RallySport Magazine provide a free service for teams and individuals to have their press releases published on the website.
However, due to time constraints, and because this is a free service, press releases must be submitted in a ‘ready to use’ format, with our editors needing to perform little or no editing to your original copy.
While we understand that not all teams and/or individuals have the skills to produce press releases to an editorial standard, we need to adhere to these guidelines to maintain the quality of the news articles appearing.
Following is a list of guidelines that we suggest teams adhere to, however, if you are still in need of assistance, we are happy to provide a press release service to you, including writing your release, publishing it on www.rallysportmag.com.au, and supplying it to you in a format that is suitable for other media outlets.
To take advantage of our PRESS RELEASE SERVICE, please click HERE.
TIPS FOR WRITING PRESS RELEASES
The Press Release FormatYour must report in the “third person”. Just like a news release, a press release reports on an event, circumstance or occurrence by a third party. When writing a news release, be a reporter and report on yourself or your business.
Third Person Example: “According to John Doe, the next version of Webster’s Dictionary will include two new slang terms that were identified in his research as being part of …”.
Inappropriate Example: “I, John Doe, was informed that the next version of Webster’s Dictionary will include two new slang terms that I identified in my research as being part of …”
Press releases are most effective when they are under 500 words, generally two to three paragraphs, preceded by a clear and attention grabbing headline.
Remember, this content is intended to be used by the media, so be accurate and reasonably detailed.
(Begin with the text immediately below)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Headline
Be creative and keep it to one sentence. Capitalize the first letter of all words but do not use all upper case letters. Exclamation marks (“!”) conveys that your release is advertising, not news, and it’s the credibility of news that generates the good publicity.
Paragraph 1
Physical location (country, state, city), Month, Day, Year - Begin with a strong introductory paragraph that captures the reader’s attention and contains the information most relevant to your message such as the “Five W's” of (W)ho, (W)hat, (W)hen, (W)here, and (W)hy, when applicable. This paragraph should summarize the News Release so that if it was the only part seen by a reader, it would tell your entire message, and it should include a hook to get your audience interested in reading more.
Example:
Citroen driver, Sebastien Loeb, has won round one of the 2012 World Rally Championship, the Monte Carlo Rally, in France on the weekend of January 12 and 13.
As stated above, if this was the only paragraph that the media outlet used, you would still know what happened. It includes who, what, when, where and why.
Paragraph 2, 3, 4, …
These paragraphs should contain more detailed important information, and make up the body of the release. Pick up with the information provided in your first paragraph, including quotes from key staff, customers or subject matter experts. Make sure you use correct grammar so as not to affect your credibility negatively.
Try to keep the press release to fewer than 500 words total. Remember, succinct and to the point works best.
The body of your release should be more than one paragraph. The final paragraph should restate and summarize the key points of your release.
Additional 1
Provide avenues for the reader to obtain additional information, demos, samples, etc;
Additional 2
Include contact information about the release (name, title, email, telephone, etc.). Make sure it is the person who can answer questions about the release.
(End with these characters immediately below)
###
A NOTE ABOUT QUOTES
When quoting somebody, ensure that the comma or full-stop precedes the ‘talking marks’ at the end of a sentence.
CORRECT: “There were rocks everywhere in that stage, and we were lucky not to puncture a tyre,” Loeb said.
INCORRECT: “ There were rocks everywhere in that stage, and we were lucky not to puncture a tyre”, Loeb said.
INCORRECT: “There were rocks everywhere in that stage, and we were lucky not to puncture a tyre ” Loeb said.
IT’S OKAY TO NAME NAMES…..
When referring to a person, in the first instance include their Christian name AND surname. When referring to them after the first instance, refer to them by their surname only.
Example: "Citroen World Rally Team driver, Sebastien Loeb, said the C4 was
a joy to drive. Loeb commented that ..........".
WHAT FORMAT DO I SEND IT IN?
Press releases need to be sent either in the body of the email, or as a Microsoft Word document. DO NOT send as a PDF as this proves difficult for production and will not be used.
Photographs need be jpegs, with a maximum file size of 1mb. You must obtain permission to use the photograph, if it does not belong to you.
You can download the Press Release requirements HERE.
SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE (Courtesy of Honda)
Immediate Release 26 March 2012
Honda Gears Up For Quit Forest Rally
Honda and Evans Motorsport are ready to continue their winning ways in Round Two of the Bosch ARC, the Quit Forest Rally.
Rally Calder spectators were among the first to witness the new J.A.S. built G2 Honda Jazz. The weather and muddied tracks limited the number of heats, but couldn’t stop Eli Evans and Glen Weston from taking the two-wheel drive trophy with impressive stage times.
“Calder for me went really well. I wanted to go there and win and that’s what we managed to do,” said Evans.
Mark Pedder and Claire Ryan made their debut for Evans Motorsport at Rally Calder. They relished their new challenge. “One of the best parts of the event for us was developing a solid working relationship within the car as it was our first event together,” Pedder said.
Pedder’s co-driver, Claire Ryan, added “We were thrilled with the performance of the Jazz at its first event. Calder was quite a tricky rally with lots of tight corners and differing surfaces so it gave us a good idea of the car’s behaviour and potential. When we looked at the stage times throughout the rally we were definitely competitive in the two-wheel drive category and not too far off Eli’s times, which is a good place to be in.”
Calder Park introduced a new challenge, with the traditional forest roads held across multiple locations exchanged for the Bosch ARC’s first ever single venue round.
“In essence, Rally Calder was a stadium event which means short, technical stages repeated several times. The Jazz was incredibly nimble but we obviously struggled for traction in the muddy conditions,” said Pedder.
Quit Forest Rally is always a spectator and competitor favourite. The Evans Motorsport team are eager to attack the forests.
“The Quit Forest Rally will be the first major test for the Hondas. It will be the first time that either Mark or I will get to drive the car at distance. That said, I’m confident the Jazz will be hard to beat on the loose ball-bearing surface of WA. I can't wait for the first stage on Saturday morning!,” Evans said.
“We are very excited about getting the car to Perth and contesting the rally. The roads there are slippery and technical, but with fast sections too. Mark came second at the Quit Forest Rally last year so we feel confident in our knowledge of the roads and conditions,” said Ryan.
The Quit Forest Rally takes place from March 31st to April 1st in Busselton, WA. You can follow the action in real time at www.rallylive.com.au, brought to you by Honda.
What:
Quit Forest Rally, round two of the 2012 Bosch Australian Rally Championship
When:
Saturday 31st March
Sunday 1st April
Where:
Busselton, WA
[ENDS]
For further information, please contact:
Melissa Cross
Public Relations – Honda Australia
03 9285 5640
0408 541 063
melissac@honda.com.au
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