Paper and Typeface

Print on one side only of plain white paper. Double-spacing is standard for news copy, and triple-spacing is not uncommon. In order to conserve the taxpayer's money, some government agencies double-space the first few paragraphs and then single space, on the theory that a rewrite person will rework the information in any case. Keeping the release all on one page also permits the editor to see all of the information at a glance. Use a standard, clean typewriter face or one of the basic computer Fonts for body text. Under no circumstance should script or any informal typeface be used. If your release is for radio use only, you may wish to render it in the quarter-inch-high typeface that is available on special typewriters (18-point on the computer). Use mylar (film) ribbons with typewriter or a laser printer with a personal computer for crispness of type.

"News" Flag

To make it absolutely clear that the information is intended as a news release, the large single word NEWS in plain black or red letters is printed in large type (36-point is typical) near the top of the page.

Release Date

Floating clearly above the text, below the news flag, appears the under­lined and capitalized phrase FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. In rare situ­ations, you may wish to indicate a specific date and time of release, such as: For release at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23. If you want to indicate that it is for release in time for morning newspapers and drive-time radio, say: For release AMS Tuesday, May 3.

Contact Person

The name, address and phone number of the person to contact for addi­tional information should appear in a block near the upper-right-hand corner of the page. Ordinarily the contact would be the person who pre­pared the release—either a member of the in-house staff or the practi­tioner at the agency that prepared the release for the client. In some cases, an agency puts the name of the client as the contact. Occasion­ally, on a new-product release or a story involving technical informa­tion, the public relations department will decide it is useful to list the product manager or the chief engineer as an alternate contact person. For the trade press, that eliminates the need to wait while the public relations department passes on the information request.

Serial Number

Many organizations assign a code number to each release and include it either in the heading, under the contact person area, at the end of the first page of the release, or at the very end of the last page of the release. The code number includes a few numbers representing the date of the release, the initials of the person who prepared the release, and perhaps a few let­ters representing the type of release (NP might mean new product; P could stand for personnel).

The serial number serves two purposes for organizations that pre­pare a large number of releases. If a reporter calls and inquires about a topic for which there has been more than one release, the public relations department can ask for the serial number to identify the release to which the reporter is referring. The code system is also useful at the end of the year or any other time when management requests an "audit" of the pub­lic information operation, or when budget-planning requires that the public relations manager prepare a recap of the numbers and types of re­leases prepared during the past year.