In the past week, we got a chance to talk to Tim Entwisle, Director of Madrigal Communications, a specialist copywriting agency helping businesses to write tenders and major commercial proposals as well as building their brands.

Due to his previousexperience as a professional writer working in government public relations, we asked Entwisle to share his expert approach to writing an effective media release.

According to him, a media release is a powerful communication tool that generates media interest in your business and can assist in building your reputation with your potential clients. Moreover, Entwisle suggests taking a conversational route while writing a media release.

“A media release must provide reliable, quality information to journalists and editors. They should be able to trust the source of information otherwise they have to do all the research themselves. A factual and well-written media release will encourage the journalist to use it as a basis of a story, “ said the writing specialist.

However, Entwisle warns that a media release isn’t a ‘literary masterpiece’. He emphasised, “A media release should focus on delivering essential information, in a concise, accurate and timely manner”.

He has also shed some light on the most common mistakes writers make while writing a media release.

“To create a conversation, you should know what your target audience wants. Don’t simply feed information without determining what they want. Your aim should be making the topic as relevant and interesting to the audience as possible.

“Before writing a media release, understand what your audience expects when they read the targeted newspaper or magazine, or listen to or watch the radio or television.

Tim Entwisle was also kind enough to share the following useful tips with us:

 Make sure you include the date

 Use short sentences (on average, 25 words or less)

 Each paragraph should stand alone and contain only one or two short sentences, covering one idea

 Write in the active voice

 Write in the past tense

 Use plain English and avoid jargon, scientific terms or bureaucratic vocabulary

 As a rule, do not quote more than two people in one media release, as it can become confusing

If you are unable to create effective media releases, it’s worth hiring an experienced copywriter who can create a professionally written media release to generate traction for your business.