Writing a good press release

Feel welcome to copy and paste whatever you want from the example Press Release

Please go here to look at a PRESS RELEASE TEMPLATE

Before we start: Here are some truths that you ignore only at your own risk:

1. Reporters normally don't care about helping you.
2. Reporters are hassled all day by PR people and they're pretty much sick of it.
3. Reporters don't care about your classes or your life story, unless.... you are providing something that helps make their job easier -- that is, a really good story.

In that case:

1. Reporters love you.
2. Reporters are happy to take your call.
3. Reporters are fascinated by your classes and maybe even your life story.

Headlines are important

State your most exciting news, finding or announcement in as few words as possible. Try and emulate the style of headlines you see in the publication you are sending the Press Release to.

For example;

1. Exercise, meditation can beat back cold, flu
2. 'Mindful' meditation tied to healthy brain changes
3. Meditation benefits amaze scientists
4. Scientists say meditation repairs brain processes
5. Celebrities, athletes swear by meditation
6. "Things can go bad once you stop meditating" - Tiger

Subheading

Are a great way to flesh out the headline;

For example;

1. Scientists say meditation reinvigorates our immune system.
2. Meditation can 'turn off' regions of the brain
3. Many celebs are meditating, Hugh Jackman has said that meditation “changed his life” and helped him deal with being obsessive compulsive.
4. Stress-reduction class helps take mind 'to a peaceful place.'
5. A new study of breast cancer patients who used a meditation-based approach to stress reduction found a significant boost in their physical and emotional well-being.

Lead Paragraph

Is probably the most important;

For example;

1. A new study finds that people skilled at meditation seem able to turn off areas of the brain associated with daydreaming and psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.
2. Scientists investigating the effect of the meditative state on mental health, have found that as little as 10 minutes a day for as little as 10 days can have remarkable mental health benefits.
3. A recent experiment tested college students' ability to focus their attention and filter out distractions. Half the students received training in mindfulness meditation while the other half received relaxation training. After five days, meditators outpaced nonmeditators on the attention test, and they became significantly better at handling stress. Saliva samples revealed lower levels of the hormone cortisol when the meditators were subjected to an anxiety-inducing math quiz.
4. Long-term meditators show a 40 percent to 50 percent reduction in brain activity in response to pain compared with a control group of non-meditators. After meditation training and five months of practice, people in the control group also showed a 40 percent to 50 percent decrease in brain activity during painful hot water stimulus. Meditation did not change the volunteers' rating of pain intensity, suggesting that its effect was in reducing anxiety and distress, researchers concluded.
5. "For over six thousand years humanity has relied on meditation to enlighten thinkers, inspire the creative and enthuse its spiritual seekers," says Sunirmalya Symons, a practicing meditator of over 33 years. He believes we are uniquely placed in the 21st century living in the most stressful of all societies to have access to a multitude of simple and powerful meditation techniques right at the click of a mouse.

Content

Inform don't advertise. Find an angle that fits the publication. Be succinct. Local papers may appreciate a high quality image to go along with the story.

For example;

1. The negative health effects of stress, worry, fear and anxiety has for many years concerned modern society. Many say this is the fastest paced, most stressed period that humanity has ever experienced, and that a spinning mind means spiraling health!

   According to ... , a local meditation teacher, this is where meditation excels. "Everyone from scientists, to athletes and celebrities are using meditation as a means of getting focused and centered on more positive, empowering thought patterns," she says.

   People who meditate have been shown to quickly achieve health benefits such as slower heart rates, lower blood pressure, reduced oxygen consumption and lower lactic acid levels. Some have used meditation to help with everything from headaches and respiratory problems to cancer and coping with death. It is seen as a crucial tool in treating many mental illnesses such as depression or schizophrenia while it has also been shown to actually boost functionality of the immune system.

   Beyond the science, however, one common benefit in dealing with stress is perhaps the most important, and that is meditation’s ability to help the practitioner relax in one's own skin.

   ..... will be holding free classes every Wednesday for 4 weeks 7-8pm at ...... She says everyone is welcome and after the classes are complete an informal group will be established to help keep everyone meditating. Call ........... or go to meditation.org.au or Facebook .......................

2. Schoolteachers who underwent a short but intensive program of meditation were less depressed, anxious or stressed – and more compassionate and aware of others’ feelings, according to a UCSF-led study that blended ancient meditation practices with the most current scientific methods for regulating emotions.

   A core feature of many religions, meditation is practiced by tens of millions around the world as part of their spiritual beliefs as well as to alleviate psychological problems, improve self-awareness and to clear the mind.

   Previous research has linked meditation to positive changes in blood pressure, metabolism and pain, but less is known about the specific emotional changes that result from the practice. The new study was designed to create new techniques to reduce destructive emotions while improving social and emotional behavior.

   ..... will be holding free classes every Wednesday for 4 weeks 7-8pm at ...... She says everyone is welcome and after the classes are complete an informal group will be established to help keep everyone meditating. Call ........... or go to meditation.org.au or Facebook .......................

Contact Details

Very clear phone and email information

Follow up Call

After you are sure the publication would have received it, call the News Editor and very politely.. "Hi, my name is and I just was calling about the meditation classes at ............ "

Wait for their response and then ask (if necessary) if they need any more information or whether they might be printing it.

Be mindful that all you are trying to do is bring it to their attention again. Often they will have misplaced it or forgotten about it, so this is a great opportunity to resend if necessary or let them know verbally about the classes over the phone.