement start with using a journalistic format. Your content will read like it is a newspaper article or being spoken on a television or radio news show.
Don’t feel like you have to write a long description of your event and what it means. Press releases are short, at only about 300 to 500 words.
It needs to inform readers what is important about the event. Find the aspect of your news that can make people care.
Making the media person scanning your press release care is the most challenging part of the process. You need to state your news accurately while drawing out the thing about it that makes people curious or excited.
What Should A Press Release For A School Event Say?
Most school events appeal to local news due to the connection the institution has to the community. Big events at the college and university level might attract regional coverage if your press release has a newsworthy message.
School event press releases frequently announce fundraisers. These could be organized by a school group for a charity or be an effort to raise funds for students to take a trip or buy equipment for their school or special club.
A fundraiser-oriented press release should emphasize the purpose for the money and how it will benefit the students or recipient charity. Explain how the funds will improve the student experience or benefit a worthy cause.
Other school events to publicize include theater auditions, theater productions, and competitions. A school’s team heading into a playoff or championship might want to promote the news to attract a larger crowd for the game.
School events are sometimes about celebrating milestones, like opening a new lab or wishing a retiring teacher farewell. News of this nature should highlight what is special about the achievement.
After stating your primary message in a compelling manner, back up your news with interesting facts. Do not speak in vague terms. Use concrete figures that prove your concept.
Facts could be how many students were taught by a 30-year retiring teacher or how many pounds of trash a club picked up along a local river. Depending on the subject, other informative facts could be itemized costs for a school trip that a fundraiser needs to cover. For sporting events, include information like the team’s statistics, coach’s years of experience, or new athletic records.
The effectiveness of this type of press release relies on how well the community relates to your story. Feature students and faculty as much as possible. If something about your school event ties into any current trends, use that aspect to make the story about something bigger than a school carnival or homecoming parade.
Creating A Press Release For A School Event
To avoid forgetting something important, assemble your information before you start writing. Check your facts about the time and location. Make sure that you confirm the spelling and titles for the people who provided quotes.
Press releases adhere to a standard format, and you should not deviate from it. The format makes it easy for journalists and editors to scan and digest the information.
You’ll need to write a headline with a summary. The introduction of the content’s main body requires your most careful attention. Your first paragraph should contain a clear explanation of your main point.
Within the first two paragraphs, try to answer most of the who, what, where, when, and why questions that a press release must address. No one wants to read through a whole page just to figure out the date and time of the event. Before you write the conclusion, make sure that you’ve answered all W-questions.
Quotes make press releases more interesting. Collect some meaningful statements from one or more of the people who put the event together. Try to get them to share why people would like to attend the event.
Press releases normally wrap up with a statement about the organization issuing the announcement. This could be the school, team, or club running the event. Write a short paragraph explaining the organization’s purpose and background. Include contact information for a person who can answer questions from the media.
You should also prepare pictures or video to use with your press release. Place links to the visual resources in the press release so that interested parties can download them for publication.
Because this is a school event, you may be dealing with minors. Make sure that you are following permission policies about distributing images of minors.
Why Write A Press Release For A School Event?
- Increase attendance and revenue for the event
- Build a greater connection between the community and school
- Increase public awareness about how the school enriches students’ lives
Tips For Writing A Press Release For A School Event
- Create a link between your news and what the community values
- Favor concrete facts over opinions
- Be careful not to use minors’ images without proper permission
