How To Write A Press Release For A Charity Event
All charity events need to drum up as much support as possible in order to maximize their fundraising. One effective way to create buzz around your event is to issue a press release.
A good press release will contain all of the information journalists, bloggers and other media representatives need to know about a newsworthy item. If they think it is of interest to their target audience, they will share it with them. The more media attention you get, the more word will spread about your charity event. With a widespread frenzy of media attention, success of your event should likely rise.
Once you have written your press release, publish it through a press release distribution service. In this way, you can connect with thousands of media representatives.
What should you include in a press release for your charity event? Here are a few essentials:
A great headline
Grab the reader’s attention and create some buzz about the event.
A powerful subheadline
This is a preview of the press release. It should support the headline to create a buzz about your charity event. It will be visible in most press release distribution service interfaces and can entice busy journalists to read more.
Keywords
Include keywords in both the headline and subhead. They will make your release more searchable for journalists looking for your type of content. Don’t forget to include your name and city in most cases, and words related to the charity, such as Light The Night walk, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and so on.
The city and state
These will also serve as keywords for those looking for local news.
The date of the release
Date your release to show how current it is, and to provide a context for when the event will be taking place. You need to publish your press release far enough in advance to allow journalists to pick up the story, and for people to register to participate and/or fundraise for someone doing the sponsored walk.
The first paragraph
In journalism, the formula for writing the first paragraph is known as the 5Ws. It should contain the following information:
- Who
- What
- When
- Where
- Why
For a charity event, your most important information might look like this:
- Who-The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
- What- Light The Night 3-mile sponsored walk
- When-August 1, 2018, 6pm to 12am
- Where-Starting at UN Plaza, finishing at South Street Seaport
- Why-To raise money to fight cancer
The charity’s most important details
Who are they and what do they do? Why is it important? For example, leukemia and lymphoma affect people of all ages, from children to seniors, and there is no way to prevent it. The money raised since the charity was founded has led to more than 20 major breakthroughs in treating these types of cancer.
Contact information
Add the name of the contact person, phone number, email address, and URL. Include a call to action such as, “Contact us for more information.”
Include media
Include images of past walks and videos of people speaking about the event and how to get involved.
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