A format for creating press releases

Ignoring the fact the main focus of the following website is a world away from anything HN-related, perhaps you might find the following article, from an ex-journalist, on the subject of crafting press releases helpful:<p><a href="http://www.rocknrollbride.com/2012/04/how-to-write-a-press-release-that-will-actually-get-you-featured-a-guest-post-by-debbie-carlisle/" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.rocknrollbride.com&#x2F;2012&#x2F;04&#x2F;how-to-write-a-press-r...</a><p>(Disclosure: although involved in rocknrollbride.com, I didn&#x27;t write the article)

And this is on HN because...? Missing from that (tiny) article, in order of importance:<p>1) a discussion as to why press releases don&#x27;t matter anymore<p>2) tactics about why the first paragraph (after the title) is all most people will read, or even the first sentence of the first paragraph.<p>3) how to tell a story that people (and journalists) will relate to, instead of a &quot;news&quot; that only makes sense to yourself (Widgets, Inc announces release of Widget 1.5 Pro)<p>How to get the press to cover your startup is a recurring topic at the startup conference.<p>I searched through our video archives, we have the videos of 2012 and 2010 (<a href="http://thestartupconference.com/video-archives/" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;thestartupconference.com&#x2F;video-archives&#x2F;</a>). Now if only we had transcripts...

Little tip: If you don&#x27;t want the news to be released before a given date, do not send out a press release before this date.<p>If you want to brief journalits before an official release date, do it in person and use a NDA. Otherwise it will not work (might not even work with an NDA).<p>Edit: And: The format will not help your chances getting published. Interesting content sent to the right audience will help you get published.

Up next on Hacker News, &quot;how to maximize the space on your floppy disk.&quot;

BTW the original title was about how the example was amusing, even going so far as to call it a &quot;masterpiece&quot;.<p>I don&#x27;t think the OP meant to recommend this as actual advice for creating a press release.

Great information for how to write a press release, as well.

Calling it a &quot;masterpiece&quot; feels a little strong for a basic format that is, based on the press releases I receive, already used by a huge number of people.