Press Release Tips

When submitting press release to Lumen Media for publication (or other media outlets), we have some tips to assist you. When in doubt, send the information that you do have, and we'll take it from there.

Tips and tricks of writing a press release:

• Headline
• Name of the organization, parish, school, etc.
• Where and when? – Time, Date, Place (TDP) of event, gathering you are promoting or announcing.
• A few paragraphs about your event, gathering or announcement - What is happening? Why is it happening? Who’s involved?
• If the event has already occurred, please send right away to increase your chances of publication. News that is months old loses relevancy in our fast-paced world of electronic media.
• Keep sentences short and simple.
• Include quotes from one or two people involved (if you can) including the name, title and organization/parish of the person you are quoting.
• Include contact information in case we have a question.
• Press releases traditionally end with -30- or  ###. It signifies to the editor/reporter that the release has come to an end. 

Including a photo or image with a press release:

• Lumen Media (and most media outlets) prefers action pictures or pictures with less than 10 people.
• Avoid photos with rows and rows of people.
• Avoid photos that show mainly the backs of the individuals in the photo.
• Please identify the people in the picture (left to right) with first and last names.
• Avoid shooting a photo into direct sunlight, into the sun or in front of a window when inside as your exposure will make the photo unusuable.
• Include where the picture was taken – place and/or event.
• When emailing pictures, they should be PNG or JPG files between 500KB and 3MB.