An business announcement is called a press release. It is a write-up which is designed to demonstrate the value of a particular product, service, event or  person to a reporter or an editor. Most of the time, press releases are sent alone thru snail mail, email or fax. But they can also be sent along with a pitch letter or as part of a full press kit.

Listed below are the tips in making your presss releases truly effective and worth reading:

• Be sure to provide newsworthy information.
• Inform your audience that they are the intended recipient of the information and let them know the reason why they should continue reading it.
• A brief description of the news should come first before making a distinction as to who announced it. The order should not be reversed.
• Try to observe how  people are going to relate to the news and see if there will be a connection.
• The most important part of the release are the first 10 words so make them as effective as possible.
• The excessive use of fancy language and adjectives should be avoided.
• Deal only with factual information.
• Contact information like the person to get in touch with, phone, address, email, fax, or website address should be provided.
• Before issuing a release, make sure that you wait until the information delivered has enough substance.
• Assist the media representatives by making their jobs as easy as possible.

Now that you are already armed with the tips, you can follow the guidelines below to prepare a press release in the proper format :

1. The headline must be written first. It should be clear, direct to the point and brief.
2. The body copy of the press release would come next. It should be written in such a  way that you would have it come out in a news story.
3. The 5 Ws and the H should be present. Your press release should be able to answer who, what, when, where, why and how.
4. Pertinent information about the company should be included.
5. Have everything tied together. For instance, additional information links can be provided to support the press release.
6. Contact information should be included.
7. Three # symbols should be positioned at the center of the last line of the press release signifying the end of the release.