ABSTRACT
Unlike a traditional announcement news release, a promotional news release is not an objective telling of a news story. The audience for a promotional news release, therefore, is not mainstream, objective journalists who want facts and unbiased reporting about an important news story. Instead, the audience for promotional news releases includes bloggers and social media influencers. The content of a promotional news release is goal-oriented: When strategic writers understand the goal of a specific news release, they will know what information to include in the story. Promotional news releases should not be used for important legal announcements, such as the hiring of a new CEO, a product recall or other matters for which an informal, subjective approach would be inappropriate. Instead, the text of a promotional news release begins with an attention-grabbing lead, which may or may not include the story’s most important fact.
