A political candidate’s success ultimately depends on their campaign’s PR strategy, which impacts the amount, and type, of media coverage they receive. Obviously, that campaign wants its candidate to be in the media as much as possible, but for all the best reasons.
Press releases are leveraged to achieve that goal. A document circulated to journalists that conveys an announcement about a candidate (or elected official), the political press release is intended mainly to generate coverage and boost publicity.
Therefore, a well-crafted political press release that paints the candidate positively is an essential component to any campaign (or reelection) mission. To understand how this works in action, this guide will cover the following:
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As we said above, a political press release could be issued for any variety of reasons, which ultimately dictate the type of political press release you need.
This press release is essential to official campaign launches or announcing a candidate’s entry into a race. Its purpose is to inform the public about the candidate and generate excitement around the candidacy.
A press release featuring a position statement is used to announce a candidate or sitting politician’s official view or position on a controversial issue—this might be their stance on Roe v. Wade or the minimum wage increase.
Under very strategic circumstances, a running candidate’s camp might issue a press release in reaction to an opponent’s stance or activity, usually in a critical manner.
This press release is used to relay important campaign announcements—the amount of small donor funding in the last quarter or a political milestone, perhaps.
An endorsement press release is warranted when any running candidate or seated official wants to provide a public high-profile endorsement of a fellow politician in the midst of a campaign.
The post-election press release is used quite simply to issue an acceptance of victory for the race winner, along with their vision of the office future, or concession of defeat for the loser.
Want more information on the nature and purpose of a great press release? Check out our short guide: What is a Press Release? What Can It Do?
A political press release should include all relevant details to the running or seated official, their campaign, and the press release announcement.
Like any other press release, this information is structured the same way most articles are, with the most important information appearing at the very top, and the subsequent following in order of importance—it’s commonly referred to as the “inverted pyramid.”
To ensure the crucial information is given at the beginning of the press release, see that the first paragraph, maybe two, answers all of the “5 W’s”:
Political press releases are typically straightforward, but they do have to follow a standard press release format. Of course, it’s worthwhile to flex your creativity to make the release stand out, but maintain structural decorum or journalists won’t take it seriously.
Press releases are structured like news pieces, following the inverted pyramid structure. The most important details come first and all other details follow in order of importance.
Once you structure your political press release, there are tips to nail down the basics of filling it in. Press releases are objective, third-person point-of-view, and non-promotional.
Journalists receive hundreds of press releases in their email inboxes every day, so how do you ensure yours is interesting enough to grab and hold their attention?
You build interest in your press release by establishing a “hook.” What this refers to is a connection between the announcement in the press release and a wider angle, such as a trending issue or current news cycle. Make the press release relevant to a larger issue.
For example, this political press release ties Rep. Ilhan Omar’s vote on the Right To Contraception Act to larger political issues at stake in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade being overturned.
Want to check out our full guide on how to write a press release? Not sure you’ve got the basics down? We’ve got you covered: How to Write a Press Release for Great Results [Examples + Tips]
It’s important to get a sense of what these press releases look like in action, so we’ve provided some examples here of different types of real press releases.
Here’s an example of a political press release announcing Gale Mastrofrancesco’s entry into the state race for Connecticut’s 80th Assembly District.
Getting endorsements for your campaign is critical news. Here’s an example of an endorsement announcement for a congressional candidate. Dan Canon announces that his campaign has received the endorsement of Teamsters Local 89. The campaign team also posted the political press release on Canon’s official Twitter channel for extra reach and visibility.
A campaign victory is definitely a newsworthy topic for a political press release. Here’s an example of a press release announcing a campaign win for a state representative. Ray Lopez won the spot during the Democratic primary in Texas’s 125th District.
Want to send your political press release under embargo? Then you’ll want to check out our full guide on embargoed press releases. You can find it here: Embargoed Press Release – A Complete Guide
So, you have a well-structured and well-written press release, but how do you actually distribute it to media outlets?
There are two options for press release distribution: either the use of a press release distribution service or emailing it to a handpicked list of media contacts, one by one.
For a fee, you can pay a press release distribution (“wire”) service to send your press release out to various media outlets. These services have syndication agreements with extensive outlet lists, which means publishing your press release on at least a few websites is guaranteed.
However, the drawback here is there’s no guarantee that the cultivated contacts will publish the press release, or be relevant, so it still might not reach the intended audience.
Sending it manually means researching media outlets and email addresses, crafting pitch emails, and then sending it to each target contact on the list, all on your own. This can be laborious and time-consuming but could have better results.
A political press release is a valuable tool in any campaign’s PR arsenal. You want to control the narrative about your candidate and the campaign, so it’s always a better tactic to act preemptively, and circulate information on your own terms with your own angle.
By distributing interesting and flattering political press releases, your candidate can stand out in a crowded field and get a jumpstart to stay ahead on voting day.
Still not sure how to write a political press release? Let us help! Simply book a free consultation with us to get expert insight into how to start or improve your press release.
