How to Teach Children to Write a Press Release
Whether your budding journalist is announcing her newest lemonade stand or a school activity, writing a press release is a great way to help her learn about writing. Press releases offer the most basic information about a person or event in an eye-catching way. As you teach your child how to write a press release, you will be teaching her elements of style, parts of speech and public relations.
Things You'll Need
- Newspaper
- Computer with Internet connection
Instructions
Talk to the child about ̶0;The Five W's̶1; -- who, what, where, when and why. Answering these five questions are key to providing the correct information about your child̵7;s event. Make a list of information regarding your child̵7;s event including who is sponsoring it, what the event is, where it is held, when and why. Look through press releases in your local or a national newspaper. Alternatively, read press releases on the Internet. As you peruse the releases, look for the ̶0;Five W̵7;s̶1; in each press release. Note those press releases that most catch your eye. Read through those together and discuss why these particular releases interested you. For example, was the heading catchy? Was the text concise? Write the headline for your press release. The headline should be catchy, descriptive and short as this is the first thing your reader will know about your event. Ensure the headline explains the event in a way that makes the reader want to continue. For example, ̶0;Little Girl Sells Lemonade̶1; doesn̵7;t have much appeal. However, ̶0;Local Girl Raises Money for Orphaned Seal̶1; explains the action while encouraging the reader to find out more about the story. Keep your summary concise. After the headline, include a summary of the event in a sentence or two. Even if the child is writing about himself, write the entire press release in third person pronouns such as he, she or them. This is to encourage a reporter to use the information in the press release to write a news story. Talk to the child about the body of the press release. This is where the bulk of the information will be found. Include a more detailed explanation of the event including what prompted the person to sponsor the action. It must also include the ̶0;Five W̶1; information you compiled in Step 1. This section can be several paragraphs but keep it short enough so the entire press release can fit on one page. Include contact information at the end of the press release so that the reporter can refer to you or your child for more details. Encourage your child to edit the press release. Check for spelling and grammatical errors. Tighten the writing by eliminating unnecessary words or phrases. Remind the child that no one turns in her first draft. Even experienced journalists take the time to read and edit their work.
