A press release is the most common way to disseminate news. For a public company, it’s mandatory if the news being communicated is material to their business.

 A press release is also an opportunity to attract media attention by providing editors and reporters with the information they need to base their decision on whether or not to provide coverage.

Yet, according to Steve Frank, Commodities Editor at Bloomberg, he still sees countless examples each day of poorly written press releases that fail to grab his attention. Frank spoke earlier today at the Bloomberg Editorial Briefing Session. Of greatest importance is to simply write in clear and concise language; avoid buzzwords, jargon and overly technical language that make understanding the real message behind a release difficult.

 Besides that, here are some of Frank’s other do’s and don’ts when it comes to putting out an effective press release.

 Do: 

 Don’t: 

• Put a press release when there is no real news;
• Don’t bury key facts and make the reporter dig for them; keep them as close to the top of the release as possible;
• Don’t write an overly long release; keep it concise;