Embargoed press release: What & Why?
It is a news item released to one or two of the various media outlets beforehand but is not allowed to be published until a certain date or condition is met. Why??? I know you are wondering that why send it beforehand then and why not send it only when those conditions are met. Well, actually this is done so as to avoid any inaccuracies or mistakes done by the media part while drafting the content of the release. Also, it can give journalists the time to prepare and host an interview regarding the news in advance if in case there is such a requirement. Embargoes press release helps build up media relations as you choose a one or two of the many media publishers which is just like giving them a special and unique treatment. Before I forget to mention, intentionally or non-intentionally, embargoed press release is a way of getting twice or thrice the coverage one would have got otherwise.
As already told above, the editor or journalist receiving this embargoed press release is not authorized to print or publish the news before the mentioned condition is fulfilled or otherwise the sender can surely restrict the editor or journalist found guilty from accessing any further information. This is possible as the embargoed press release is protected with a legal non-disclosure agreement. So, beware for the media people because releasing an embargoed press release before the fulfillment of the condition may get you instant publicity but it surely has long-term disadvantages hidden under the veil.
An embargo is generally written to announce the release of new products and services, announce new employments or personal promotions of the company, government announcing policy initiations, medical journal announcements or to announce something ostensibly newsworthy which is so private that it can only be released 4-5 hours before the actual event.
Format to be followed:
Start with “TO BE RELEASED ON (DATE)” which clearly should tell the exact date when you want your news release to be published. Further ahead, the remaining format for an embargo is exactly the same as of a standard press release as in the end, embargo would still be a press release. Be precise at drafting the whole new release as you must not exceed 500 words, don’t make your sentences and paragraphs too long and complex for the reader to digest. Be careful with the language you use. Your news release must be free from grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, jargons and heavy adjectives. Make your headline an attractive one but in 6-8 words only and make sure it indicates the main point of the news and the reader should make out what the whole thing is all about from the headline itself. After the headline comes the body of the press release which as a whole must answer the questions like who, what, when, where, why and how. Give a summary of the whole press release in the first 6-7 lines itself so that even if the reader does not have much time, he can have a clear picture of the whole news information from these lines. After the body, give a brief description about the company in the boilerplate with the headline of “ABOUT [COMPANY NAME]”. Don’t forget to mention the contact information of an active person who is brief about the whole press release in the end.
It is a news item released to one or two of the various media outlets beforehand but is not allowed to be published until a certain date or condition is met. Why??? I know you are wondering that why send it beforehand then and why not send it only when those conditions are met. Well, actually this is done so as to avoid any inaccuracies or mistakes done by the media part while drafting the content of the release. Also, it can give journalists the time to prepare and host an interview regarding the news in advance if in case there is such a requirement. Embargoes press release helps build up media relations as you choose a one or two of the many media publishers which is just like giving them a special and unique treatment. Before I forget to mention, intentionally or non-intentionally, embargoed press release is a way of getting twice or thrice the coverage one would have got otherwise.
As already told above, the editor or journalist receiving this embargoed press release is not authorized to print or publish the news before the mentioned condition is fulfilled or otherwise the sender can surely restrict the editor or journalist found guilty from accessing any further information. This is possible as the embargoed press release is protected with a legal non-disclosure agreement. So, beware for the media people because releasing an embargoed press release before the fulfillment of the condition may get you instant publicity but it surely has long-term disadvantages hidden under the veil.
An embargo is generally written to announce the release of new products and services, announce new employments or personal promotions of the company, government announcing policy initiations, medical journal announcements or to announce something ostensibly newsworthy which is so private that it can only be released 4-5 hours before the actual event.
Format to be followed:
Start with “TO BE RELEASED ON (DATE)” which clearly should tell the exact date when you want your news release to be published. Further ahead, the remaining format for an embargo is exactly the same as of a standard press release as in the end, embargo would still be a press release. Be precise at drafting the whole new release as you must not exceed 500 words, don’t make your sentences and paragraphs too long and complex for the reader to digest. Be careful with the language you use. Your news release must be free from grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, jargons and heavy adjectives. Make your headline an attractive one but in 6-8 words only and make sure it indicates the main point of the news and the reader should make out what the whole thing is all about from the headline itself. After the headline comes the body of the press release which as a whole must answer the questions like who, what, when, where, why and how. Give a summary of the whole press release in the first 6-7 lines itself so that even if the reader does not have much time, he can have a clear picture of the whole news information from these lines. After the body, give a brief description about the company in the boilerplate with the headline of “ABOUT [COMPANY NAME]”. Don’t forget to mention the contact information of an active person who is brief about the whole press release in the end.