No. 89: Creating a Press Release to Promote Your Research

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Creating a Press Release to Promote Your Research

Reader question: My colleagues and I recently completed a study that will impact our local community. So we’re holding a public conference to discuss the results. One of my colleagues said we should announce the conference by sending a press release to the local media. How should I go about creating a press release, and what should it include?

Expert comments:

You should first develop a list of local media outlets, including newspapers, magazines, radio stations, TV news stations and websites. That way, you’ll know where to send your press release.

The release should consist of two components: awareness and a call to action. At the top of the page, include a contact name, title and telephone number. Below that, write a heading and a subheading.

Make sure the release is no more than five paragraphs. Write it in an “inverted pyramid” format. In other words, include information in order of importance, with your conclusion or main point appearing first.

For example, in the first sentence you can state, “After months of research on lack of access to healthful foods in our county, researchers at ABC University found a link between desserts and hypertension. In light of these findings, the team will hold its first Conference on Health Disparities.”

Beneath your introductory paragraph,include the following:

Any of the five Ws (who, what, where, when and why) you left out of the first sentence. Who (you and your colleagues), what (your research), when (now), where (your organization), and why (the need for the research; what it will mean for your community/society at large).
A quote from a member of your team, an official from your organization, and someone affected by the research, such as a leader in your field or a person from your community.
Titles of those mentioned and their involvement.
Precise steps on how you obtained data.
How the study began.

Write the press release in the simplest terms possible. Remember to avoid using technical jargon because this information is for the general public.

Expert comments from Dena Owens, media relations specialist at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tenn., http://www.uthsc.edu..

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Comments (10)

Professor
written by JF Leslie, September 05, 2011

All that is said is true, but my first piece of advice is to contact your institution's office that handles these matters and to work with them. They can help write it and help get it in places where it is likely to be seen, read or heard.

Consultant
written by James E. Lewis, PhD, September 06, 2011

JF Leslie is absolutely correct. The most important reasons for involving the Institutional public relations office are: (1) to protect the investigator from institutional reprimands for going out of organizational bounds; (2) to protect the institution in its "grantee organization" role; (3) to make the institutional hierarchy--beginning with the investigator's department and program leadership--aware of the research finding as well as of the possibly ill-advised early release of information to the public; (4) to make sure there is no violation of the sponsor/grantee organization agreement and relationship; and (5) to give the investigator time to consider whether and when public, non-peer reviewed, release of the findings is actually an appropriate step at this time. All investigators should remember that no tenure committee attaches serious meaning to a press release or media story in comparison to publication in a tier 1 or 2 professional journal.

...
written by Clarion P.I., September 06, 2011

Totally agree with above advice to involve your intitution's "communicaton" dept. Those guys are "pro" at what they do; you may be a geat scientist but are a rank amateur in publicity and pres relations. But on our campus we've got the opposite problem: a paucity of reportable discoveries. So the Development Office (i.e. fundraising office) says through the Dean "No discoveries, no donations". Their idea for a "cure" is to whip (puff) every tiny spark of discovery into a huge press announcement of accomplishment. How do you control such exagerating folks if the Dean is on their side?

...
written by ReginaldN, September 06, 2011

A press release will go a very long way in getting the word out about your event. This advice, getting the media list together first, is the most important part. There is some very good advice here and I hope that once your release is sent out that you will see many people who are interested in your research and will want to see what's up.

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