The very first thing that you have to take into consideration when you are formulating a press release is your audience. For large corporations, the format is going to be quite different than for smaller groups. The big companies are generally well known, so it doesn’t take much to grab the public’s eye, and for the most part it isn’t necessary for them to have to give the public an overview of the things that they do.
For smaller organizations, it can sometimes be necessary to get some information about the things that you do out to the public within the body of the piece, and not just focus on the specific topic of what the press release is based on. You have to make sure that people know what it is they are donating their time or money to, because there is such a plethora of smaller organizations, that it can become very overwhelming for the common person to really have a solid idea of what the goals of each one are.
Once you get past that back story, what your organization does on a daily basis, and you move into the press release itself, you want to approach it almost like an advertisement. It is always going to fall back onto how large and how well known the organization is when you are deciding how to address the target audience, but the absolute best advice is, the smaller the organization, the more personal you want the release to be. You want to feel like you are selling yourself to the audience, because you are.
When you are reaching out to people about the fundraisers, or pet adoption events that you are hosting, you have to make them feel like they are a part of it before they even arrive. For most pet parents and possible adopters, animal rescue is more than just a charity, it’s something that strikes them closest to home. When a person not only believes in the cause, but knows that it is something that has effected them personally, their response to your organization will be much greater. Your press release should not only educate, it should also welcome the reader in as a friend and an ally to the cause.