Tips for creating a press release

On press releases, be sure to provide:

A catchy/creative title. PLEASE do NOT bold the headline, underline it, or put it in italics. It should be in standard format, like the rest of the story or press release.
All the event details, including date, time, location (Who? What? When? Where? Why?)
Is it a fundraiser? If so, who is it benefitting?
Background information about your group or park (1-2 sentences)
Contact information so readers can find out more information. Name, phone number, email address, and/or website. (We do not recommend you send personal phone numbers in press releases.)
Photos should be emailed in jpg format. We would like at least one photo with each press release, if possible. PLEASE send photos separately—same email but separate attachment.
You can also submit just a photo with a brief 1-2 sentence caption!

Keep it short and sweet! Space is limited, so try to keep it between 200 – 250 words. Keep in mind that yours will be one of many submitted to us.
Emailed releases will almost always receive top priority. Type the release in a Word (NOT pdf) document. PLEASE use Times New Roman with a #12 font and single spacing. The entire document should be in Times New Roman with a #12 font---the headline, the body, etc. PLEASE do NOT use BOLD, underlining, etc. in your stories! We will still accept faxed and mailed press releases, but because they will have to be retyped, it will diminish the chances of them being published.
If using the name of a month in your editorial, please spell it out---October rather than Oct.
TIME! The proper way to write time is using a.m. and p.m. rather than am and pm or AM and PM. Incorrect example: 10 am – 2 pm CORRECT EXAMPLE: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
It is NOT necessary to put the current year in editorials. You only need the year if it is not in the current year—for example, February 23, 2020. Please use just the month and day, without “st,” “th,” or “rd.” March 23 (NOT March 23rd).
Remember that the Welcome Home RGV publication dates are Wednesdays from mid-October through mid-March. If you want your press release to be published on a certain date, PLEASE indicate that date in the subject line of your email.