I'm a television news reporter who previously worked as an online news editor and reporter. Though my career spans just three years, I receive an overwhelming volume of press release "interview notifications" every single day—we literally can't read through them all!!! So... how should the content be written, and how can the headline be engaging enough to catch reporters' and supervisors' attention and get swarms of media to the event?

Because I've also worked at a PR firm handling major brands, whenever there's an event, anywhere from 10 to 70 media outlets might show up. PR firms also need to meet targets, so to reach goals, PR professionals would draft the "framework" and "event messaging themes" in advance. They'd think internal discussions would spark media interest, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way!

How do you write a press release that attracts reporters?

【Understand What Reporters Care About: Visuals, Key People, and Story Angles】

Traditional media or current video media certainly need compelling visuals to catch attention. So often when receiving a press release, they hope to get "reference photos" or "reference videos" at the same time—for example, similar events held last year or in other locations—so reporters can anticipate what they can capture on-site and facilitate "pitching" to their supervisors.

Tip 1: Package "Story Angles" into News From Boring Press Releases

For instance, I once received a press release about a school holding a "Personal Safety Training" event. The headline seemed pretty boring, but looking closer, I discovered that a national martial arts coach would visit Taipei First High School for Girls to teach 120 female flag-twirling team students self-defense. The visuals and key people were there—visuals of self-defense and key people with Taipei First High School plus a martial arts coach, quite an interesting combination. But that still might not guarantee coverage.

So I thought hard and connected it with the social incidents happening over the past half year. I told my supervisor that because recent femicide cases have primarily involved female victims, a martial arts coach is now entering campus to teach female students self-defense, with footage of practicing strikes against attackers. This caught attention, and the topic resonated with many netizens who found it important. Eventually, it became a news story.

Tip 2: Always Mention Key Figures—Don't Lie to Reporters

Also, key figures must be mentioned. For example, group chairpersons, CEOs, and notable figures must be listed. Never lie or exaggerate. For instance, some PR professionals claimed in press releases that the chairman would make an announcement personally, but when called, it turned out a lawyer would represent them instead. That's really not okay!

Why?

We need to understand reporters' pitch process first. Usually, a reporter receives a press release and "pitches" it to their supervisor, confirming what visuals are available and how to package it. If it involves a big name, they'd deploy an SNG truck or 4G mobile unit for live on-site reporting—like press conferences from Foxconn or TSMC would require live coverage. So if someone bails last-minute, makes changes, or lies to get reporters to the scene, the PR person gets scolded by reporters, and the reporter gets scolded by their supervisor. Next time a similar event comes up, they might refuse to attend—unless you're big enough.

Moreover, the day's news might end up with headlines like "XX Chairman Mysteriously Vanishes," "XX Event Falls Through," "Say Yes But Don't Show?", "Getting Cold Feet?"—all negative language. Of course, this might only happen with negative news, but it's already damaging. If there are further changes, wouldn't it hurt the image even more?

Tip 3: Story Angle × Story Angle

A certain job portal is excellent at riding trending topics. So roughly every 1-2 weeks, they release statistical data. For instance, when a typhoon hit recently, they released a survey on whether companies allowed employees to take typhoon days off, and arranged interviewees—real cases of people who had to go to work on typhoon days.

Statistics ready, interviewees arranged, and though the visuals are somewhat sparse, these are topics the public cares about. Plus, the survey was done long ago—the PR team said "we were just waiting for a typhoon to hit." I thought that was incredibly smart and considerate. Because of this, each press conference draws considerable media attendance, and they even add attribution to the data, increasing exposure.

The second example is convenience store cross-brand collaborations. Consumer goods and food are topics supervisors really like. Consumer goods appeal because convenience stores love pulling surprises—launching "micro convenience stores" and partnering with gyms or bakeries, or selling beer and frozen beer products, all generating buzz.

Food-wise, two to three food items are usually featured, with "crowd favorites" typically falling into a few categories: 1. Visually appealing, 2. Over-the-top, 3. Unique ingredients. Since visuals are highly valued and everyone loves food, if today it's pink pearl pizza, it's both beautiful and over-the-top, with sweet and salty ingredients—very special.

Or if it's lobster, the ingredient itself is luxurious = over-the-top. If paired with different preparations like lobster tenderizing, lobster sandwiches, or lobster burgers, different cooking methods each become a "story angle," depending on how PR professionals find these special elements.