A media alert is structured more like an invitation or notice. It gives the facts, listed clearly, without interpretation or introduction. This of this as a duplicate of a scrolling info bar along the bottom of your favorite news channel. It tells busy readers, namely members of the media, who need to make quick decisions, the basics [who, what, where, when, why). When writing a media alert, keep this in mind: it is a basic, and ideally simple, assignment memo. Be conservative with details and length.
Here are the basics on how to write a media alert...
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MEDIA ALERT
Date
Title
Subtitle
WHO: Your business/organization and key attendees/participants.
WHAT: Brief description of your event
WHEN: Event date and time
WHERE: Address of event location [Hint: It’s a great idea to provide public transit or basic highway/driving directions here, similar to what you might find on the website of the event location. Remember, anything that makes it easy for someone to get where you want them to go helps you].
PRICE: This is for publication purposes. Do not expect, or request, members of the media to pay for tickets to your event, and notate that - this is for publishing means only.
MORE: Include only if absolutely necessary. Remember, the Media Alert is not a tool for persuasion, it is a bare bones information tool that is compelling because your event is interesting and worth attending, not because you are crafting a narrative around it.
ABOUT Remember to add your standard identity paragraph that appears at the end of all of your press releases. If your company’s About Paragraph is on the longer side, try to edit it here so it includes only the most important information and does not exceed a few short sentences.
