When you're new to media relations, it's common to wonder how to send a press release. Should it be an attachment or in the body of the email? (and many experienced PR professionals still send unrequested attachments!). Here's my plea: if you're a comms professional who is still sending press releases as attachments, please stop.
There are a few reasons why:
✉️ Attachments can make your email more likely to get stuck in spam filters so I might miss your story
✉️ It's much easier for a journalists like me to quickly scan an email to see if your story is a good fit. With my inbox already bursting, the additional faff of downloading attachments might (ok, does) put me off reading your news
✉️ Not to mention that I'm often on the go and reading emails on my phone. Again, I can easily scan through the email when the text is in the body copy. But when you send your press release as an attachment, it's a pain for me to access. This might mean I prioritise other emails or LinkedIn messages instead
✉️ Attachments from an email address I don't know can be... well, dodgy. When you put the full info in the body of the email, I can scan through without having to open anything. This removes the worry of opening myself up to the risk of a virus or whatever...
Press releases in the body of the email per-lease!
And don't get me started on huge unrequested image files being added as attachments...
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How can I help?
Hi, I'm Mel and I write about the ocean. As a freelance marine science journalist (and ex-PR consultant), I have plenty of experience on both sides of the media relations fence. Hopefully you found these tips useful and feel a bit more confident about starting to contact journalists to try to drum up your own press coverage. If you still need support, I've created a couple of resources that might help:
- A handy guide with tips on getting media coverage
- An editable press release template, so you can write your own
Thanks and good luck with your media outreach!
