Press-release writing
Creating sharp and compelling press releases that will get journalists’ attention is key to gaining press coverage. It’s a challenging skill, with many parts to master.
Trusted by over 1,000 organisations worldwide
Overview
Creating sharp and compelling press releases that will get journalists’ attention is key to gaining press coverage. It’s a challenging skill, with many parts to master. But doing so will be hugely valuable to you – and your organisation.
This interactive and practical training – developed with both journalists and PR professionals – will show you how. You’ll learn everything you need to know in order to write effective press releases, understand what journalists are looking for and employ strategies that give you the edge.
We’ll show you how to recognise ideas that truly qualify as news and how to turn these into great stories.
You’ll learn how to craft succinct and readable content and write subject lines, headlines and intros that grab attention. You’ll understand the vital components and structure every press release needs. And you’ll discover the other crucial strategic steps to take, including planning media campaigns, building contacts and liaising with the press.
Outcomes
By the end of the training, you will know how to:
- identify ideas that are genuinely newsworthy
- understand what journalists are looking for in a press release (as well as all the ways to guarantee the release will be ignored or deleted)
- use the crucial structure every press release should have
- write succinct, readable and engaging content
- craft headlines, subject lines and introductions that grab the attention of time-pressed readers
- nail the right tone and language
- source and use powerful quotes to add authority and bring the story to life
- ensure your grammar and punctuation are accurate, to keep from falling at the final hurdle
- find target journalists, build contacts and liaise with the press (including through social media and the delicate art of selling in)
- plan and launch effective media campaigns across different channels to support and supercharge your press releases.
All attendees will also receive our unique pre-course writing analysis. This covers 15 different areas of writing skills and helps us ensure the training meets attendees’ precise writing needs, while allowing for rapid, targeted improvements.
Who's it for?
Our press-release writing courses are ideal for comms or marketing teams, PR professionals or anyone tasked with writing press releases.
Find the training that fits
For individuals
Book one to three people on one of our public courses. With a maximum of eight learners per course.
For groups
Train four or more people (up to your whole organisation) with in-house training designed for your team and your needs.
Tailored to you
Individual writing analysis
We’ll analyse each attendee’s writing across 15 different areas
Expert trainers
Each with 15+ years’ experience as professional writers, editors and coaches
Individual coaching
Expert one-on-one feedback with personalised insights embeds learning
AI writing
Learn how to get the most from AI tools: supercharge your writing without losing your human edge
Tailored content
Course content built around your specific learning objectives
Real-world examples
Activities and exercises modified to use your team’s documents
Where
Online virtual classroom
Online or in person at
your chosen venue
Duration
One day
Tailored to you
Price
£495
per person + VAT
Get a quote
for your bespoke course
Course programmes
For individuals
Book one to three people on one of our public courses. With a maximum of eight learners per course.
For groups
Train four or more people (up to your whole organisation) with in-house training designed for your team and your needs.
For groups
Train four or more people (up to your whole organisation) with in-house training designed for your team and your needs.
Individual writing analysis
We’ll analyse each attendee’s writing across 15 different areas
Expert trainers
Each with 15+ years’ experience as professional writers, editors and coaches
Individual coaching
Expert one-on-one feedback for each learner to ensure lasting improvements
AI writing
Learn how to get the most from AI tools: supercharge your writing without losing your human edge
Tailored content
Course content built around your specific learning objectives
Real-world examples
Activities and exercises modified to use your team’s documents
Where
Online or in person at
your chosen venue
Duration
Tailored to you
Course programmes
Price
Get a quote
for your bespoke course
For individuals
Book one to three people on one of our public courses. With a maximum of eight learners per course.
Individual writing analysis
We’ll analyse each attendee’s writing across 15 different areas
Expert trainers
Each with 15+ years’ experience as professional writers, editors and coaches
Individual coaching
Expert one-on-one feedback for each learner to ensure lasting improvements
AI writing
Supercharge your writing learn, get the most from AI tools without losing your human edge
Tailored content
Course content built around your specific learning objectives
Real-world examples
Activities and exercises modified to use your team’s documents
Where
Online virtual classroom
Duration
One day
Course programmes
Price
£495
per person + VAT
Book now
Loading courses...
Frequently asked questions
Can the training be tailored to us specifically?
Definitely – in fact, bespoke group training is the main thing we do. One course programme doesn't look exactly like what you need? No problem. We can combine elements from any of our courses to fit your needs exactly.
Your course can also be part of a blended programme that will support your team in changing their writing for good.
Note that our scheduled course materials cannot be tailored in the same way as our bespoke training. But our trainers will always adapt their delivery based on the individual writing samples which attendees send beforehand – as well as on what people share during the day.
Is the training suitable for non-native speakers of English?
Our courses aren’t ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) courses. They’re not designed to introduce new second-language speakers to the basics of the English language. What they are about is the best ways to use the English language to create effective writing in the professional world.
But our trainers’ experience does mean that they understand and can support the typical challenges learners of English face.
Many of our trainers have experience as ESOL or TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) teachers, and enthusiastically welcome the presence of non-native speakers on courses. Not least as this tends to best represent our workplaces in our globally connected world!
In short, non-native English speakers with a proficient grasp of English will certainly benefit from the courses – including even in some ways that native speakers don’t.
We have written a full post about this, which you can read here.
Why are group sizes on courses so small?
We limit the number of attendees on our live in-person or remote courses to ten. The reason is simply that we find people learn best in groups of no more than eight to ten.
Having larger groups affects how long activities take and changes the group dynamic: it can discourage shyer attendees from taking part and limits sharing in discussions.
Effective training happens through active learning, including supported (and tailored) practical elements. Increasing the group size compromises how personalised and practical courses can be.
If you’d like to, you can read a fuller answer to this question here.
How much does the training cost?
For our bespoke in-company training, this is a tricky one to give a short or absolute answer on. The cost will depend on many factors, including the number of delegates, the extent of the tailoring, and the elements you choose to include.
For a single course for eight to ten people, the price will range from £3,000–£3,900, or £300–£390 per delegate – as compared with £495 per delegate on a scheduled open course.
We’ll be able to tell you exactly how much you can expect to pay once we’ve spoken with you and understand your requirements.
If you’d like to read a longer explanation of our pricing, you can do that here.
I'm dyslexic – will this course be OK for me?
Yes, certainly. Dyslexia affects around one in ten people, so we often have attendees with dyslexia on our courses.
All of our trainers have received training from the British Dyslexia Association. They are also very experienced at adapting their approach in any course to the needs of the individual learner.
And we produce the materials for each course ourselves, which means we can make accommodations to help. This includes providing manuals printed on coloured paper or a PDF ahead of the day. For in-person courses, we can also provide coloured reading aids.
It's entirely up to you whether you mention your dyslexia during the training. Some attendees do, some don't. It can help for the trainer to be aware though, and you'll have the opportunity to share the information in the run-up to the course. Your trainer will keep it confidential, and you can decide whether you'd like to talk about it during the course.
What our learners say about us
Would you like to speak with us?
If you’d like to know more or have a quick chat with one of our team, then fill out the form below and we will be in touch.