Writing a Media Release
If you are considering contacting the media about the 2015 Federal Arts Budget, a media
release might be a great first step to clearly articulate your ideas and responses.
Be clear about shaping your document to match its target. For example you may be taking a
local specialist interest in a project to a local newspaper, or you might focus on a particular
issue that has wider state or national relevance for a major metropolitan based publication,
or you might want to write an opinion piece or letter to the editor expressing your informed
views on the issue and its impact.
For a media release it is best you focus on one idea or story that you want to tell. This could
be for example an industry response to the announcement, a collective call for questions to
be answered by the Minister or a celebration of artistic work that has a positive impact on
the community and how the budget announcement will affect this.
By creating a well written and concise media release you will ensure the media have all the
information they may need in one place. It should provide a clear understanding of what you
are saying and why you are saying it.
TEMPLATE (1 Page)
Header: Media Release and Date
Heading: This should be a brief title, something that provides a headline for your story,
suggesting your position or idea. It should capture a journalist’s and or audience’s attention.
Introductory paragraph: This should be short, sharp and to the point. You almost need to
tell your story in the first line. You have very little time to capture attention so creating an
interesting perspective on the issue will be important.
Following 3 paragraphs: This is where you can flesh out your idea or story. You can include
quotes from artists, audiences or industry experts if they are relevant to your story but you
must quote them accurately and have their prior permission. You must make sure that you
include attributions and acknowledgement of any participants, collaborators or contributors.
If you are promoting a project you should also include the title of the project, the date, time,
venue and length of project.
Just remember if you are sending the release to a publication for the general community,
not everyone understands industry specific acronyms or theories so make sure you are using
language and terminology that is accessible to the widest audience possible. If it is a
specialist industry publication then it may be appropriate to use specialist language.
Contact Details: Ensure you have your contact details at the end of the release. This should
include both phone number and email address so if there is follow up, journalists can reach
you easily.